Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Unknown Factors Affecting Pronunciation for Adult Second Language Learners in Tennessee(Saudi Digital Library, 2021) Alzahrani, Rami Mesfer; Kisha, BryanThe purpose of this study was to explore the factors affecting the skill of pronunciation of Adult Second Language Learners from the perspective of U.S. teachers in Tennessee. The English pronunciation teaching survey results in Europe show unusual phenomena, despite shortcomings in teachers’ performance in teaching pronunciation. Most of the respondents were English language learners, and most of them rated their mastery of English pronunciation favorably. However, most thought they had little or no training in teaching pronunciation, which presents the question of how teachers are coping with this crucial aspect of language teaching. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews with 10 teachers adopting a qualitative approach. Findings showed teachers’ experiences with teaching pronunciation to adult second language learners. Teachers explained they are motivated to become teachers of the English language, described their teaching style, shared challenges that can be encountered teaching pronunciation, the objective of teaching pronunciation, and their experiences in teaching pronunciation in a class that interrogates students from various countries.12 0Item Unknown Conceptualising Teacher Professional Development in the Context of the Saudi Reform Vision 2030: A mixed-methods Approach(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Maeni, Latifah; Wilkins,Chris; Baldry, FayThis study aims to explore teachers’ perceptions of the influence of professional development (PD) on their skills, knowledge, and practice, along with the broader contextual factors that influence their participation in and implementation of PD within the framework of Saudi educational reform Vision 2030. The main research question that underpins this study is: What are teachers’ perceptions of professional development in light of the Saudi Vision 2030? Drawing on Opfer and Pedder’s (2011) theoretical framework, the study conceptualises teacher PD as shaped by the interactions between and within individual teachers, learning activities, and school contexts. reform-related initiatives was purposefully selected. This study employed a mixed-methods approach and was conducted in two phases in one public high school in Saudi Arabia. The first phase was quantitative, conducted through an online questionnaire, and involved a total of 25 out of 35 teachers. The second phase was qualitative and conducted via face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 27 stakeholders, including 17 teachers, a school leader, a deputy leader, and 8 educational supervisors. of national PD policies and The questionnaire was analysed using by applying thematic analysis. A document analysis descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data was analysed The findings revealed that understanding teacher PD is not a matter of examining factors related to teachers, learning activities, or school contexts in isolation, but instead requires attention to the interactions within and between them and the wider professional environment that can both enable and constrain teacher learning. This study calls for the need to move beyond a “one size fits all” approach to teacher PD toward an approach that is more coherent, flexible, contextually relevant, and responsive to teachers’ evolving needs. Implications for policy and practice as well as recommendations for future research were drawn from the findings of this study.10 0Item Unknown Secondary ELA Mentor Teachers’ Feedback on Preservice Teachers’ Video-Recorded Lessons(University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 2025) Alharbi, Homood; Sherry, MichaelThis dissertation explores the feedback practices of secondary English Language Arts (ELA) mentor teachers and the reasoning behind their feedback to preservice teachers (PSETs) during early field experiences. Motivated by my own experience as a preservice teacher, where the absence of timely, meaningful feedback often left me without needed guidance, I was drawn to study how mentor teachers notice, interpret, and respond to novice teaching. This study focuses not on the mentoring relationship itself, but on the content and rationale of feedback provided by mentors. Three secondary ELA mentor teachers participated in this qualitative study. Each responded to two video-recorded lessons of preservice teachers and took part in two sets of interviews. Using a Teacher Noticing framework, I analyzed what mentors noticed, why they chose to respond, how they delivered feedback, and how their prior experiences shaped those decisions. Findings indicate that mentors’ own experiences with receiving and giving feedback significantly influenced what they prioritized and how they responded to preservice teaching moments. Across participants, feedback focused on seven key areas of teaching and was driven by three consistent reasons. While the study focuses on a small group in a specific context, it raises important questions about broader trends in ELA mentor feedback. I recommend further research across diverse contexts to examine the consistency of feedback practices among mentor teachers.14 0Item Unknown Secondary ELA Mentor Teachers’ Feedback on Preservice Teachers’ Video-Recorded Lessons(University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 2025) Alharbi, Homoodh; Sherry, MichaelThis dissertation explores the feedback practices of secondary English Language Arts (ELA) mentor teachers and the reasoning behind their feedback to preservice teachers (PSETs) during early field experiences. Motivated by my own experience as a preservice teacher, where the absence of timely, meaningful feedback often left me without needed guidance, I was drawn to study how mentor teachers notice, interpret, and respond to novice teaching. This study focuses not on the mentoring relationship itself, but on the content and rationale of feedback provided by mentors. Three secondary ELA mentor teachers participated in this qualitative study. Each responded to two video-recorded lessons of preservice teachers and took part in two sets of interviews. Using a Teacher Noticing framework, I analyzed what mentors noticed, why they chose to respond, how they delivered feedback, and how their prior experiences shaped those decisions. Findings indicate that mentors’ own experiences with receiving and giving feedback significantly influenced what they prioritized and how they responded to preservice teaching moments. Across participants, feedback focused on seven key areas of teaching and was driven by three consistent reasons. While the study focuses on a small group in a specific context, it raises important questions about broader trends in ELA mentor feedback. I recommend further research across diverse contexts to examine the consistency of feedback practices among mentor teachers.30 0Item Restricted تعزيز القيادة التربوية من خلال التدريب الفعال وتطوير التعلم مدى الحياة في المدارس الابتدائية في المملكة العربية السعودية(Saint Louis university, 2025) الحربي, عائشة; wood, joLifelong learning is the process of acquiring continuous knowledge and skills that enable educators to keep abreast with certain changes in the field of education throughout their profession. In the current educational landscape, creating a lifelong culture has become vital for schools' effectiveness and the professional development of staff. This study uses a descriptive qualitative research method to uncover how school leaders perceive their training in supporting teachers with instructional practices, technology integration, and collaboration to promote lifelong learning. This approach was chosen since it allows an in- depth examination of participants' experiences. The researcher conducted semi- structured interviews with thirteen principals at elementary schools in Saudi Arabia. Data was interpreted thematically, where the interview recordings were transcribed, and open coding was used to capture key themes related to research questions. Data was then triangulated to identify diverging and converging themes. The first major theme showed that there was inadequacy and variability in training. Many of the principals were highly dissatisfied with the formal training offered by the government and described it as repetitive or lacking practical relevance. The second theme demonstrated leadership support as a driver for positive school culture, where strong leadership support, particularly emotional and motivational, was a crucial factor in driving positive school culture. The third theme emphasized the role of collaboration and shared vision as foundational strategies for improving school climate. The study findings also showed that Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) were widely adopted as tools for change to foster collaboration, reflective practice, and continuous improvement. The fifth theme highlighted the positive role of motivation and recognition as behavior-shifting tools for influencing the teacher's behaviors and encouraging innovation. Another major theme was teacher behavioral and instructional change post-professional development, where many leaders observed significant changes in teacher behavior following targeted professional development. The first minor theme highlighted the importance of emotional and motivational support as a leadership tool. The second minor theme focused on barriers to implementation where there is a lack of resources and financial Support. The final theme was resistance to change, with initial resistance to professional development or new strategies, especially among veteran teachers66 0Item Restricted Understanding Challenging Behaviours in Children with Autism: an exploration of families' and teachers' perceptions and attributions in Saudi Arabia(Univeristy of Leeds, 2024-01-16) Alfadhel, Lamya; Hebron, Judith; Homer, MatthewThe experience of challenging behaviours (CBs) is commonly reported in autism research and often noted by teachers as among the greatest difficulties encountered in the classroom. This study explores family and teacher perceptions and attribution of CBs in primary age autistic children in Saudi Arabia. A number of studies have investigated the impacts of these behaviours on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including their quality of life and that of the people surrounding them. However, little research has highlighted how CBs, in relation to ASD, are understood and perceived by families and teachers. In this study, a mixed methods approach was employed, consisting of an online questionnaire with 99 families and 88 teachers across Saudi Arabia, and interviews with seven parents and seven teachers who have the experience of working with autistic children. The overall findings suggest that CBs are understood as part of the ASD by families and teachers. The findings from the questionnaire identify complex relationships between the attribution of the cause of CBs and type of schools, teachers' experience, families' and teachers' level of knowledge and their emotional reactions toward CBs. The interview findings illustrate many barriers to understanding CBs and their causes and provide information to generate suggestions for improving policy in this area. Amongst these are educational service provision for students and collaboration between the home and the school. The study supports the implementation of attribution theory to better understand perceptions towards CBs. This includes several recommendations to support families and teachers with their perceptions of CBs in children with ASD.18 0Item Restricted SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS' LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES(Kent State University, 2024-01-31) Alhumaid, Fadiyah; Mitchell, StephenSCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS' LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES (131 PP.) Doctoral Dissertation Committee Chairs: Mitchell, Stephen, Ph.D. The study aimed to identify the relationship between school leadership styles and communication styles from the perspective of teachers in midwestern suburban county schools district in Ohio. The study used the descriptive analytical methods to achieve its goals. It employed two questionnaires, the first, which was designed to measure leadership styles, consisted of (31) items while the second was designated to measure the communication methods, and it consisted of (7) items. The study was applied on a voluntary sample (n = 59) of teachers. Using the appropriate statistical tools, the study reached a number of conclusions: (a) A democratic style dominated among school principals, followed by a dictatorial style, and finally laissez-faire style, (b) oral communication was more prevalent, followed by communication through symbols, movements, and expressions, and (c)Statistically significant correlations were found between leadership styles and communication methods, but there was no correlation between laissez-faire style and communication through symbols, movements, and expressions. (d) there were no statistically significant differences at the level of significance (a≤0.05) in all study variables: gender, academic qualification, and year of experience.15 0