Arab Educational Information Network

During the 2007-2008 academic year, the Saudi Ministry of Education (MoE) introduced a new science curriculum in all public schools across all grades in an effort to modernize its public education curriculum (Almuntasheri, Gilles, Wright, 2016; Mansour & Al-Shamrani, 2015). This new curriculum, based on an Arabic translated version of the McGraw-Hill science series curriculum, emphasizes student-centered and inquiry-based learning within a constructivist framework (Almuntasheri et al., 2016; Mansour & Al-Shamrani, 2015). In order for this new curriculum to be effectively implemented given its substantial difference from previous curricula, the MoE began instituting professional development (PD) programs for Saudi science teachers throughout the country, with separate programs for male and female science teachers; however, the effectiveness of these PD programs has not been systematically investigated. To address this gap, the study conducted in this dissertation involved a survey of 68 male secondary school science teachers in the South District of Makkah, Saudi Arabia regarding the effectiveness of PD programs they participated in that aimed at implementing the new science curriculum. The survey questionnaire was based on a translated version (English to Arabic) of an instrument developed and previously used by Williams (2014), Lowden (2003), and Liguori (2000), which were adapted from Guskey’s (2000, 2002) PD evaluation model. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, which are reported and discussed in the present dissertation. Major findings include the reported lack of qualified trainers and lack of support for PD. (Author’s abstract)