Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Antecedents of Acceptability of Online Learning: Students and Instructors Perspective and Policy Implications in Saudi Arabia(University of Reading, 2024-08) Alshammary, Ahmed; Ghobadian , Abby; Heim, IrinaThe information technology revolution has changed people’s lives as many countries have invested resources in strengthening their technological infrastructure, facilitating the integration of technology into education and, in turn, the adoption of online learning and teaching by higher education institutions worldwide (Ivanova & Ivanov, 2021). These developments have motivated this research into factors affecting students’ and instructors’ acceptance of online learning and teaching. Previous studies have relied on technology acceptance theories and models that interpret individual intentions to either accept or reject technology in a specific context, but have neglected the importance of a broader theoretical explanation to analyse the acceptance of technology by students and instructors. A study looking to fill this gap could help investigators acquire actionable data for implementing online learning and teaching as a collective decision informed by institutional and governmental policies. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of individual, non-individual, socio-cultural, and overall satisfaction factors on the acceptance of online learning and teaching among students and instructors. The goal is to boost their acceptance of a successful implementation of online learning and teaching in higher education institutions. A quantitative research method was applied. Two surveys were conducted; one for students and one for instructors, and responses were collected from several institutions. Two hundred students responded to the student survey, and two hundred instructors completed the instructor survey. This study demonstrated that the successful implementation of online learning and teaching depends on integrating several elements, classified into individual and collective factors. The individual elements are the most decisive concerning the acceptance of online higher education. By contrast, favourable collective elements alone do not guarantee the successful implementation of this practice. The study found that, despite overall technological advancements, certain shortcomings deserve attention: self-efficacy in using online learning platforms, stable Internet connections, and affordable devices and Internet services. The results also reflected a disparity that explains the state of uncertainty among some students and instructors from conservative families regarding interactions with another gender in online learning and teaching environments. This study found that the design of online learning sessions needs a comprehensive restructuring, as it is closely linked to participation, interaction, and engagement. Furthermore, strategies for online learning and teaching sessions should be devised. This work also revealed a discrepancy in the institutional support provided to students and instructors for online learning and teaching sessions; this extends to other aspects and may affect learning outcomes in general. This study contributed theoretically by developing a comprehensive model to examine seven factors (individual, behavioural, technological, institutional, pedagogical, socio-cultural and overall satisfaction) that affect online learning and teaching acceptance. It also contributes academically by expanding the knowledge of online learning and teaching acceptance by providing a comprehensive understanding of the critical factors affecting this acceptance. This work also offered recommendations on both proximal and distal policy levels to guide policymakers to take actions to improve the readiness of students, instructors, and higher education institutions to successfully implement online learning and teaching. Future research into the acceptance of online learning and teaching could further explore the factors identified here or focus on other issues. The social interaction between both genders in the Saudi context needs to be examined to understand its implications. A comparative study is needed to explore the stability of the technological infrastructure in different regions and urban and rural areas in Saudi Arabia. More in-depth analyses, such as diary studies within a specific time frame (e.g. one semester or one academic year), could provide further insights into how the attitudes and perceptions of students and instructors towards online learning and teaching practices evolved, based on the changes in different elements of the included factors.23 0Item Restricted AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF SUPERVISED MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES FOR MINOR CLASS PREDICTION UTILIZING KERNEL DENSITY ESTIMATION: FACTORS IMPACTING MODEL PERFORMANCE(Western Michigan University, 2024-06-29) Alfarwan, Abdullah; Applegate, BrooksThis dissertation examined classification outcome differences among four popular individual supervised machine learning (ISML) models (logistic regression, decision tree, support vector machine, and multilayer perceptron) when predicting minor class membership within imbalanced datasets. The study context and the theoretical population sampled focus on one aspect of the larger problem of student retention and dropout prediction in higher education (HE): identification. This study differs from current literature by implementing an experimental design approach with simulated student data that closely mirrors HE situational and student data. Specifically, this study tested the predictive ability of the four ISML classification models (CLS) under experimentally manipulated conditions. These included total sample size (TS), minor class proportion (MCP), training-to-testing sample size ratios (TTSS), and the application of bagging techniques during model training (BAG). Using this 4-between, 1-within mixed design, five different outcome measures (precision, recall/sensitivity, specificity, F1-score and AUC) were examined and analyzed individually. For each outcome measure, findings revealed multiple statistically significant interactions among classifier models and design variables. Simple effect analyses of these interactions highlighted how TS, MCP, TTSS, and BAG differentially affect different measures of classification performance such as precision, recall/sensitivity, specificity, F1-score, and AUC. For instance, the presence of interactions involving MCP underscores the importance of informed modeling of class distribution for enhancing overall model predictive capability and performance. Such insights regarding how the experimental variables can critically affect different measures of classification success advances our understanding of how these four ISML models might be optimized for the prediction of student-at-risk status within imbalanced datasets. This dissertation provides a framework for using these or similar ISML models more effectively in HE. It points toward the development of predictive modeling methods that are more useful and perhaps equitable by demonstrating empirically the impact of one of the most challenging aspects of implementing machine learning in HE: maximizing the accurate identification of the minority class. This work contributes to the use of machine learning in HE and will help inform its use in smaller and larger educational research communities by providing strategies for improving the prediction of student dropout.16 0Item 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.64 0Item Restricted Predicting The Academic Success of The Deaf and Hard of Hearing University Students: A Multilevel Analysis(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-08-18) Zaino, Zeyad; Schwartz, Ilene; Hudson, RoxanneSecond Language (L2) learners and Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Deaf/HH) students share some commonalities. Both groups are required to obtain a minimum score on Language Proficiency Tests (LPT) to gain acceptance into university level institutions. However, even with accommodations, language proficiency testing becomes more complicated for Deaf/HH students because LPTs were created for hearing people and there is no specific test for Deaf/HH individuals. In Arabic countries, the only LPT for Deaf/HH students is at King Saud University (KSU). This dissertation used multilevel logistic modeling to 1) investigate whether the LPT uniquely predicted academic success for Deaf/HH students at KSU after controlling for individual characteristics, and 2) to Evaluate certain the student characteristics that moderate the relationship between the LPT and passing the Qualifying Year Program (QYP). A total of 619 Deaf/HH students participated in the study across 12 regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results indicated that, within region, the LPT scores significantly predicted the likelihood of passing the QYP. However, LPT was not significantly predictive of the likelihood of passing the QYP in the aggregate, region level. The results also showed that students who were female, HH, and had higher high school GPAs were more likely to pass the QYP. The current context for Deaf/HH students in Arabic universities, including assessment protocols and test shortcomings along with the results of the analysis, are discussed.18 0Item Restricted Transformational Leadership in The Adoption and Implementation of The Internet of Things (IOT) In Higher Education: A Case Study of Saudi Arabian Universities(2023-05-12) Abdo, khalid; Baaden, BeaThe IoT is a growing phenomenon that is pervasive in many areas of society. IoT refers to the interconnection of devices through the internet. Organizations adopting IoT can obtain exciting and valuable outcomes, and higher education is not exempt. Universities are timidly incorporating IoT, therefore not taking advantage of the great benefits that IoT can bring to these institutions. However, adopting IoT in higher education implies a significant change in the usual behavior of the people attending these places. A natural resistance to the adoption of IoT is not a surprise, given that people are reluctant to modify their traditional ways of operating. It is believed that transformational leadership can promote the adoption and implementation of the IoT; a transformational leader can alleviate rejection attitudes and use transformational leadership characteristics to inform the people attending higher education institutions about the benefits of IoT. This study used a mixed-method approach to examine how the leadership qualities of university leaders affect the level of adoption and implementation of the IoT in Saudi Arabian universities. Survey and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Evidently, the finding reveals a profile of leadership that is transformational in style suggesting that university executives intellectually excite, inspire, ideally influence their subordinates, and examine their concerns. Second, the leaders have a moderate level of attitude toward teamwork, can motivate, and are open-minded. Third, the extent to which infrastructure enables the implementation of the IoT is not adequate. The institution lacks IoT infrastructures, as seen by the absence of an IoT department. This has made providing IoT help to students and staff problematic. Finally, IoT enables more efficient and effective systems for teaching and learning. keyword: Internet of things (IOT), leadership, Transformational leadership, IOT adoption and implementation, Higher education, Saudi Arabia28 0