INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ BELIEFS, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ON TEACHING PERFORMANCE FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES ENROLLED IN INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

Although the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has committed to inclusive education for students with learning difficulties (LD), limited research has focused on teachers’ beliefs, skills, knowledge, and teaching performance. This limited research about educators’ practices has created the need for a thorough investigation of the factors that predict their teaching performance. This study aimed to examine the influence of teachers’ beliefs toward the inclusion of students with learning difficulties (LD), their current levels of knowledge of LD, their current skills to teach students with LD on their performance in teaching students with LD. The study also sought to investigate the moderating effect of (1) gender on the strength of the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and their teaching performance, (2) teaching experience on the strength of the relationship between teachers knowledge and their teaching performance, and (3) teaching experience on the strength of the relationship between the teachers’ skills and their teaching performance. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Shulman’s Module, and Marzano’s Model. The study adopted a quantitative approach using a survey method to collect the data. Data were collected by distributing questionnaires among teachers in intermediate schools in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Four hundred and one teachers completed these questionnaires, including 238 females and 163 males. The SPSS and Structural Equation Modelling through AMOS were used to analyse the data. By using AMOS, the model of this study was tested, and the overall goodness indicated that the measurement model had a good fit with the data. Overall, the results of this study found a positive correlation between educators’ beliefs, knowledge, and skills. Moreover, the finding of the study also revealed the significant influence of teachers’ beliefs on their teaching performance, a significant influence of teachers’ skills in teaching students with LD on iv their teaching performance, and a negative influence of educators’ knowledge of LD on their teaching performance. Finally, it is also found that the moderator, gender, does not affect the relationship between beliefs and teaching performance. Also, the moderator, teaching experience, does not affect the relationship between knowledge and teaching performance, and experience does not moderate the relationship between educators’ skills and their teaching performance. This study has provided several theoretical, methodological and practical implications for promoting teachers’ performance to support inclusive practices in Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study contribute fresh understanding towards educators’ knowledge. It provides empirical evidence to support inclusive practices and educators’ performance, especially relative to the negative influence of educators’ knowledge on their teaching performance. This finding may offer perception for stakeholders and the leaders in the Ministry of Education to rethink ways to develop the policies and rules that may decrease this lack of knowledge. The recommendations from the study and the suggestions for further studies are discussed.