Saudi Arabian Students Research Articles

The Readiness of Applying m-learning among Saudi Arabian Students at Higher Education

This paper presents study investigating the extent to which Saudi students understand and are familiar with mobile learning. It investigates students’ use of handheld devices and considers the daily activities for which they could be used while also evaluating m-learning in Saudi Arabia - a topic that has not yet received adequate attention from researchers. Initial data was acquired through a questionnaire carried out among 131 Saudi students at UK universities in July 2013. The study confirmed that students’ are confident using mobile devices in their daily lives and that they would welcome more opportunities of mobile learning. The findings reinforce the fact that higher education policy makers in Saudi Arabia need to consider the possibility of creating mobile learning environments at academic institutions.

“I Am Different From Other Women In The World” The Experiences Of Saudi Arabian Women Studying Online In International Master Programmes

Abstract This paper presents findings from a qualitative study that investigated seven female Saudi Arabian students of the University of Liverpool’s online Masters programmes. Qualitative, first-person research methods and hermeneutic phenomenology were chosen for the analysis and interpretation of transcripts (Langeveld, 1983; van Manen, 1997; Creswell, 2007, Roth, 2012). The principles of cultural anthropology (Hall & du Gay, 1996; Hannerz, 1992; Lull, 2001; Coleman, 2010) were used to take a snapshot of the interviewees’ particular world to provide an overview of the Saudi Arabian culture where the role of women is at the centre of academic, political, religious and social debate These findings reflect the participants’ everyday lives, identities, values and beliefs, presented in a self-reflective, personal ‘life-world’ story of one single Saudi Arabian woman. The findings demonstrate that the primary motivators in choosing online international education to further study are existing limitations of travelling to a university campus and customary gender-segregated education in Saudi Arabia. As a contrast, international online education offers the opportunity to gain up-to-date research-based knowledge in their chosen profession, learn critical thinking and problem solving skills and communicate with male and female students from different cultures.

The relationship between analytical and creative cognitive skills from middle childhood to adolescence: Testing the threshold theory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Guilford's seminal studies (Guilford, 1967) propose that an average level of intelligence is required to demonstrate a creative skill. However, according to the threshold theory, in individuals with high levels of intelligence (IQ≥120) creativity is no longer related to intelligence. Studies that have explored this phenomenon have shown inconsistent results. Most of the available literature has originated from Western countries and used a correlation approach to find a threshold for the association between different measures of IQ and creativity. The goal of this study was to find a threshold using novel tasks of analytical skills (verbal, scientific and mechanical reasoning) and creativity (fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration) by conducting segmented regression analysis in a representative sample of Saudi Arabian students. The sample of 4368 3rd to 11th grade students (53.1% girls) was divided into three grade-groups (3rd–5th, 6th–8th, and 9th–11th). A threshold was found only for 6th–8th graders at a level of analytical skills of 108.8, and at 108.4 for 9th–11th graders. The analysis of gender differences showed that the threshold was significantly higher for boys than girls in the group of 9th–11th graders (105.6 for boys, 81.46 for girls). These thresholds were generally lower than those reported in other studies. Contrary to the threshold theory, for both grade-groups the relationship between creativity and analytical skills was positive and significant only above the thresholds. Potential factors accounting for these findings may be the type of analytical skills tasks, more related with crystallized intelligence and the culture-specific educational experiences of Saudi children.

Health science students' attitude towards research training programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Reliability and validity of the questionnaire instrument.

Objective:The aim of this paper was to determine the validity and reliability of a questionnaire tool for measuring students' attitudes toward components relevant to research training programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Materials and Methods:The paper reports the responses of 564 Saudi Arabian students from seven government universities to the questionnaire comprising 16 items on 3 conceptual subscales, which measured students' attitude to research activities in the college; students' opinion of faculty involvement in research; and infrastructural facilities in the college. The results of this study provide the final scale, with all the 16 items of the initial Likert scale, for which strong evidence was obtained.Results:Results indicated that the students' attitude toward the research (SAR) scale had three latent factors, which explained 62% of the variance: The three subscales measured includes: (i) Research activities offered in the college, (ii) students' opinion of faculty involvement in research, and (iii) infrastructural facilities offered in the college for research. The full scale including three subscales had good internal consistency (rs = 0.72 and α = 0.77 for full scale; and α between 0.71 and 0.79 for three subscales).Conclusion:This study provides evidence of reliability and validity of the SAR scale for the measurement of students' attitudes toward research training programs in Saudi Arabian Universities. The research findings will provide the basis for further research on health science students.

From Classroom to Boardroom and Ward

A strategic approach to internationalize learning in higher education institutions is to use the curriculum and classroom cultural diversity to create opportunities to broaden students’ intercultural perspectives, appreciate sociocultural variability in professional practice, and improve their intercultural interaction skills. There is no clear consensus, however, on how to “link the global classroom to the global workplace.” The article examines an evidence-based approach to embed intercultural competency development in classroom teaching using an established intercultural resource (EXCELL) in an international human resource management course; a general communication course; a pharmacy course comprising only Saudi Arabian students; and a generic first year pharmacy course. Subsequently, stakeholder analyses with Business, Nursing, and Pharmacy academics and professionals led to the development of intercultural critical incidents for the curriculum. Strengths and limitations of the intercultural resource and recommendations for incorporating intercultural competency development in curriculum design in Business and Health disciplines are discussed.

A Study of Business Students? Attitudes in Saudi Arabia: Generation C, Islamic Values, and Westernised Educational Video

The present study investigated the relationships between Saudi Arabian college students and the “connected” Generation C, their use of small mobile devices to access video, video usage in the classroom, and behavioral variableslike the willingness to seek and share video outside the classroom. Additionally, the study explored the relationship between Saudi Arabian students’ attitudes about classroom learning through the use of Westernised videos where the content was presented in situations not in keeping with strict Islamic laws and traditions. Four research questions were generated and data was gathered using the Video Attitude Survey—a five point Likert scale instrument. The data was collected from college students (N=139) enrolled in business school classes at large public university. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and selected Chi square analyses were conducted on the data. Frequency distributions were calculated to show the variables of interest for each research question, and then presented in concurrent tables. The findings indicate that Saudi Arabian students living in a strict Islamic society still see themselves as part of the worldwide Generation C. That they use mobile devices to download and distribute video, more for social networking and trend-pacing than for news services. That their strong ties to Islamic tradition have a weak yet significant influence on learning from Westernised educational video. The study’s most promising findings were the positive relationships between students’ attitudes toward learning through educational video, improving their English speaking ability, and gaining a greater understanding of multi-cultural issues and differences.

Acceptance of e-learning technology by Saudi Arabian students in Taibah University, based on Technology Acceptance Model

Acceptance of e-learning technology by Saudi Arabian students in Taibah University, based on Technology Acceptance Model

Assessing knowledge of the patient bill of rights in central Saudi Arabia: a survey of primary health care providers and recipients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESLittle is known about the implementation of the patient bill of rights (PBR) in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore to what extent health care recipients and providers know about the bill and its implementation.DESIGN AND SETTINGA cross-sectional survey conducted on health care professionals and patients at Primary Health Care Centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during July 2010.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe study employed a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from 500 patients (aged 18 years or older) and 500 health care providers (physicians and nurses) in primary health care (PHC) centers in Riyadh. Data was collected on the respondents’ knowledge of the existence and contents of the bill, the extent to which the bill is implemented, and the obstacles that may hinder bill implementation. The data was analyzed and presented in a descriptive fashion.RESULTSMore than three quarters of patients and one third of PHC providers did not know about the existence of the bill. Among those who knew about its existence, about three quarters of patients and almost half of PHC providers had little (or very little) knowledge about the bill contents. In general, patients scored lower means of perception than PHC staff about the implementation of the bill’s aspects. PHC staff reported several obstacles that may hinder the implementation of the PBR in Saudi Arabia.CONCLUSIONSPatients and health care providers lack necessary knowledge about the PBR. More dissemination of information about the bill, taking into account the particularities of the Saudi population is needed. Future research is required to establish measures that are effective in ensuring that patients rights are ensured.

MobiQiyas: A Mobile Learning Standardized Test Preparation for Saudi Arabian Students

A mobile learning system, called MobiQiyas, for preparing Saudi Arabian students for one of the standardized tests, given by the National Center for Assessment in Higher Education (NCAHE), has been developed, using ready-made commercial products and tools. The learning material of MobiQiyas consists of practice questions with their answers, both provided by NCAHE, to be loaded by the students into their own mobile phones; after installation, the students can interact with MobiQiyas any number of times, as desired, without incurring any additional cost, other than the initial airtime cost for downloading. From total number of students taken the test, 20,000 students were randomly selected to use MobiQiyas and information was collected from them to measure their attitudes and participation of MobiQiyas. It was found that 36.1% of students had actually downloaded MobiQiyas successfully. Furthermore, a telephone survey was conducted, after the test period, on a class of 40 students in a secondary school in Riyadh, taking the same test, to measure their acceptance of MobiQiyas, using a 9-item questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert scale. The responses of the 40 students reflected high acceptance and satisfaction levels of MobiQiyas as an effective test prep tool.

Dental visit patterns and periodontal treatment needs among Saudi students

The aim of this study was to report on dental visit patterns and their association with periodontal health among young Saudi Arabian students. A representative sample of 3090 students was randomly selected. The students' dental visit patterns were assessed with a questionnaire. Clinical examinations were carried out using the community periodontal index of treatment needs. Age, sex and education level were significantly associated with the periodontal health. The prevalence of periodontal disease was significantly lower among subjects who were taught the right way to brush their teeth by the dentist. The highest occurrence of healthy periodontium (23.9%) and the lowest need for complex treatment (0%) were found among students who had annual reminders for check-ups (only 2.8% of the students).

Saudi Arabian educational history: impacts on English language teaching

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the history of education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its impact on modern teaching practices. It explores the relationship between traditional practices, teacher identity and English language teaching within an increasingly complex context.Design/methodology/approachThe authors undertake a critical review of education in Saudi Arabia utilising critical reflexivity and their local social knowledge as a means of interrogating practice, research of the field, and related texts.FindingsThe paper indicates a direct link between historical teaching practices in early Saudi Arabia and the current teaching of English. It suggests the concept of “hybridity” as one way for local English teachers to construct identities that meet the contextual challenges.Practical implicationsThis paper has implications both locally and internationally. It provides insight into teaching practices preferred by teachers and students in an Arabian context. This in turn has the potential to inform policy and curriculum development by local educators and foreign contractors in Saudi Arabia that take teacher and student identity into consideration. It also facilitates a more nuanced understanding of their Saudi Arabian students by Western educators and administrators.Originality/valueAlthough work has been done on teacher identity in Saudi Arabia and limited studies have examined the impact of English as a global language, this is the first study to examine the interplay between historical praxis, teacher identity and the conflicting pressures of teaching English in this context.

The effectiveness of classroom and non classroom activities on developing Saudi Arabian secondary students’ environmental values

It is argued that science curriculum in their current situation in Saudi Arabia do not achieve the objective of teaching basic concepts related to enhanced concept of environment or understanding relationships of interaction between man and environment. The curriculum also failed to develop students’ critical mind as well as problem solving skills, skills that are deemed to be extremely necessary in recognizing and solving environmental problems. This situation is exacerbated in Saudi Arabia as a result of science and technology advancement due to the Oil Age era. Consequently, the new generation begin to lose their adherence to tradition and custom which emphasized on love for the environment and nature and the importance of sustaining them. This study will present findings from a pre-test and post-test quasi experimental study specifically designed to determine the effect of classroom and non-classroom environmental module in improving Saudi Arabian students’ environmental values. Additionally, the effect of gender on the module's effectiveness was also identified. The classroom and non-classroom environmental module was developed by the researchers and is embedded within the current Saudi Arabia's Biology curriculum. Students in the control groups underwent normal Biology teaching and learning activities. Analyses of findings reveal that students who were exposed to the classroom and non-classroom environmental intervention module significantly improved their environmental values as compared to their counterparts in the control group. When gender effect was measured, it was found that significant improvement occurred within both the female and male groups. The findings will lead to several suggestions on how to improve the existing teaching of environmental issues within the context of Saudi's Biology classes. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Predictors of Success for Saudi Arabian Students Enrolled in an Accelerated Baccalaureate Degree Program in Nursing in the United States

In the mid 1980s, a professional nursing education program was initiated between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Based on a perceived and documented need, a collaborative education and research program was established with George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, to begin building a community of new scholars to assist in the advancement of professional nursing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Four cohorts of Saudi citizens from three institutions (King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Saudi Arabia National Guard Hospital, and Ministry of Aviation and Defense Hospital), who held a degree in science or a related field, were enrolled in an accelerated baccalaureate program leading to a bachelor of science in nursing degree. This project was funded by Saudi Arabian sources. A descriptive research study was conducted to identify predictors of success in the program. Results indicated a rate of program completion that was higher than expected. Some of the first graduates went on for a doctor of philosophy degree, but not all enrolled completed the program. Many countries around the world are seeking ways to upgrade and increase the supply of qualified nurses within their own borders. This study identified those factors that were predictors of success for Saudi Arabian students who completed a baccalaureate degree in nursing program in the United States.

Arab Students' Attitudes Toward and Amount of Social Contact With Americans: A Causal Process Analysis of Cross-Sectional Data

The relationship between attitudes toward Americans and social contact with Americans was studied in a sample of Saudi Arabian students attending an American university. A causal process analysis and path analysis showed that a desire for contact significantly mediated the relationship between attitude and contact, consistent with an attitude-to-contact causal direction and social-psychological approaches that focus on the impact of attitudes on behavior. Social contact, however, was not significantly mediated by understanding of the host country. The contact hypothesis that social contact causes attitude change was not supported.

Fertility attitudes and behavior of Saudi Arabian students enrolled in U.S. universities.

Although fertility declines have taken place in several Arab countries, the Arab nations are growing rapidly. In Saudi Arabia, the total fertility rate (TFR) is 7.1, and the growth rate is 3.5 per cent per year, among the highest in the world. This research examines the structural determinants (indirect indicators) of fertility attitudes and behavior among Saudi Arabian students studying in American universities. Specifically, this study examined the relationship between fertility attitudes and behavior, and background characteristics which included age, religiosity, education, income, length of stay in the U.S., and wife's age and wife's education. Results indicate a highly significant effect of religiosity as a major positive determinant of fertility attitudes. However, the major determinant of fertility behavior, the number of children respondents had, was wife's education which was negatively related with family size.

Transnational Radio Listening among Saudi Arabian University Students

Saudi Arabian students, interviewed during the Iran-Iraq war period, listened often to transnational broadcasts, which are everpresent and have a long history of availability in Saudi Arabia. Men students older than 20 preferred BBC but women students had different preferences. Older students generally liked the Voice of America. There were other interactions but, as in other countries, the format of the station, whether news or entertainment, tended to attract selected audiences.

A Cross-Cultural Examination of Fears of Death among Saudi Arabians

This article examines the factor structure of an eight-dimensional fear of death scale (Hoelter's multidimensional fear of death scale), which was translated into Arabic and administered to a sample of Saudi Arabian students temporarily living in the United States. The factor structure obtained in the present study only partially supports the factor structure first obtained by Hoelter (1979) for a United States sample, which was later replicated by Walkey (1982) for a New Zealand sample. The usefulness of Hoelter's eight fears of death and dying subscales in relation to Arabic populations is discussed.

Saudi arabian students' chemistry achievement and science attitudes stemming from lecture‐demonstration and small group teaching methods

AbstractThe study was designed to determine differences between two chemistry teaching methods on students' chemistry achievement and attitudes toward science. The two methods were the large lecture‐demonstration and small‐group laboratory approaches to teaching chemistry. The subjects were 74 eleventh‐grade Saudi Arabian students randomly assigned to the two treatment groups. The findings revealed that the small‐group laboratory students exhibited significantly greater chemistry achievement than students in the lecture‐demonstration group on both immediate and delayed posttests. The results also indicated that students taught by the lab approach possessed more desirable attitudes toward science.