Thesis (M. S. - Renewable Natural Resources)--University of Arizona, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-60).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, 1991. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 194-201).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 1993. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 260-271).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 194-201).

No description available.

Many South African educators seek employment in Saudi Arabian schools, drawn by monetary incentives and better working conditions. However, little consideration is given to differences in cultural and educational values synonymous with the two entities. This research deals with the role of conflicting values in the teaching experiences of South African educators in Saudi Arabian schools by means of a literature study and empirical investigation. Qualitative data collection was done by in-depth personal interviews and personal narratives, written and sourced via e-mail. Findings revealed that the preconceived educational values of the South African educators sometimes acted as a barrier to teaching, restricting the educators from fully optimising their educational experiences. However, positive features of the Saudi education system were highlighted. The implications indicate a need for better orientation for South African educators working or planning to work in Saudi Arabia with emphasis on societal norms, customs and values. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

This study aimed to explore teachers’ and students’ perceptions of metacognition in relation to mathematics teaching and learning in secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. This research adopted an interpretive paradigm. This meant that a socio-cultural perspective was central to examining perceptions of metacognition in relation to mathematics among secondary students and their teachers in Saudi Arabia. The use of case studies was a methodical means to achieve elaborate data and to shed light on issues facing the study. The instruments used for data collection were semi-structured interviews, group discussions and classroom observation. The participants consisted of two case study classes from secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. There were three stages of the study’s fieldwork: the pilot study and the two subsequent stages which comprise the main body of fieldwork. These last two stages were carried out in order to enable the formulation of a clearer and more complete picture of mathematics teaching and learning through metacognition in Saudi Arabia, before and after the implementation of the IMPROVE programme, regardless of improvements in specific strategy or any boost to students’ achievement. Several findings were drawn from the data, the first of these being that the traditional method can hinder mathematics teaching and learning through metacognition. Secondly, although metacognitive mathematics instruction should be planned, the strategy that is introduced should be directly targeted at improving the monitoring and regulation of students’ thought when dealing with mathematics problems. Thirdly, metacognition should be given priority to improve students’ consciousness of the learning processes. This is because conscious reflection enables students to develop an ability to choose the most appropriate strategies for learning concepts and solving mathematics problems. The findings underlined the importance of the student’s role in learning through metacognition. The study presented a perspective for dealing with metacognition along with a practice-based model of metacognitive mathematics teaching and learning. These are in the educational context of Saudi Arabia and are set out after the implementation of the IMPROVE programme. In addition, this study asserts that metacognition can be enhanced through the creation of a suitable socio-cultural context that encourages the social interaction represented through cooperative learning.

This work evaluates the security of household banking in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by investigating the fit between the Saudi banking system and the practices of its household customers. A framework is developed to evaluate both technical and human factors, to help build a secure and effective banking system. Three building blocks contribute to the framework: the household context of use of bank systems in Saudi Arabia, banking technologies and processes, and Saudi banking policies and infrastructure. A qualitative study of the household context of use employs grounded theory to identify the banking practices of household customers and the factors influencing them. Data were collected in two phases: from 47 household customers, using telephone interviews, focus groups and the diary/interview method, then from 23 Saudi bankers interviewed by telephone. Each method was adjusted to accommodate the unique settings of the research context, such as being a Saudi female researcher collecting data from participants of both genders, the sensitivity of the topic and the intimate nature of the household context. This research contributes as a practical guide by describing each method used in detail, serving to inform and guide future work in a similar context. The second block in the framework is the security analysis of the banking technologies and processes used by participating household customers: online banking, telephone banking and bank cards. The two analytical approaches are STRIDE, which aims to identify objectives and vulnerabilities in bank technologies regarding specific security threats, and DREAD, which is used to quantify the risk from such threats. The third block is the Saudi banking policies and infrastructure that guide the use of the technologies issued by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) the leading authority to the Saudi banking sector, involving a deep analysis of the official policies and regulations related to the household context of use of bank technologies. The framework is applied to evaluate the security of household banking in two case studies: the use of new technologies such as mobile banking and the use of fingerprints as a new security mechanism in the authentication process of bank cards.

More than half the population of Saudi Arabia has access to the Internet and social media, which are considered to be the fastest growing methods of communication in the region. The Saudi Ministry of Health encourages health-care providers, health professionals, and health organizations to accept and actively engage in using technology for improving health practices. Despite their increasing importance, there is little published literature on social media use and acceptance among health educators in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the present study was to better understand the factors that determine the use and acceptance of social media. The theoretical framework consisted of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) as well as an extension to that theory. Through this lens, the study investigated how personal innovativeness in information technology and level of education may influence behavioral intention or use of social media among health educators in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional design was employed to determine the relationships among the specified factors. The participants included 320 health educators who filled out an online survey that had been constructed and validated in the literature. Findings indicated that performance expectancy, social influence, and personal innovativeness have a significant positive influence on behavioral intention. Facilitating conditions were negatively significant to user behavior. As anticipated, age and level of education were successfully shown to be a moderator. The study also discussed social media usage patterns among health educators in Saudi Arabia for personal and health-education purposes.

Talent management has grown considerably in the last decade as organisations have made it a top priority issue around the world. A shortage of talent has emerged as one of the critical challenges that face organisations worldwide as they seek successful operations on a global scale. This has resulted in anxiety among organisations and thus created pressure on human resource management to maintain the competencies needed to achieve organisational goals. Thus, this challenge is motivating organisations to accurately identify and manage talents effectively to include them in the organisational talent pool. In order to address what influences the likelihood of an individual being labelled as ‘talent’, this research seeks to investigate the decision-making processes involved in the identification of talent. This study makes an important contribution to the conceptual and empirical understanding of the nature of decision-making within talent management, which has suffered from a dearth of research. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine and examine the contextual and cultural factors that influence and shape the perceptions and the experience of managerial decision-making and its effect on the fairness of talent decisions. To date, there are a number of factors that have largely been examined separately in the literature. This study is the first to attempt to investigate these factors collectively to develop a comprehensive model to address the nature of talent decision-making. Furthermore, this study is one of a handful of studies that responds to the well-established call to emphasise the importance of decision-making in talent management literature. A quantitative approach was deemed best suited to test the proposed model. A cross-sectional survey was conducted for primary data from diverse managerial levels. Data were collected from private organisations in the oil and banking sectors in Saudi Arabia. Because data collection is seriously challenging in Saudi Arabia, convenience and snowball sampling were believed to be the most appropriate in terms of satisfactory responses. Using an online and paper-based survey strategy, a total of 1960 questionnaires were distributed, 486 were returned, and 470 completed responses were used for final analysis. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were employed to validate the reliability and dimensionality of the integrated scales of the talent identification process. The results of a structural equation analysis supported the hypotheses. The findings of the empirical research identified three categorical variables that influence decision-making in talent identification processes; i.e., cultural, organisational, and societal factors. Further, decision-making style has a significant relationship with the fairness of talent decisions. The key theoretical contribution of this research is the development of a robust, multi-dimensional model that explains the promising phenomenon of the talent identification process, and demonstrates the factors that have a definite impact on talent decision-making. Unlike previous studies, this study measures the multi-dimensional model of the talent decision-making process, at the aggregate level which is considered as a methodological contribution in the area of talent management research. Pragmatically, the proposed model offers decision-makers a new perspective for adjusting and dealing with talent identification processes in order to ensure equity in talent decisions. This study extends the notion of talent decision-making in the talent identification process and creates avenues for further research.