SACM - Australia
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9648
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Item Restricted Assessing Wellbeing and Student Achievement During COVID-19 Lockdown in Saudi Arabia(Flinders University, 2042-10) Alharthi, Shatha; Skrzypiec, GraceThe COVID-19 pandemic during 2020-2021 resulted in unprecedented school closures and prolonged remote learning for Saudi Arabian students with unknown consequences at the time for perceived academic performance, mental health, and wellbeing. Prior research had suggested that reduced social interaction could negatively affect wellbeing and contribute to impaired mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety), while also resulting in lower academic performance. However, little was known about the direct impact of the pandemic on academic outcomes and mental health of middle school students in the Saudi Arabian context, particularly during extended periods of remote learning while facing social and educational challenges stemming from the worldwide crisis. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used to investigate this gap in knowledge by exploring the association between middle school students’ perceived academic achievement and their levels of wellbeing, depression, and anxiety during the COVID-19 lockdown. In the two-phase study design, an online survey was used to collect quantitative data from 401 Saudi male and female middle school students aged 11-18 in Mecca and Taif cities, KSA. The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on student wellbeing questionnaires, informed by procedures from a global study conducted by the Global Research Alliance (GRA), enquired about students’ self-perceived academic achievement, wellbeing levels, mental health status, and other essential factors such as demographic information, socioeconomic status, and frequency of activities during the lockdown. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with eight Saudi female students from the same population, to delve deeply into adolescents’ experiences, perceptions, and insights related to their experiences in lockdown. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Mplus was the primary data analysis procedure used to test the relationships between the identified factors of self-perceived academic achievement. Results from the SEM revealed that variations in self-perceived academic achievement were significantly associated with wellbeing, gender, and socioeconomic status. Unexpectedly, depression, anxiety, the amount of schoolwork, and age did not exert a definitive impact on perceived academic achievement. Over half of the students perceived their performance during the lockdown as better than their peers, and they demonstrated adaptability, either maintaining or improving their academic performance amidst challenging circumstances. The study found that students’ mental health and wellbeing were largely protected, which was attributed to strong family support, religious practices, and adaptability within a supportive home environment. While most students did not show enduring signs of depression or anxiety, specific subgroups faced distress during the lockdown. Challenges related to remote learning, such as internet connectivity issues and online education platform quality, were evident; however, students exhibited coping in overcoming these obstacles to a significant extent. The study findings underscore the significance of promoting family support, religious involvement, and educational readiness within the Saudi education framework to enhance student wellbeing and academic achievement during school closures. The findings advocate for enhancing the preparedness of education systems for future disruptions to in-person, classroom learning. Recommendations include investing in high-quality online education platforms, enhancing teacher training for online instruction, and engaging families to support students in lockdown. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to assess the lasting impacts of pandemic-driven disruptions on student wellbeing and academic performance, as well as on understanding students’ coping mechanisms during educational crises.18 0Item Restricted The Effects of Transport Urban Renewal: A Study of Road-Rail Level Crossings in Melbourne, Australia(Saudi Digital Library, 0023-11-29) Gbban, Abdulrhman; Kamruzzaman, Liton; Coxon, Selby; Dolbex, AlexaABSTRACT Transport infrastructure plays a vital role in shaping and structuring urban economic, environmental, and social activities by enabling access to destinations. However, it can also pose a significant barrier for communities. Despite numerous studies documented the enabler effects of transport infrastructures, little research focuses on identifying their barrier effects (or community severance). Most of these studies, however, focus on a particular type of barrier effect (direct, indirect, or wider) using cross-sectional data, and as a result, they lack to provide causal evidence of barrier effects in a more systematic way. Studies have hypothesized that direct, indirect and wider barrier effects occur in a sequential manner. Rarely studies examined this sequential flow on barrier effects (from direct to indirect to wider) and how they vary according to the design of transport infrastructure. This study aims to address these gaps in the literature using the road-rail level crossing removal project (LXRP) in Melbourne as a case study. In particular, the study questions and objectives are: Research Question 1: To what extent does the renewal of level crossings reduce community severance directly, indirectly, and catalytically? Research Objective 1: Assess the direct barrier removal effects of rail crossing upgrade Research Objective 2: Assess the indirect barrier removal effects of rail crossing upgrade Research Objective 3: Assess the wider/catalytic barrier removal effects of rail crossing upgrade Research Question 2: What is the level of (in)consistency between objective and subjective measures of barrier removal effects caused by the renewal of level crossings? Research Objective 4: Assess the consistency of the objective and subjective measures of the wider barrier removal effects. To answer the research questions, a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was employed. Qualitative data was used to understand the perceived barrier removal effects of LXRPs from the perspective of residents, whereas quantitative data complemented the qualitative data to objectively measure the wider barrier removal effects of LXRPs. A quasi-panel design was utilized in this study to assess the impact of infrastructure upgrades on residents' perceptions of their urban environment. An online questionnaire survey was designed to collect qualitative data from 776 residents living around 13 LXRP sites (cases) and 13 control sites. The questionnaire captured residents' perceptions of changes in the patterns of walking and cycling, travel time, and social life within their neighborhoods, respectively representing direct, indirect, and wider barrier removal v effects. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to understand if the reported changes were significantly different between the case and control sites. Quantitative data collection involved the extraction of land use data from satellite images in the case and control sites in 2015 (pre-LXRP) and 2020 (post-LXRP). The case-control study design ensured that the observed changes in land use patterns in the LXRP sites were not due to chance (e.g. external effects). A difference-in-difference method was employed to robustly infer about the causal impacts of LXRPs on land use patterns. Furthermore, the gathering of both qualitative and quantitative data enabled the study to evaluate the degree of consistency between the two measures. This evaluation was conducted using the %agreement analysis to assess the level of agreement between these two types of measures. The survey data indicate that the removal of level crossing barriers resulted in: a) an enjoyment of walking and cycling in the communities (direct effects); b) a reduction in cycling time to workplaces, shops and restaurants, and schools (indirect effects); and c) an increase in open spaces and commercial use, and a decrease in residential areas (wider effects). Note, however, that some of the positive effects were found only when the new infrastructure was built above the ground suggesting the significant effects of infrastructure design on barrier removal effects. The %agreement analysis results, however show that while there is a considerable agreement between the objective and subjective measures in the perception of changes in shops and restaurants, parking lots and public buildings, noticeable inconsistencies exist in the measurement of houses and apartments, vacant lots and industrial buildings. This thesis, for the first time, provides causal evidence of barrier removal effects of transport infrastructure and how these can be observed in a sequential order from direct to indirect to wider. The findings are encouraging for transport authorities aiming to reduce barrier effects for communities. It also provides evidence of the effective ways of reducing the barrier effects through the design of infrastructure (above the ground vs. underground). However, the discrepancy between the objective and subjective measures suggests that residents are unaware of the positive impacts that LXRPs are making on the communities. This can be achieved, for example, through communication strategies.43 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 0Item Restricted Exploring teachers’ and students’ efficacy in the teaching and learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 0023-06-06) Alkhairi, Ahmad Hassan E; Alkhairi, AhmadThis qualitative case study explored teaching and learning practices of English-as-a Foreign Language (EFL) in the school context in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The study is underpinned by Bandura’s (1977, 1986) triadic reciprocal causation model, derived from his Social Cognitive Theory. In particular, the research focused on the teacher-efficacy of Saudi EFL teachers and the self-efficacy of students learning the English language. The approach of the research explores self-efficacy through a qualitative method. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with secondary school teachers and through focus group discussions with their students, through classroom observations, and through examination of teaching materials to comprehend the teaching and learning environment of EFL in Saudi schools.38 0Item Restricted System Strength and Dynamic Voltage Recovery of Power Grids with High Penetration of LSPV Plants(Saudi Digital Library, 0023-05-26) Alshareef, Abdulrhman; Mithulananthan, Nadarajah; Rakibuzzaman, ShahThis research investigates the impact of high levels of large-scale photovoltaic (LSPV) power plant penetration on dynamic voltage stability. Verified LSPV plant model has been utilised to capture its behavior and system strength at various penetration levels with the impact of inverter-based loads on dynamic voltage stability. Moreover, it develops a reliable global dynamic voltage stability assessment index and proposes effective countermeasures to alleviate the detrimental impacts of LSPV plants. The countermeasures includes a data- driven approach considering full voltage trajectory and involving various dynamic interactions to allocate dynamic VAr source to secure system strength with higher penetration of LSPV plants.38 0