This qualitative study explores Saudi female teachers' experience of technology use in their practice and life. The aim is to present the voices of these female teachers living in the context of Saudi Arabia, and to document how personal characteristics, society and technology come to influence one another. The field work was done in Saudi Arabia, with female teachers from three public-sector primary schools. The data generation included individual, semi-structured interviews with four Saudi female teachers - one from each of two schools and two from the third school - and focus groups sessions with five to six teachers - one session in each of the three schools. The focus group methodology used Ketso, which is a collaborative mind-mapping tool developed at the University of Manchester. The interview and focus group sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and then analysed using broad principles of thematic analysis. The data suggests that technology use affected the teachers' classroom practices, communication with others and their professional development. The teachers were active agents in this technology use, including taking responsibility for the technology use in their schools, and improvising solutions and ways of using available resources in their practice. This active role of the teachers seemed to contribute to localised use of technology, enabled the teachers to resist some of their social positions as females and teachers, and occasionally included a determination to create new positions for themselves. Overall, technology use appeared to enhance the Saudi female teachers' sense of agency, and crucially, seemed to enhance their awareness of their lived experience. The above insights might benefit Saudi educational policy makers, other Saudi teachers as a way of sharing experiences and practices, and researchers who are interested in studying the intersection between technology and society. In addition, the study exemplifies the novel use of the Ketso collaborative mind-mapping tool as a tool for qualitative research.

This study builds on a small but growing body of research concerning socio-economic, cultural, political, and personal challenges influencing Saudi women’s professional development. Although Saudi women have more advantages and opportunities in 2020 compared to previous historical periods, women still face challenges related to employment and professional status. This research provides an in-depth analysis of the insider experience connected to challenges Saudi women face in work and life that hinder their professional development. Specifically, this research explored the role of social media in providing new opportunities to help Saudi women overcome challenges they face in work and life. Guided by a qualitative approach, this interpretive study is conducted through interviews, supporting documents analysis, and personal experiences. This study draws on Technofeminism, Intersectional Feminism, and Social Role Theory in order to provide a broad theoretical lens to help interpret findings. Using thematic analysis, six main themes were uncovered: (1) socio-cultural challenges, (2) personal challenges, (3) ethical challenges, (4) institutional challenges, (5) civic and professional engagement, and (6) socialization and privacy issues. General findings indicated that despite efforts from the Saudi Arabian government to enhance women’s rights in society, women continue to face socio-cultural, personal, and ethical challenges in work and life. The advanced analysis revealed that social media does have a positive role in providing Saudi women with new opportunities to overcome challenges they face but that cultural norms and traditional practices continue to create challenges that hinder Saudi women’s professional development.

The purpose of this study is to investigate binary discourses of self and other constructed by Canadian media in the representation of Saudi women. One of the modest aims of this research is to expound on the status of centralized media coverage in Canada. Drawing on Hegel’s model of dialectics, as framed by Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) and David Nikkel’s conception of a moderate postmodernism, this research also aims at contributing to the ongoing modern-postmodern discussion by delineating and examining the ways in which dialectical analysis can aid in the deconstruction of metanarratives in Western culture. Utilizing a qualitative research design that employs multidimensional modes of textual analysis, the thesis examined the changes in the portrayal of Saudi Women through a non-probability sampling of 88 Canadian newspaper articles selected from the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and National post between 2001-2009. One major finding was that the metanarratives guiding these representations did not change significantly despite changes in narratives as brought about by several major political events. The implications of this thesis revealed what the ideological influences framing these depictions, as well as whether or not the changes that they have undergone, were self-reifying in nature. The research also highlighted the implications resulting from assessing the ontological identities of Saudi women vis-à-vis a Western framework of values.

The purpose of this study is to investigate binary discourses of self and other constructed by Canadian media in the representation of Saudi women. One of the modest aims of this research is to expound on the status of centralized media coverage in Canada. Drawing on Hegel’s model of dialectics, as framed by Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) and David Nikkel’s conception of a moderate postmodernism, this research also aims at contributing to the ongoing modern-postmodern discussion by delineating and examining the ways in which dialectical analysis can aid in the deconstruction of metanarratives in Western culture. Utilizing a qualitative research design that employs multidimensional modes of textual analysis, the thesis examined the changes in the portrayal of Saudi Women through a non-probability sampling of 88 Canadian newspaper articles selected from the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and National post between 2001-2009. One major finding was that the metanarratives guiding these representations did not change significantly despite changes in narratives as brought about by several major political events. The implications of this thesis revealed what the ideological influences framing these depictions, as well as whether or not the changes that they have undergone, were self-reifying in nature. The research also highlighted the implications resulting from assessing the ontological identities of Saudi women vis-à-vis a Western framework of values.

The purpose of this study is to investigate binary discourses of self and other constructed by Canadian media in the representation of Saudi women. One of the modest aims of this research is to expound on the status of centralized media coverage in Canada. Drawing on Hegel’s model of dialectics, as framed by Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) and David Nikkel’s conception of a moderate postmodernism, this research also aims at contributing to the ongoing modern-postmodern discussion by delineating and examining the ways in which dialectical analysis can aid in the deconstruction of metanarratives in Western culture. Utilizing a qualitative research design that employs multidimensional modes of textual analysis, the thesis examined the changes in the portrayal of Saudi Women through a non-probability sampling of 88 Canadian newspaper articles selected from the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and National post between 2001-2009. One major finding was that the metanarratives guiding these representations did not change significantly despite changes in narratives as brought about by several major political events. The implications of this thesis revealed what the ideological influences framing these depictions, as well as whether or not the changes that they have undergone, were self-reifying in nature. The research also highlighted the implications resulting from assessing the ontological identities of Saudi women vis-à-vis a Western framework of values.

Previous studies targeting youth participation in physical activity have argued that self-motivation is the main key to increasing participation. However, few studies have focused specifically on the role of structural factors in prompting youth participation in physical activity. The structure may include people, and institutions that are introducing, providing and facilitating physical activity to youth. Therefore, this study focuses on the role of the structure surrounding youth. The study takes youth in Saudi Arabia aged 15-24 as its subjects in order to examine the use of three online social networks (OSNs), i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for communication and exchange of resources and the influence on participation of key decision makers such as home (parents and siblings), school (Ministry of Education and PE teachers), physical activity and sports clubs (General Authority of Sports [GAS]), and friends. The study uses mixed methods and follows the social network structural theory to examine how the exchange of resources (e.g., information, emotional support, financial support, and facilities and services) takes place between agent and structure. The main findings are that the structure plays a role in influencing participation among Saudi youth. Friends are of great influence, as they occupy the longest hours of youth time both at school, where friends interact in person, and outside of school, where friends communicate through OSNs. An Islamic and conservative society prevails in Saudi Arabia, where 99 per cent of the population is Muslim. Therefore, in addition to the structural factors noted above, religion is also investigated. Indeed, Islam drives motivation in this large conservative group as individuals learn to obey and implement the religious advice and Islamic teachings of the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), including those messages with relation to becoming a healthy and strong Muslim. Finally, the study also focuses on the participation of Saudi female youth in physical activity. Due to cultural reasons preventing women from participating in physical activity as freely and equally as their male peers in the country, Saudi Arabia has seen an increasing percentage of obese women. The main aim of this research is to understand the relationship between agency and structure and thereby to identify the role of structure in increasing the participation of youth in physical activity. The research question (How do OSNs facilitate Saudi youth participation in physical activity?) investigates the relationship between agency and structure to delineate the pattern of information exchange regarding resources for involvement in physical activity. Through the use of mixed methods including face-to-face interviews, online survey and digital ethnography, the researcher investigates how youth social networks function both offline and online. The study concludes that decision makers in the field of physical activity participation in Saudi Arabia vary in their level of encouragement, influence and communication. Family members do not seem to communicate with youth via online platforms, but they do play a crucial role in offline social networks. Private institutions are becoming very active in OSNs, and public institutions are following the trend, albeit at a slower pace. The study shows that physical activity facilitators in Saudi Arabia are still failing to effectively reach youth and encourage them to participate in physical activity. Various policies need to be reviewed and enhanced if the public institutions do indeed want to reach more youth and benefit youth and the community, including the female youth, who make up more than half of the population. The study shows that the way to develop these policies is to communicate with youth via OSNs and to provide youth with more facilities, venues and services in the country that are suitable for both genders.

The purpose of this study is to investigate binary discourses of self and other constructed by Canadian media in the representation of Saudi women. One of the modest aims of this research is to expound on the status of centralized media coverage in Canada. Drawing on Hegel’s model of dialectics, as framed by Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) and David Nikkel’s conception of a moderate postmodernism, this research also aims at contributing to the ongoing modern-postmodern discussion by delineating and examining the ways in which dialectical analysis can aid in the deconstruction of metanarratives in Western culture. Utilizing a qualitative research design that employs multidimensional modes of textual analysis, the thesis examined the changes in the portrayal of Saudi Women through a non-probability sampling of 88 Canadian newspaper articles selected from the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and National post between 2001-2009. One major finding was that the metanarratives guiding these representations did not change significantly despite changes in narratives as brought about by several major political events. The implications of this thesis revealed what the ideological influences framing these depictions, as well as whether or not the changes that they have undergone, were self-reifying in nature. The research also highlighted the implications resulting from assessing the ontological identities of Saudi women vis-à-vis a Western framework of values.

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Since 2005, the United States has experienced a significant influx of international students from Saudi Arabia, particularly women (Bollang, 2006). The American educational structure is something Saudi women have never experienced due to the vast differences between both cultures in all facets. There is very little to no research conducted on Saudi Arabian women pursuing higher education in an academic culture drastically different from what they are accustomed to. A review of current literature illustrates the critical need for a more in- depth analysis of this phenomenon. Although there is much research available regarding the subjugation of Saudi women in the past and present, the surge in Saudi women pursuing education in the United States has not been researched. This thesis study explores how Saudi women are adapting to the differences in educational structural between what they have experienced back home and what they are experiencing here at Oregon State University. This study also looks at how Saudi women are adapting to the differences in teaching methods at OSU in comparison to what they are used to back home. The traditional teacher-centered approach versus that at OSU that heavily incorporates a student-centered approach. This study utilizes qualitative research methods to find common themes that arose from interviews with the sample group. Findings suggest that the Saudi women studying at Oregon State University developed intercultural competence due to their strong personal desire to succeed in their studies abroad. These Saudi women also proved to have strong levels of motivation and desire to succeed academically in hopes that they will return to their country and assist in improving the status of women. / Graduation date: 2012

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