Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Open Access Exploring Contextual and Individual Factors that Shape English Language Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences around Professional Development Programmes in a Saudi Female University Context: The role of professional identity, agency, and emotions(University of Southampton, 2024-06-30) Eshgi, Hadeel; Baird, RobertUnderstanding teacher identity is an essential aspect of teacher development (Cross, 2006), and there is consensus that a teacher's professional identity is influenced by internal factors, such as tensions and emotions, and by external factors, such as context and experiences, placing teacher identity in a position of constant change (Nguyen, 2017; Pillen et al., 2013; Subryan, 2017). Emotions constitute an essential element of teachers’ work and identity, and have a significant effect on identity and its shaping (Hargreaves, 2001; Nias, 1996; Sutton & Wheatley, 2003). The concept of agency is also embedded in considerations of teacher identity and emotion (Vloet and van Swet, 2010), especially in contexts characterised by mandatory professional development practices and restrictive classroom policies, as is the case in this research context. Teacher education programmes play a crucial role in shaping teachers’ agency, and can be integrated into identity performances and constructions (Lai et al., 2016; Lasky, 2005; Priestley et al., 2012), and professional development is a prominent and institutionalised element of the context investigated in this study. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the role and impact of professional development in the environment in which these teachers operate, and this is explored in relation to teachers' professional identity, agency, and emotions. This study investigates Saudi teachers working in the English Language Institute at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, where professional development and educational policies play a distinctive role in student and educator experiences. It aims to provide a holistic, phenomenological account of the intersecting elements that are influential in this educational context. To supplement the phenomenological methodological framework, I drew on Bucholtz and Hall’s (2010) identity framework, Wenger’s (1998) conceptualisation of trajectory in communities of practice, and Lazarus’s (1991) emotion’s theory to provide a theoretical and analytical focus for the study. The method for this phenomenological qualitative study involved observation of professional development training, and narrative and semi-structured interviews of six female English language Saudi teachers. The findings provide valuable insights into how teacher identity is shaped and reshaped by teachers positioning themselves in relation to different elements within the context, indexed particularly through metaphors, and through processes of distinction from and adequation towards others. The findings demonstrate the influence of context, culture, and individual positioning on teacher identity, agency, and emotions, as well as the effect of agency and emotions on teacher identity. This effect is not a one-way process, and should instead be seen as an interrelationship between teachers’ identity, agency and emotions, and this interaction is what constructs and reconstructs teacher identity over time. Overall, this study contributes to our knowledge of how university English language teachers, operating in a context where professional development and policy play distinctive and dominant roles, operate with their own cultures, roles, and expectations, enabling them to engage with both restrictive and developmental practices in different and unexpected ways. Themes around relationality and roles show how teachers respond, often consciously, to different stimuli that require them to negotiate and align elements of their identities, emotions, and agency, which is not always easy and is characterised by change over time. This occurs in ways that require cultural awareness and qualitative insights to understand and interpret.25 0Item Open Access Saudi Bilinguals’ Language Preferences for Emotional Expression: Exploring Their Language Emotional Resonance and Codeswitching Habits(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-01) Alghamdi, Shahad Abdulaziz Hassan; Dewaele, Jean-MarcThe present study follows the wave of research regarding language and emotions (Harris et al., 2003; Dewaele, 2004b, 2006, 2010; Panicacci & Dewaele, 2018; Dewaele et al., 2023) by investigating the relationship between Saudi bilinguals’ language emotional resonance (LER) and codeswitching (CS) habits on their language preferences for emotional expression. It examines the effects of sociobiographical factors (gender and education level), linguistic factors (frequency of use, proficiency levels, and language dominance) of their Arabic L1 and English L2, and topic (personal/emotional, taboo/swearwords, religious, and hobbies and interests) and interlocutor (family, friends, colleagues, and strangers) types on the mentioned dependent variables. 172 Saudi participants filled out an online questionnaire adapted from the BEQ (Dewaele & Pavlenko, 2001-2003) and the RER-LX scale (Toivo et al., 2022). The collected data went under quantitative descriptive analyses. The findings elucidated that females had higher LER for the second language (L2) and CS more frequently, and participants with lower degrees experienced more CS. Moreover, participants who were more proficient in the L2 and used it often still preferred the first language (L1) for emotional expression. Furthermore, topic and interlocutor types majorly affected CS frequency, and L1 had higher LER and is most participants' preferred language for emotional expression. Finally, the participants were shown to have reduced emotional resonance (RER) for the L2 and used it as a distancing mechanism. This study represents the dynamic nature between LER and CS for bilingual speakers. The implications of this dissertation suggest increasing the sample size, including age of acquisition (AoA) and context of acquisition (CoA) as preliminary variables, and employing proficiency assessments for better accuracy of results in future research.61 0Item Restricted ''Perspectives of Saudi employees working in Small and Medium Sized enterprises in Saudi Arabia about the impact of transformational leadership on their reactions and attitudes towards organizational change''(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-08-25) Shalhoob, Huda Shafiq; Doloriert, ClairThe focus on the study highlighted purposed was informed by the lack of Saudi studies that examine employee's perspectives about the key mechanisms and variables contributing to this positive effect. To understand the employees' perspectives about the impact of transformational leadership on reactions of employees to organisational change, a qualitative methodological approach was adopted. Using open-ended semi-structured questions allowed in-depth exploration of how employees described their perspectives about the change process. Data was collected from interviews with 8 participants. The findings revealed a complex emotional landscape among employees that accompanies organizational changes, which require transformational leaders to understand and manage. The study also showed that transformational leadership positively impacts employee attitudes towards change by fostering hope, personal growth, and collective success. Leadership styles that incorporate collaborative and participatory leadership, grounded in authenticity and align with transformational values fosters positive perceptions. Transparency and effective communication were also noted to promote ownership, empowerment, trust and engagement during change. The other conclusion is that involving employees in decision-making and providing ongoing support enhances commitment and help address uncertainty. Finally, the study indicated that effective change management involves presenting an inspiring vision. The key message for leaders and practitioners is that successful change goes beyond technical aspects; it requires a holistic approach that considers the emotional, psychological, and collaborative dimensions of both leaders and employees. This approach can lead to more successful and sustainable organizational transformations.19 0Item Restricted The language preference for bilingual English speakers in expressing their emotions and thoughts.(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-09-07) Alotaibi, Alanoud Saad; Popova, GeriMy dissertation is about finding out the language preference in expressing different type of emotions and thoughts for bilingual speakers, with a focus on English being the second language.36 0Item Restricted The Emotional Experience of Residential Space Through Immaterial Culture(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-05) Alghamdi, Roia; Forlini, Francesca; Trelles, MariaMaterials may encompass an important element in interior design, but in fact, what constitutes the spaces and human behavior in themselves is the immaterial culture (the aggregate of values, mores, norms, etc., of a society; the ideational structure of a culture that provides the values and meanings by which it functions). The immaterial culture comprises the main element on which spaces and the distribution of activities are built, and through that, the materials are a translation that supports the functional and cultural perception of space. Through analyzing the immaterial culture, we can clearly and explicitly reflect culture through material elements. Understanding meanings, however, comes from immaterial elements that form the identities and heritage of other cultures and thus contributes to accepting difference. In the past decade, Saudi students have faced many hate crimes, which in some cases ended in deliberate murders because of stereotypes spread by false media. Due to the lack of communication between the two communities, this was and still is a stereotype that prevails to this day. In this thesis project, the two cultures will be integrated through the representation of the immaterial culture in the formation of a safe space that allows the sharing and understanding of Saudi culture in particular through the re-design and distribution of a townhouse in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.25 0