Requisitioning Technology Integration in Saudi Educational System, a Systematic Approach

• In Event: Poster session 2

Proposal

1.1 Background

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) became a global target for the world and Saudi Arabia recently. However, it is imperative to notice that the educational system has gone through a variety of educational reforms in the past decade, which seem to promote change to improve the functionality of the educational system. The current 2030 vision reform took a new quick fix approach that never has been seen before which question the education expenditure, teachers’ accountability, and students’ performance.
Owing to the fact that %70 of the country population are younger than 30, the central mission of the 2030 educational reform is to enhance the well-being of students in order to succeed in their education to have the necessary skills and knowledge for a future career in 21ct market. For that, an educational initiative was planned to promote the vision of sustainable development in all forms and levels of Saudi education.
Considering ESD and previous educational reforms, this study argued that education reform in Saudi could be evaluated in multiple areas including students and their performance, teachers, curriculum and leadership, and policies. The focus here will be on Technology or information and communication technology (ICT) along with its integration in educational system solve an essential part of the reform puzzle. The central goal of the shift in technology is to raise the efficiency of performance, employing modern support technologies in the education system (Ministry of Education, 2016)

While the strong push, translated into policies and initiatives, is to promote the integration of ICT into education, the issue is related to what happens in the classroom and how teachers’ sense-making of the policy function to translate it into practice. We argue that the technology issue is related to policy enactment where policies are interpreted and ‘translated’ by stakeholders instead of implementation.

1.2 Problem

One of the goals of the reform is to graduate students who can compete and meet the demands of the labor market while reducing the cost of educating them at the same time. The vision indicates that it aims to change the traditional teaching approaches used for years to global approaches that integrate technology, encourage critical thinking and produce problem solver students. That being said, teachers are the first line who can support the reform objectives to be implemented. It is essential to understand the effect of policy on classrooms based on teachers’ implementation.

1.3 Rational.

Teachers-Research has shown that the role of teachers impacts the results of educational reform. One of the challenges that face the policy implementation is related to what is known in policy studies as the street-level bureaucrats. In an era of accountability, teachers are asked to impart ways of thinking (critical thinking, creativity, decision-making and learning, problem-solving); approaches of working (communication and collaboration); tools for working (including information and communications technologies); and skills around citizenship, life and career and personal and social responsibility for success in modern democracies” (OECD, 2011). However, as teachers responsibility increased, their perception of the connection between ICT integration and the reform still ambiguous.
Technology-or information and communication technology (ICT) along with its integration in educational system solve a vital part of the reform puzzle. The central goal of the shift in technology is to raise the efficiency of performance, employing modern support technologies in the education system (Ministry of Education, 2016)
we argue that there is a strong push to promote the integration of ICT into education which seems to be translated into policies and initiatives. However, the issue is related to what happens in the classroom and how teachers sense-making of the policy functions to translate it into practice. We argue that the technology issue is related to policy enactment where policies are interpreted and ‘translated’ by stakeholders instead of implementation.

1.4 Framework

Fullan change theory
We particularly chose Fullan’s educational change theory (Fullan, 2007) as lenses to guide our investigation. The theory suggested that educational change happens in three dimensions: 1) the use of new pedagogies;2) the use of new instructional materials, curriculum materials or technologies; and 3) alternation of beliefs or assumptions. Among the three dimensions, alternation of beliefs and understanding are the fundamental one for the sustainable implementation
We also used Fullan (2001) meaning of change to highlight the policy effects based on
1. meaning of individual change for society at large
2. subjective meaning of change for individuals in education
3. a description of the objective meaning of change
4. critical related issues of shared meaning and program coherence.

1.5 Methods.

We used a critical policy analysis approach to 1) better understand the effectiveness of current policy on Saudi educational system 2) to explore the unintended effects of the policy and 3) how the policy affects the equity among stakeholders. The policy analysis approach helps to determine whether or not the policy should be prolonged or to identify its weaknesses so it can be corrected.



1.6 Preliminary findings

So far, the study found a balanced language in policy documents related to the change. There evidence related to an intention to provide necessary support during the implementation. This is connected with Fullan’s framework, as its true that moving too quickly toward the implementation without giving educators the needed- support or at least open a feedback channel to hear their concerns can be a critical challenge.
The study suggests that in order to change the level of educators buy-in of the policy change and its initiatives, the change should focus on creating positive school culture. To connect the study with sustainable development, Fullan argued that sustainability is substantially a matter of changes in culture: powerful approaches that enable people to question and alter specific beliefs and values as they create new forms of learning between and within schools, and across levels of the system. (Fullan, 2005, p. 60)

1.7 Implication

The result of this study will provide analysis to Saudi education policymaker to consider opportunities to implement the current policy change better. The study has a potential to enhance the global educational practice highlights within the field of comparative and international education.

Authors

• Ahmed M. Mukhtar, University of Missouri

• Walaa Bunaiyan, University of Denver