Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
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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 Bedouins and the Conflict Over the Caravan Routes: Rethinking Violence Along the Hajj and Trade Routes of Central Hijaz (1900-1914)(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-06) Alharthi, Shatha; Dailami, AhmedThis dissertation explores the meanings of violence that affected the caravan routes and endangered the security of their users, whether pilgrims or merchants. The prominent representation of this violence portrays it as a traditional practice committed by the Hijazi rural tribes (Bedouins). These acts were in search of money or retaliation against authority or the harsh environment of the Hijazi deserts. However, this work goes beyond this oversimplifying portrayal of Bedouin violence and examines it in all its intricacies. It shows that the Bedouins’ dominance over the caravan routes and their tax-free camel trade was no longer bearable by the various state-making projects beginning with the Ottoman centralisation reforms in Hijaz. Therefore, subduing these Bedouin tribes, controlling the Hajj and trade routes, and regulating the camel trade became paramount objectives for the architects of state formation in the region. In response to these efforts to monitor and reshape their livelihoods, Hijazi rural tribes utilised their supremacy over the deserts and the routes crossing them. They did so to create more appropriate conditions to negotiate these developments with the state. When these negotiations reached impasses, which happened frequently, they resorted to blocking the roads connecting Hijazi towns and threatening or robbing travellers. They aimed to compel the state to reconsider its policies. Therefore, these acts of violence were not mere means of sustenance but rather political strategies designed to negotiate the state-making projects and their repercussions on the Bedouins’ homeland and livelihoods. This reinterpretation emerged from an analysis of fifteen years of violence histories, spanning from 1900 to 1914, in Central Hijaz. This period witnessed three waves of violence aimed at addressing the tribes’ challenges and hardships. Despite shifts in power dynamics and state initiatives, violence during this era followed recurring patterns, surging during times of heightened tensions in Bedouin-state relations.10 0