Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Investigating the Impact of Text-to-Speech Software on Word Level Reading and Reading Comprehension among Dyslexic Students in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2025-06-24) Alamri, Haifa; Dimitriadi, YotaThe study aimed to investigate the impact of using text-to-speech (TTS) technology on the reading skills of Saudi dyslexic girls, aged 8 and 9. Specifically, it focused on the sustained use of Immersive Reader over six weeks to improve word-level reading and reading comprehension. Additionally, it examined students' attitudes towards reading before and after the intervention, as well as their perceptions of the impact of TTS on their reading experiences. The study involved 11 dyslexic female students from a mainstream school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the 2022-2023 academic year. An embedded mixed-method design was used, consisting of a two-phase data collection approach. The primary component was a quasi-experimental, one-group pre-test-post-test design, without a control group. In the second phase qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews to explore students' perceptions after using the TTS software. Findings indicated that TTS was effective in enhancing both word-level reading and reading comprehension following the six-week intervention. Additionally, there was a positive shift in students' perceptions and attitudes towards reading. While this study specifically focused on Saudi dyslexic girls, its findings may have broader implications for supporting Arabic-speaking dyslexic learners in general. This study contributes to knowledge by highlighting TTS's potential to improve unassisted reading skills, specifically word reading accuracy and reading comprehension, among Arabic-speaking dyslexic students. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to enhance the integration of TTS in educational settings, addressing both its practical application and its role in supporting dyslexic students' learning experiences.9 0Item Restricted Exploring Inclusive Practice For Students With Dyslexia: Female primary teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices in Saudi Arabia(The University of Manchester, 2024) Alhussain, Fatema; Squires, Garry; Hopwood, LiseThis study explores the implementation of the policy and practice of inclusion for students with dyslexia in girls’ primary schools of Saudi Arabia. Specifically, it focuses on the work of teachers, their beliefs and practices as successful inclusion is regarded to be largely dependent on teachers' beliefs. This study attempted to offer an in-depth understanding of this phenomenon by exploring the dynamic interaction between the teachers’ beliefs, practices and contexts. A qualitative paradigm was applied to achieve these aims. Three schools were chosen for this qualitative case study with varying characteristics: one had a support dyslexia unit; one had a headteacher with a qualification in dyslexia; and the third did not have a unit or a headteacher within the school with additional qualifications around dyslexia. Data were generated using 16 semi- structured interviews with headteachers, students’ advisors and teachers and supported by documentary analysis. Qualitative data was thematically analysed. In order to handle, create, and classify the codes quickly, easily, and accurately, the analysis employed MAXQDA software. The findings of this study highlight the current state of teaching for students with dyslexia in Saudi mainstream schools. Specifically, it suggests that the focus is gradually moving from integrating these students into the existing educational system to more fully including them in all aspects of school life. All participants have neutral to positive beliefs towards the inclusion of students with dyslexia, however they face challenges that hinder the goal of full inclusion to be achieved in practice. For example, the power of a centralized education system significantly impacts the extent of autonomy enjoyed by head teachers and teachers when it comes to implementing changes to support students with dyslexia within their daily instructional practices. Added to this is a lack of training, a heavy workload and limited availability of supporting programmes in schools. In this study, teachers adopted a collaborative approach to providing support for students with dyslexia, employing differentiation strategies and fostering cooperation among various stakeholders within their educational context. This collaboration encompassed not only interactions between teachers themselves but also extended to collaborations between teachers and support staff, as well as between teachers and their students. Another interesting finding is that within each school there are variation in beliefs and practice and at the same time similarities between schools. Thus, differences between schools were not significant, but all schools supported the importance of resource rooms, especially when serviced with specialist teachers.22 0Item Restricted An Investigation into Matching Learning Material to the Different Needs of Arabic Learners with Dyslexia(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-29) Alghabban, Weam Gaoud; Hendley, RobertDyslexia is a common learning disability that affects people’s ability to spell, read words and their fluency in language. Adaptive e-learning is becoming increasingly popular as a tool to help individuals with dyslexia. It provides more-customised learning experiences and interactions based on the learners’ characteristics. Each learner with dyslexia has unique characteristics for which content should ideally be suitably tailored. However, adaptation to satisfy the individual needs and characteristics of learners with dyslexia is limited. In particular, the benefits of adapting e-learning based on dyslexia type or reading skill level have not yet been sufficiently explored, despite the type of dyslexia and the learner’s reading skill level being critical factors. Most previous studies have focused upon the technological aspects and have been marked by inadequately designed and controlled experiments to assess the system’s effectiveness. This limits the ability to understand the effectiveness of adaptation. This thesis aims to increase understanding about the value of adaptation of learning material based on individual dyslexia types and reading skill levels and to understand how this affects the learning experience of learners with dyslexia. To do this, an empirical evaluation through three controlled experiments with a reasonable number of subjects has been undertaken and assessed using the following metrics: learning gain, word understanding, learner satisfaction and perceived level of usability. In all three experiments, careful experimental design and precise reporting of results are all considered. A dynamic, web-based e-learning system that matches learning material based on dyslexia type and/or reading skill level was implemented to support these experiments. Across the three experiments, the findings reveal that matching learning material to dyslexia type, reading skill level and the combination of both, yields significantly better short- and long-term learning gains and improves the learners’ perception of their learning.30 0Item Restricted General And Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Knowledge And Beliefs About Dyslexia(Saint Louis University, 2023-05-04) Alhejji, Norah; Wood, Jo Nell; Jahnke, Donna; Murdick, Emerita NikkiThis quantitative methods study aimed to explore the perceptions of the general and special education teachers' knowledge and beliefs about dyslexia. Also, this study investigated the differences between general and special education teachers' perceptions of knowledge and beliefs about dyslexia with their education level and special education training. Dyslexia is a learning disorder characterized by difficulty reading as a result of problems identifying articulation sounds and learning how to associate them with letters and words. Participants in the study completed an instrument that measures teachers' beliefs and knowledge about dyslexia. The research questions were answered using the survey instrument. The research questions guided the study and aided in explaining the dyslexia knowledge of general and special education teachers. The procedures for this quantitative methods study design included a survey in order to see how the dyslexia beliefs of teachers, as identified using the Dyslexia Belief Index (DBI), developed. The DBI (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2005) is a survey instrument that measures teachers' beliefs and knowledge about dyslexia. This quantitative methods study analyzed the survey data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software in order to identify statistical variances among the survey respondents by running an analysis of variance. The results of this study showed that the educational training for general and special education teachers has more impact than their education level regarding their knowledge and beliefs about dyslexia. Additionally, the high level of education of general education teachers could increase their positive beliefs about dyslexia, unlike the high level of education that has no impact on the beliefs of special education teachers about dyslexia.12 0