Challenges faced by Saudi teachers when using technology to support the learning needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders at manistram schools in Saudi Arabia.

Study Rationale
ICTs can be extremely powerful tools enabling students with ASD to participate in instructional activities alongside their non-disabled peers. Research studies have demonstrated that most teachers use technology to enhance traditional practices rather than transform them (Karasavvidis, 2009). These studies suggested that the mere availability of technology does not result in any substantial change in teaching practices. Indeed, new technologies call for advanced pedagogies to ensure their effective use. Research also suggests that issues surrounding the use of ICT in the classroom often centre on teachers’ lack of confidence supporting using the technology and whether or not the technology is appropriate to autistic students’ specific needs and capabilities. However, there is little research supporting the effectiveness of ICT programmes providing the tools special education teachers need to be effective with students with ASD. There is also a lack of research on how teachers address the challenges of using ICT in classrooms for students with Autism (Verenkina et al, 2010).




Research questions
Main research question:
How do teachers in Saudi schools perceive and address the challenges of using ICT in classrooms for students with Autism?
Research sub-questions:
What reasons do teachers have to use ICT to support students with Autism?
How do teachers use ICT to improve social interaction skills and peer relationships of students with autism?
c) What are the challenges faced by teachers when using ICT to teach students with ASD in inclusive settings?

Theoretical framework
The socio-cultural theory of learning has influenced theoretical perspectives on teaching and learning (Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch et al., 2003) by placing emphasis on the child’s mental development, which is dependent on the social and cultural context. In this study, the teacher participants are involved in the child’s mental development and in the knowledge-building process in mainstream schools for autistic children in Saudi Arabia. The study examines whether teachers are able to create a learning community of young students with ASD and their parents. It uses socio-cultural and third space theory to examine how the interactions between teachers and parents are created and whether there is a unique social space in which students are able to learn and develop important social skills. Finally, the ‘third space’ that emerges will be considered as a ‘zone of proximal development’ in which learning evolves and in which teachers participate and experience effective professional development.

The reason for using a socio-cultural theoretical perspective is to analyse the challenges faced by teachers while incorporating ICTs in classrooms for teaching students with ASD. The research will explore factors such as teachers’ instructional strategies, their interactions with students, the ICT policies adopted by the schools, teachers’ proficiency, and how they have acquired skills and knowledge both for their personal development and for professional improvement. In this study teachers are individuals who operate within the wider school community, which includes students, IT support staff, head teachers and parents. In classrooms, ICTs are considered to be tools to support teaching and to meet the needs of the children with ASD. Socio-cultural theory and third space may help in understanding whether the ICT tools help or hinder the teacher’s pedagogical activity and how it influences ASD students’ learning activity.

3.1. Introduction

This chapter will explain the research methods, which used in this study to achieve research aims and objectives and the reasons and advantages of choose these methods. There are different strategic placements of research approaches and strategies mentioned to have a clear interpretation of the Challenges faced by Saudi teachers when using technology to support the learning needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders at manistram schools in Saudi Arabia. These answers will be followed by research developmental and structural advancements with various methods used for data collection. Beside, data analysis methods will also be discussed.

3.2. Research approach

Two of the most highlighting means of research are used for the methodological arrangement of data and other information for this research. They are known as inductive and deductive approach.

Types of research approaches

3.3. Inductive research approach

Inductive approach of research works in a manner that it cultivates important information in the form of particular observations and noticeable things transforming them into expanded generalizations and then forming theories and several other liabilities for the cause. Within inductive research approach, observation and pattern can be more than one and considering tentative hypothesis, theory is decided which is sequential and arranged at the same time.

Figure 2: Steps of Inductive Research Approach

3.4. Deductive research approach – Adopted Approach for the Dissertation

Deductive research approach is about more of general thoughts and arrangement of ideas to those that are more specific and particular in meaning. An alternative meaning for such an approach is ‘top-down’. The reason to adopt deductive approach for this dissertation is it basically starts off with the general frame of mind and ends at a conformational note which is often beneficial to derive results and outcomes from.

Figure 3: Steps of Deductive Research Approach

Deductive	Inductive
·         Scientific principles ·         Move from theory to data ·         The collection of quantitative data ·         A highly structured approach Select samples of sufficient size	·         Understanding of the research context ·         The collection of qualitative data ·         More flexible structure ·         Less concern with the need to generalize

3.5. Qualitative and quantitative research

Qualitative research involves the studied use and collection of a variety of empirical materials, interview whereas, quantitative research uses numbers and statistical methods, seek explanations and predictions that will generalize to other persons and places.

For this research strategies of case study and questionnaire will be combined to form a general opinion about the topic of socio-emotional influences of using ICT in Saudi Arab.

3.7. Data collection

3.7.1. Primary data

Primary data was important for all areas of research because it was unvarnished information about the results of an experiment or observation. It was like the eyewitness testimony at a trial.

·          Interview

Interviews as a research strategy for this study could be useful because it presented the procedures that were going on indirectly within the topic and visualizations of which could not be brought into a clear understanding. The research questions were comprehended and comprised of a few questions which both in terms of qualitative and quantitative means were to be fulfilling enough for the participants to answer through. Open ended questions with forced questions were included in the procedure to measure about the deduction of the theories and other regulations.

Research Questions:

* How do teachers in Saudi schools perceive and address the challenges of using ICT in classrooms for students with Autism?

* What reasons do teachers have to use ICT to support students with Autism?

* How do teachers use ICT to improve social interaction skills and peer relationships of students with autism?

* What are the challenges faced by teachers when using ICT to teach students with ASD in inclusive settings?

Theoretical Framework:

The socio-cultural theory of learning has influenced theoretical perspectives on teaching and learning (Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch et al., 2003) by placing emphasis on the child’s mental development, which is dependent on the social and cultural context. In this study, the teacher participants are involved in the child’s mental development and in the knowledge-building process in mainstream schools for autistic children in Saudi Arabia. The study examines whether teachers are able to create a learning community of young students with ASD and their parents. It uses socio-cultural and third space theory to examine how the interactions between teachers and parents are created and whether there is a unique social space in which students are able to learn and develop important social skills. Finally, the ‘third space’ that emerges will be considered as a ‘zone of proximal development’ in which learning evolves and in which teachers participate and experience effective professional development.

The reason for using a socio-cultural theoretical perspective is to analyse the challenges faced by teachers while incorporating ICTs in classrooms for teaching students with ASD. The research will explore factors such as teachers’ instructional strategies, their interactions with students, the ICT policies adopted by the schools, teachers’ proficiency, and how they have acquired skills and knowledge both for their personal development and for professional improvement. In this study teachers are individuals who operate within the wider school community, which includes students, IT support staff, head teachers and parents. In classrooms, ICTs are considered to be tools to support teaching and to meet the needs of the children with ASD. Socio-cultural theory and third space may help in understanding whether the ICT tools help or hinder the teacher’s pedagogical activity and how it influences ASD students’ learning activity

Social Change and Women’s Violence in Domestic Settings in Saudi Arabia

Literature Review

Since the 1960s, there has been increased pressure from the United Nations on Saudi Arabia on the issue of women’s rights. Beginning in the 1980s, Doumato (2010) noted that women have been establishing a ‘voice’ in Saudi Arabian Society. For example, ‘The Saudi Arabian Women’s Rights Organisation’ and ‘The Saudi Arabian Women’s Mosque Movement’ were officially recognised and funded by the government in 2010.

Changes have also been witnessed in the context of education and employment (Booz and Company, 2010). According to the Ministry of Education (2009), female participation in higher education has increased by 48% from 1990 to 2009. Booz and Company (2010) note that women have also started to participate in the labour market. Since 1995, the participation of Saudi national women in the workforce has tripled, reaching 14.4%.

However Dawood (2013), an ultra-right cleric, argues that the Saudi Government’s equal opportunities agenda encouraging women’s engagement in higher education and employment has given them greater independence, and this has made them more assertive  towards males. Adler (1975) in her analysis of American society in the 1960s argued that work place equal opportunities in America encouraged women to become more assertive in order to compete with males.  For example, she argued that women had become more competitive, assertive and individualistic in their social life because these were values that were encouraged in the work environment, and expected from males.

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 Professor Huwailah (2011) stated that the crimes against men by women in Kuwait are increasing as an indirect result of the integration of women in the circle of social activity. He argues that women’s liberation movements have actually given women the idea that they should act like men, and if women are given more freedoms within the Middle East, women’s assertiveness will continue to increase.

that In her study in India, Krishnan (2006), an Indian feminist, found that women who were unemployed on her first visit, and began employment by her next visit, had eighty per-cent higher odds of violence against their husbands. She argues that employment reduces women's dependence on their husbands, and this enhances their ‘power’ within households, due to their new found financial status in the family. Therefore, some women use their financial status as a form of empowerment. 

Gandhi (2008), also from a feminist perspective, undertook a study in New Delhi and found a correlation between education and domestic violence. She argues that working wives started to assert their rights when they became more financially independent, and if a threat to their financial and social independence was posed by their husbands they would use violence to re-assert their rights.

Although Dawood (2013) and Huwailah (2011) offer interesting perspectives, these need further enquiry; for example, the model of equal opportunities and independence needs to be contextualised within the social, political and cultural context of Saudi Arabia. Krishnan (2006) and Gandhi (2008) also offer interesting outlines on how financial power grounds female against male violence. However this requires greater analysis  in the context of Saudi Arabian society. First, the Saudi Arabian legal and political systems are based on a Saudi Arabian Islamic Sharia context; therefore, legally and politically, women are regarded as ‘second class citizens’, and less likely to be employed with the same pay rights as men. So, can their analysis of ‘financial gender power’ be applicable in Saudi Arabia considering that women are ‘new’ to the role of employment outside of the home, and unequal pay between males and females?

 

Also, though India and Saudi Arabia may share some cultural traits, such as extended family households. The distinction is Saudi Arabia is governed by Sharia law where women’s participation in social and economic life is accorded to religious governance.  Whereas, in India it is potentially open to Western cultural influences. So therefore, what impact does Sharia have on women on male domestic violence?

In addition, these studies do not specifically state the ethnic, cultural and religious demographics; therefore, it is important to consider how the ethnic, cultural and religious influences reflect on household status. In Saudi Arabia, polygamy has constitutional recognition and cultural acceptance whereas, in India it has only a community  acceptance, so therefore, is not fully accepted by all religious, ethnic and cultural communities So therefore, it is important to analyse how polygamy, through its legal and cultural status impacts power relationships in Saudi domestic households.   

As Elbedour et al (2007) note in their study of polygamous marriages in Saudi Arabia that aggression and violence between married wives, children and their husband/ father was a common occurrence, as members of the families fought over the husband’s betrayals of re-marrying and ‘fatherhood’, sharing of husband’s ‘values’, ‘privilege’ and their hierarchical position in the family.  While the Elbedour et al. (2007) study was based on ‘domestic power positions’ it would be interesting to explore what impact education and employment of married wives have on the context of polygamous relationships? Elbedour et al (2007) study focused on Bedouin tribes where women had no opportunity to gain an education and employment due to their nomadic culture. So what influence could education and employment have on polygamous relationships in non-nomadic cultures?  Also, could education and employment power of women threaten the husband’s position within the household, and if violence is employed, as a ‘control’ tactic, could wives be reacting as a means of ‘self-defence’ rather than betrayal?  So therefore, is women’s violence an empowering self-protective mechanism? There are some interesting dynamics in the context of women’s status and polygamous relationships that need further exploration. 

   

This research will explore the processes involved in female on male violence in Saudi family homes  due to changes in female engagement and independence gained via higher education and/or employment. If this is the case, how can it be explained in a social, , cultural and religious context specific to Saudi Arabia?

As outlined above, the research will make a valuable contribution to exploring in greater depth the social,  cultural and religious factors associated with women gaining higher education and/or employment, and if this has or has not influenced female toward male violence in domestic relationships.

In addition to some of the points raised above, the researcher has come to recognise that academic literature on domestic violence focuses on non-Islamic and non-Arab countries, and therefore, by analysing and exploring Saudi Arabian society, this study will add a contribution in the context of domestic violence being studied in an Islamic country that is constituted in Sharia law.

Research Objectives

The aim of this research is to understand what is the relationship between women’s independence in education and the labour market and their propensity to be violent to their husband’s. And, if so, what are the main drivers for women’s violence? This research study will try to meet the following objectives:

a)  To explore the relationship between women’s education level and the use of violence at home.

b)  To explore the relationship between women in employment and the use of violence at home.

c)  To explore the context of polygamy when women are educated and married, and the dynamics of ‘male family abuse’

Methodology                                                                                       

This research study will be undertaken at Riyadh Women’s Prison. The reasons for choosing this research site are that all women who are convicted of violent crimes are incarcerated in Riyadh Prison. Also, since Saudi Arabia offers no ‘correctional community provisions’ such as fines, community orders, a probation service this makes it difficult to find both gate-keepers and respondents in the community.  

Since this study will be carried out in the researcher’s hometown, there are no language barriers for conducting the interviews. More importantly, the researcher has a good network of support for assessing suitable respondents and arranging interviews; access has been discussed with a number of key officials in Saudi Arabia, and the researcher was promised access for the interviews. 

Sampling                          

From the female prisoner population, the researcher will select those who committed domestic violence against men in their families. The women convicted will be categorized into five sample groups:

1)      Ten employed at time of conviction

2)      Ten non-employed at time of conviction

3)      Ten non HE educated

4)      Ten HE educated

5)      Ten in polygamous marriages at time of conviction

This selection process will be grounded through the use of gate-keepers in the prison, and verified by reading the background information and case files of the respondents.

. The researcher is planning to interview fifty  respondents (women convicted for violence against male family members). As Flick (2011) argues, qualitative samples are usually fewer than fifty, and almost no new evidence will appear after interviewing 20 participants.  Alongside, interviews information will be collated by looking at the case files of female prisoners to gather information on offence and evidence for conviction. The reason for this being is to gather information pre-determining conviction. For example, is double deviancy determining sentence rather than offence and evidence? If this is the case then how does education and employment of women determine sentencing?   Finally, the researcher will use purposive sampling, because the research is selective with regard to the respondents, the status of respondents and the offence type, as described above. This sampling technique is in line with how Nachmias (1996) suggests that the research respondent population is specifically selected, due to research variables.

Data Collection

Since this study is explanatory in nature, the qualitative approach fits its description.  The primary aim of qualitative research is to provide a complete, detailed description of the research topic (Silverman, 2006). In the case of this study, these methods will uncover the drivers behind women’s violence towards their male family members in Saudi Arabia. Semi-structured in-depth interviews will be used to collect qualitative data about domestic violence committed by women in households against men. For example, themes such, as family structure, age, income, status, self-defence will be explored in the context of female on male family member domestic violence. The advantage of semi-structured interviews is that they allow respondents to ‘reflect on their own personal stories’.  

This semi-structured approach allows the researcher to control the interview environment. For example, if statements need further clarification, the researcher can prompt for clarity. Also, the interview themes are flexible, therefore, questions can be re-organised, or returned to at a later stage within the interview. Flick (2011) outlines that semi-structured interviews help researchers in ‘managing’ their research context, and offer them flexibility in ‘managing’ their respondents to ensure the fluidity of conversation.  

The interview includes two sections. Section one is composed of structured questions aimed at exploring women’s educational and employment status. Section two includes guided questions, exploring the process of the respondents using violence against men, and the role of the mentioned factors in shaping the respondents’ values, as well as their power relationships with male members in the family.     

Analysis

The researcher will use a coding method of transcribing the data into both themes and emerging themes. The NVivo program will be used to link, annotate and create relationships between common themes. In order to maintain the meaning of the sentences, the researcher will use Arabic during the analysis process. Once the analysis is completed, the themes will be translated into English, and then from English back to Arabic to ensure that the data remains authentic, and as stated by the respondents. 

It is hoped that the research will gather information that is specific to the social, political, cultural and religious contexts of Saudi Arabian society. As suggested above, much of the literature on domestic violence stems from non-Islamic Sharia constitutions, and it would be important to consider domestic violence from such a platform. Additionally, it will explore female toward male domestic violence, and highlight whether such incidences are occurring due to such ‘socio-economic’ factors (such as women’s employment and educational status).

Research Ethics

Ethical approval will be sought from the Nottingham Trent University Ethics committee, and the researcher will work in accordance with the guidelines set out by the code of conduct for researchers in accordance with the British Sociological Association and the British Psychological Society. Ethical considerations will ensure that the participants will be provided with sufficient opportunities to understand the research and any foreseeable consequences of their participation. Confidentiality and anonymity will be assured by ensuring that all confidential information is secured and kept away from the research site. Also, all respondents will be codified (by letter and number), and only the researcher will have access to these codes. These codes will be securely locked away in the researcher’s locker. Once all of the data has been used for research purposes, it will be destroyed in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Nottingham Trent University Ethics Committee.  During the research process, if disclosures are made, the respondents will be made fully aware of counselling services and referred to appropriate support services.

Research Schedule

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Literature review

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Research planning

X

X

X

Undertaking research

X

X

Data analysis

X

X

X

X

X

Writing up

X

X

X

X

Editing

X

X

X

X

References

Archer, J. 2000. ‘Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: a meta analytic review’. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 651-680. (2000). Sex differences in

Bell, J. 1993. Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers in education and social science. 2nd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Booz, A. and Company, G. 2010. Women’s employment in Saudi Arabia a major challenge. New York: Sage Publications.

Browne, A. 1987. When battered women kill. New York: Free Press.

Dawood, A. 2013. Saudi cleric faces backlash over harassment. BBC Online. 25^th September. Available at: http://www.bbcnewsonline.uk/news/uk/article113890.

Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. 2003. Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials. New York: Sage.

Dobash, R. P. and Dobash, R. E. 2004. ‘Women's violence to men in intimate relationships: Working on a puzzle’. British Journal of Criminology (44), 324-349.

Doumato, K. 2010. Social institutions and gender index. United Nations.

Elbedour, S., Bart, W. and Hektner, J. 2007. ‘Relationship between monogamous/ polygamous family structure and the mental health of Bedouin Arab adolescents’. Journal of Adolescence (30), 213-230.

Flick, U. 2011. Introducing research methodology. Hamburg: Sage.

Gandhi, M. 2008. Impact of education on domestic violence and development of women through education. Available at: http:// www.domesticviolences.com/impact-of-education-on-domestic-violence-and-development-of-women-through-education/

Krishnan, S. 2010. ‘Do changes in spousal employment status lead to domestic violence? Insights from a prospective study in Bangalore, India’. Social Science India 2006 (70), 136-43.

Nachmias, D. 1996. Research methods in the social sciences. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Silverman, D. 2006. Interpreting qualitative data: Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction. 3^rd ed. London: Sage.

Swan, S. C. and Snow, O. L. 2002. ‘A typology of women’s use of violence in intimate relationships’. Violence against Women 8 (3), 286-319.