SACM - Australia
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9648
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Item Restricted Development of Teacher Professional Identity and Agency: An Ethnographic Study of a Saudi English Language Institute(Monansh University, 2024-05) Alshomrani, Amani; Chowdhury, RaqibThis qualitative ethnographic study explores the complexities inherent in the professional relations between English teachers and administrators in a Saudi Arabian university-based language institute. It aims to examine the experiences, roles, and positions of teachers, considering the influence of organisational structures and institutional discourses on the development of their professional identity and agency. Additionally, the study investigates the roles and experiences of administrators in their shared responsibilities with teachers. Methodologically, this research adopts an institutional ethnographic approach, utilising qualitative data collected from two sources: 1) policy documents obtained from the institute, and 2) semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions conducted with teachers and administrators. The analysis of the institutional documents employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), allowing for the identification of power dynamics and ideological underpinnings embedded within institutional texts. Thematic analysis is employed to code and analyse the data gathered from interviews and focus group discussions. Specifically, the study draws upon Foucault's concepts of power-knowledge, Fairclough’s ideas of CDA and Bandura’s social cognitive theory to comprehend the interplay between power and knowledge within the institutional context. The findings of the study reveal that despite the institute’s vision for excellence and quality in English language teaching, there seems to be limited attention given to addressing the professional needs of teachers. The persistent and intricate top-down organisational structure significantly restricts teachers’ exercise of agency and hinders their capacity to express their professional identities. This study offers significant insights for teaching practice, professional learning, and policy reforms, particularly in terms of acknowledging teachers’ voices and enhancing their agency within hierarchical structures and beyond. By recognising and amplifying the perspectives of both teachers and administrators in their shared professional environment, it is possible to improve teaching practices, provide more effective professional learning opportunities, and advocate for policy changes that better support the growth and overall well-being of both teachers and administrators.23 0Item Restricted Examining Academics and Students Attitudes to Mobile-learning in a Transformative University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a study of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University(Saudi Digital Library, 0023-10-27) Alshehri, Eman; Preston, Greg; Buchanan, RachelAlthough there is a growing interest in mobile-learning and its potential benefits in higher education, limited research has investigated cross-contextual mobile-learning issues such as university technology policies, usage levels, and practices in relation to students' gender, contextual, educational, and gender-based mobile-learning attitudes. This study was undertaken as a case study at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), to investigate the attitudes of both academic staff and students towards the adoption of mobile-learning with Smartphones. The first purpose of this study was to explore the current Smartphone policies, level of usage, preferred learning activities by students and academics at IAU. The second purpose of the study was to investigate the student’s and academics’ attitudes and perceptions toward using their Smartphones as learning and teaching tools, with particular regard to the challenges and/or enablers that they may encounter. This study used an adapted version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and a sequential mixed methods design to collect the data using online surveys with students (N=325), and semi-structured interviews with academics (N=21). Regression analysis was used to analyse the online surveys (quantitative data), and a thematic analysis was used to analyse the semi-structured interviews (qualitative data). The study findings revealed that both students and academics generally have a positive attitude toward the use of Smartphones in the learning environment at IAU. Around 98% of students at IAU use Smartphones every day for learning, while the use by the academics was substantially less. From the nine measured variables, only four predictors had a significant influence on students’ attitudes to mobile-learning: self-efficacy, enjoyment, perceived ease of use, and mobile-learning preferences. For academics, the most frequently reported challenge they faced when adopting mobile-learning was the lack of policies and regulations governing their use. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on mobile-learning in higher education and offers useful insights into how Smartphones are currently used by students and academics at IAU and the best practices for implementing Smartphones as learning and teaching tools.61 0