SAUDI FACULTY MEMBERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CAEP STANDARDS

Author

Riyadh Tuwayrish Almatrafi, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

8-1-2015

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

McIntyre, John

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was two-fold. It began by exploring the familiarity and perceptions of Saudi faculty members of the CAEP standards. Then it speculated on how these perceptions may influence the outcomes of using CAEP standards on evaluating educational programs in Saudi Arabia. To explore this issue of how educators in Saudi Arabia perceive CAEP standards. The findings from the survey showed that Saudi faculty members at Al-Jouf University were familiar with the Content and Pedagogical Knowledge standards and valued them. They agreed that mastery of the standard items contributes to the improvement of Islamic teachers’ preparation programs. The results concerning the views of participants about the clinical partnerships and practice standard revealed that Saudi faculty members at Al-Jouf University were also familiar with Clinical Partnerships and Practice standards and valued them. They agreed that mastery of the standard items contributes to the improvement of Islamic teachers’ preparation programs. Results from the interviews and focus groups showed that most faculty members in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the sample (77.7%) consider themselves well informed about the CAEP standards. In contrast, most faculty members in the Department of Islamic Studies, in the sample (71.4%), did not have knowledge about these standards. For this reason, many of them responded, “don’t know” to most of the questions. Despite the variety among the participants’ responses about the familiarity or preparedness of CAEP standards, they generally had a favorable outlook towards the CAEP standards. The three major categories and the eleven themes present the Saudi faculty members’ perceptions of the CAEP standards. The findings are reported in three main categories: (a) Positive, (b) Neutral, and (c) Negative.