Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Examining Twitter as A Learning Tool on Saudi Female Undergraduate Student Achievement and Attitudes: A Mixed-Methods Study(Northern Illinois University, 2024-03-27) Bamalan, Hend; Xie, YingToday’s learners commonly belong to a generation that grew up surrounded by using technological devices in classrooms, such as smartphones, laptops, iPads, or other tools – making them digital natives. To meet the nature of digital natives’ learning needs, the focus of educational institutions has been on adapting their instructional practices to align with the new realities. In Saudi Arabia, higher education institutions were encouraged to include more instructional technology to align with the nature of digital natives and improve students’ academic performance and engagement. The use of Twitter as a learning tool in higher education is a new educational tool, grounded in the constructivist theory of learning, and serves as a promising opportunity to support the Vision 2030 initiative by improving Saudi female higher education students’ access to knowledge and participation in more expansive learning environments. It is a relatively new educational tool in Saudi higher education institutions, and empirical research that examines the effectiveness of using Twitter in the educational context is sparse. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to explore the effect of using Twitter as a learning tool on undergraduate Saudi female students’ academic achievement and attitudes in a traditional academic face-to-face higher education course with a convenience sample (N=166) of two groups. One was a treatment group (n=83, Twitter as a learning tool was used), and the other was a control group (n=83, Twitter as a learning tool was not used). Quantitative data were collected using a quasi-experimental design. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews (n=8). The quantitative data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test, the paired-samples t-test, and mixed design (ANOVA) repeated measures with a between subject factors were employed to determine if there was a significant difference in academic achievement (dependent variable) between the treatment and control groups. The qualitative data explored Saudi female students’ attitudes toward using Twitter as a learning tool and were analyzed using NVivo software. The findings revealed that students who used Twitter as a learning tool had a higher academic achievement level than students who did not use Twitter as a learning tool. Moreover, students agreed that using Twitter as a learning tool provided them with opportunities to develop their interpersonal, academic, and self-confidence skills which resulted in their increased understanding and knowledge of the Digital Culture course. They also indicated that using Twitter as an educational tool allowed them to reinforce current knowledge, expand their views on the topic of discussion, encourage them to look for evidence to support their own views and respond to peers’ Tweets pertaining to their course content and field of study. In addition, students perceived that Twitter as a learning tool increased their participation and engagement in the Digital Culture course. However, most students also discussed the challenges they perceived when using Twitter for educational purposes.33 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.67 0Item Restricted Self-Management Interventions To Improve Mobility In The Community Post-Stroke(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-05-18) Sahely, Ahmad; Rosewilliam, SheebaIndividuals’ lives after stroke are affected by multiple levels of disability. Appropriate rehabilitation services can help them to regain their functions and improve their quality of life. In the UK and other developed countries, there has been a tendency toward the early supported discharge from hospital after a stroke with the aim of providing care at home after discharge. However, stroke survivors’ needs after discharge from the hospital have been unmet as the health care services lack sufficient resources. Self-management strategies have been developed to help stroke survivors improve their self-efficacy and independence and play an active role in their rehabilitation process. The efficacy and appropriateness of self-management as an additional component to the current practice have been examined in several contexts, but there has been limited research around self-management strategies to improve mobility after stroke. The overarching aim of this thesis was to develop, implement, and test the feasibility of a self- management (SM) intervention to improve functional mobility for stroke survivors in the community. Chapter 1 (the introduction) provides a background of the research problem and the knowledge to practice gap. It demonstrates the prevalence, impact, and management of stroke with focus on mobility rehabilitation as a main physical impairment. It also discusses the gap in current practice regarding the delivery of optimum amount of therapy and the role of SM in bridging the gap and facilitating the recovery of stroke survivors. Chapter 2 demonstrates the philosophical stance taken by the researcher to select the appropriate methodology for each stage of this research work. It shows the advantages of applying different methods to address the specific objectives of the thesis. Chapter 3 includes a systematic review of the evidence about specific SM interventions that can be applied for the rehabilitation of mobility post-stroke. A new intervention was then developed in consultation ii with senior clinicians and stroke patients to adapt the use of evidence to a local context of stroke rehabilitation within the West Midlands. In study 2 (chapter 4). A qualitative exploratory study was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic exploring needs and experiences of stroke patients and NHS therapists who worked with stroke patients with a special focus on the utility of self-management strategies post discharge. This study found four main themes that described the modifications in the care system because of the pandemic, impact on the stroke survivors at different stage, needs and priorities of stroke rehabilitation, and management strategies that have been used in stroke rehabilitation. The findings from the study contributed to the modification of the intervention developed to integrate technology and promote remote strategies for self-management. Study 3 (chapter 5), aimed to evaluate feasibility of implementation, to explore participants’ perspectives about the acceptability, practicality, and fidelity of the new intervention and to scope out methodological feasibility of a future randomised control trial of the new self-management intervention for mobility following stroke (SIMS). A mixed-methods study design was carried out including a feasibility randomised control design and focus groups to collect data. The study recruited 24 participants (14 males: 10 females; age range (36-87 years)) into both the intervention and control groups. The study findings showed that it was feasible to recruit participants from hospital and community, but the rate was low due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Randomisation and blinding were successful. Retention rate was 83% at 3 months and 79.2% at 6 months assessments. Adherence to the intervention varied mainly due to post stroke fatigue, COVID-19 and the impact of mood changes. It was feasible to deliver the intervention online with no serious events related to the study. Focus groups discussed participants’ motivations for joining the programme, their perspectives on the intervention (fidelity and acceptability) and methodology, perceived improvements in walking outcomes, facilitators and challenges for self-management, and suggestions for improvement. Lastly, chapter 6 provides a summary of findings and discussion points about the key findings from all three studies included in this thesis work.23 0