Thesis (MCur)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The quality of care nurses provide to patients is done with the expectation that skills and knowledge of each registered nurse will result in quality patient care. Compliance statistics for quality indicators (level of service indicators) or (LSI’s) in the tertiary health care institution in Saudi Arabia varies, raising the following questions: “Do nurses understand the importance of quality indicators in clinical nursing and do they know how to use them to improve patient care?” No studies done on registered nurses’ knowledge and opinions of quality indicators could be found thus indicate the necessity of a research study to determinine the knowledge and opinions of registered nurses on quality indicators in clinical nursing in the tertiary healthcare system in Saudi Arabia. This is the focus of this research. The objectives of the study were: - To determine the current knowledge and opinions of the professional nurses regarding quality indicators in a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia - To identify the factors that influence identification of quality indicators in clinical nursing - To identify the need for a training program regarding nurse sensitive quality indicators Data was collected through a questionnaire handed to more than 200 nurses working in general wards and intensive care areas in a single Saudi Arabian hospital. Participants were selected through a randomised list. The registered nurses who have participated in the pilot study’s responses were excluded from the final data analysis. No patients were included or involved in the study. A descriptive design with a quantitative approach was applied to investigate the professional nurses’ knowledge and opinions on quality indicators (level of service indicators) or (LSI’s) in clinical nursing in Saudi Arabia. Research data suggests that the knowledge and opinions of registered nurses in the tertiary health care institution in Saudi Arabia are not supporting the expectations of quality assurance in clinical nursing. Registered nurses have strong opinions of quality indicators in clinical nursing but do not have the knowledge to support those opinions. Improving initial and recurring training on quality indicators provided to nursing staff with diverse backgrounds and high turnover was recommended as an essential component in using quality indicators to drive improvements in patient care. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kwaliteit verpleegsorg wat verpleegkundiges op ‘n daaglikse basis aan kliente bied gaan gepaard met die verwagting dat hulle oor die kennis en bevoegtheid moet beskik om kwaliteit verpleegsorg aan te wend wat ‘n langdurige positiewe uitkoms met verwysing na pasientsorg kan bied. Die kwaliteits aanwyser statistieke in die tersiere gesondheidsorg sisteem verskil maandeliks en het die navorser geinspireer om ‘n studie te doen om te bepaal of geregistreerde verpleegkundiges verstaan wat die belangrikheid van kwaliteits aanwysers is en of hulle die kennis het oor die gebruik daarvan, in watter opsigte dit gebruik kan word en wat die voordele inhou wanneer kennis en applikasie daarvan vir kliniese verpleging toegepas word. Literatuur met betrekking tot vorige studies omtrent kennis en opinies van geregistreerde verpleegkundiges tot kwaliteits aanwysers in kliniese verpleeging kon nie deur die navorser gevind word wat gebruik kon word as agtergrond of ondersteuning tot die studie nie. Die fokus van die navorsings studie was om geregistreerde verpleegkundiges se kennis en opinies te bepaal met betrekking tot kwaliteits aanwysers in kliniese verpleging in die tersiere gesondheidsorg sisteem in Saudi Arabie. Die doelwitte van die studie was om: - Die huidige kennis en opinies van geregistreerde verpleegkundiges met betrekking tot kwaliteits aanwysers in die tersiere gesondheidsorg sisteem in Saudi Arabie te bepaal - Om faktore wat ‘n invloed op identifikasie van kwaliteits aanwysers het te identifiseer - Om die nodigheid van ‘n opleidings program met betrekking tot kwaliteits aanwysers te bepaal Die data van die studie was ingesamel deur middel van ‘n vraelys wat aan die geregistreerde verpleegkundiges meesal werksaam is in algemene sale of intensiewe sorgeenhede. Deelnemers was gekies deur middel van ‘n alternatiewe lys. Die deelnemers aan die loots studie was ge-ellimineer van die finale data analise. Geen pasiente was betrokke by die studie nie. ‘n Beskrywende ontwerp met ‘n kwantitatiewe benadering was toegepas om geregistreerde verpleegkundiges se kennis en opinies omtrent kwaliteits aanwysers in kliniese verpleging in die tersiere gesondheidsorg sisteem in Saudi Arabie te toets. Die navorsing het bewys dat die kennis en opinies van geregistreerde verpleegkundiges in die tersiere gesondheidsorg sisteem in Saudi Arabie nie op ‘n aanvaarbare standard kan geklassifiseer word nie asook nie die nodige kwaliteits versekering in kliniese verpleging ondersteun nie. Die studie bewys dat geregistreerde verpleegkundiges beskik oor genoegsame opinies omtrent kwaliteitaanwysers maar nie noodwendig oor die kennis om hulle opinies daaroor te ondersteun nie. Die studie is ook uitkoms gebaseerd omtrent die nodigheid van ‘n opleidings program met betrekking tot kwaliteits versekering in kliniese verpleegkunde te implimenteer, insluitend die vakgebied van kwaliteits aanwysers in kliniese verpleeging.

This study examines the political and administrative role of planning and budgeting in Saudi Arabia. It demonstrates how they have contributed to lessening the political crises of distribution, participation, and penetration that confront developing countries. The study also investigates how these two bureaucratic processes have helped adapt rapid changes in a manner acceptable to the cultural milieu. In addition, the study explores the politics of planning and budgeting and identifies the roles various actors play. The evolution and institutionalization of planning and budgeting are examined through printed materials and interviews with planners and budgeters in the Ministries of Planning and Finance. In addition, a number of the Ulama, businessmen, former government bureaucrats, officials of key ministries and agencies, and media were interviewed in an attempt to understand how they interact in the politics of planning and budgeting.

Thesis. 1979. M.Arch.A.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: p. 56. / M.Arch.A.S.

The present thesis is concerned with professional women in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia. Because of the social changes taking place in Saudi Arabia, the position of women is subject to both traditional and modernistic influences. While an increasing number of females are receiving higher education and expanding their aspirations , the traditional cultural values dealing with woman's role in the family are still an important consideration. The thesis is based on the theoretical perspective that the individual role system is over-demanding. Fulfilling role demands causes difficulty or "strain"; if a person conforms fully in one direction, fulfillment will be difficult in another.

Customer comfort is an important factor in developing and maintaining relationships between customers and service providers. For example, it plays essential roles in selecting service provider. In spite of its importance, the concept of comfort has not been fully explained in the service marketing literature. Although, comfort has been discussed as a fundamental element in healthcare, its role in developing and maintaining customer relationships has not been fully explored in the boarder marketing literature. The present study focuses on the concept of comfort (physical and psychological) as a crucial factor in marketing health care services, particularly in Saudi private hospitals This thesis examines a number of the antecedents and consequences of physical and psychological aspects of comfort in the marketing arena. Antecedents investigated included: functional and technical dimensions of service quality, the environmental and social aspects of hospital life and service costs (monetary and non-monetary). Patients’ satisfaction was the consequence of customer comfort explored in this thesis. When the relationships between the physical and psychological aspects of comfort and their antecedents were examined, it was concluded that a number of these constructs were shown to have positive effects in the concept of comfort in Saudi private hospitals. For example, the construct of functional service quality appears to have a positive effect in the perception of psychological comfort. The construct of technical service quality, such as staff behaviours, also tends to have a positive effect in the perception of psychological comfort. The social and environmental aspects of hospital life stood out as the only construct that has a positive effect in the perception of physical comfort. While the monetary and non-monetary costs of the service were VII found to have no effect in the perceptions of both physical and psychological comfort. In testing the consequence of the physical and psychological aspects of comfort, it was found that psychological comfort tends to have a positive effect in satisfaction. Finally, the findings showed that the technical dimension of service quality appears to have significant effects in the perceptions of both psychological comfort and satisfaction. This implies that the technical dimension of service quality tends to promote psychological comfort and satisfaction for Saudi patients. The perception of physical and psychological comfort in Saudi private hospitals is also influenced by the roles of the Islamic religion which is based on the holy Quran and Sunnah of Profit Mohammed (peace be upon Him). In addition to the basic dimensions of comfort, these roles can be used to shape the perceptions of the concept of comfort. It may be useful for Saudi private hospitals to direct their efforts towards promoting patients’ comfort and satisfaction by providing healthcare quality experience that focuses on the functional and technical dimensions of healthcare services, the environmental and social aspects of hospitals and the costs of their services. Data has been collected using an established questionnaire to examine the relationship between comfort, service quality, hospital life and costs.

The purpose of the study was to identify factors affecting student retention at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. It has been estimated that 35% of university students leave higher education before completing their studies (Al-Saud, 2006). This study was guided by Tinto’s (1975) Student Integration Theory. Berger and Braxton (1998, p. 104) have stated that Tinto’s integration model ‘has been the focus of much empirical research and has near-paradigmatic status in the study of the college student departure.’ This theory is longitudinal and dynamic and views student retention decisions largely as the results of interactions between the student and the academic and social systems of the institution (Tinto, 1975, 1993). This study used a mixed methods approach. Using the terminology of Creswell (2003), the appropriate description of the overall design of this study is a mixed methods concurrent triangulation strategy. This means that ‘qualitative and quantitative data are collected and analyzed at the same time. Priority is usually equal and given to both forms of data. Data analysis is usually separate, and integration usually occurs at the data interpretation stage’ (Hanson et al., 2005, p. 229). This strategy was selected because it allows the findings to be confirmed, cross-validated, and corroborated within a single study (Creswell, 2003). This strategy consisted of two phases. The first phase was the quantitative approach. Quantitative data were collected from 414 freshman students using two questionnaires administered on two occasions and from the university admission office. The quantitative data were analysed using a structural equation modelling (SEM) technique using the AMOS software package. The results of the SEM indicated that Tinto’s model were not useful in predicting the Saudi freshman student retention process. The variables in the model explained only 30 percent of the variance in student retention. The results of the SEM indicated that four of the nine hypotheses proposed in Tinto’s model were supported by statistically significant results. Moreover, only three variables had direct effects on retention. The largest direct effect on retention was accounted for by initial goal and institutional commitment (0.49), followed by later goal and institutional commitment and pre-college schooling as measured by high school scores (0.10). The second phase of this study utilised a qualitative approach. Qualitative data were obtained from three sources: non-persister students, persister students, and staff members. Seventeen non-persister students were interviewed over the phone; 15 persister students were interviewed using a focus group technique; while staff members were asked to complete a survey. Of the 200 surveys distributed, 37 were returned including responses from 16 lecturers, 12 administrators, 5 librarians and 4 academic advisors. A comparison was made between those students who persisted and those who dropped out using constructs from Tinto’s theory. In relation to students’ levels of goal and institutional commitment, it was found that persister students appeared to be more motivated and to have higher levels of goal commitment than non-persister students. Similarly, persister students appeared to have higher levels of institutional commitment than non-persister students, in part it is suggested, due to the fact that the majority of persister students had been able to select their desired majors whereas the majority of non-persister students had not. In relation to the students’ levels of academic integration, there was no significant difference between both groups of students. Persister and non-persister students both exhibited low levels of academic integration into the university system. In addition, there was no significant difference between both groups of students in terms of social integration. Both groups of students indicated low levels of social integration into the university system. In addition, the participants (persister students, non-persister students, and staff members) were all asked to indicate what they perceived to be the major factors affecting student retention at King Saud University. The findings from the qualitative data not only help to explain and confirm the quantitative findings but also identify why Saudi freshman students leave the university before completing their studies. The most important factors were: difficulties of selecting majors, difficulties of transferring between subjects, lack of academic advice and irregularity of monthly reward.

This study took place in the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) in Riyadh. It investigates the effectiveness of teaching four reading strategies on ESL Saudi female students' reading comprehension and on their reported use of these strategies. The strategies taught are two "global" strategies: finding main ideas and prediction. Global strategies are those related to general approach and comprehension of the reading passage. The other two strategies are problem solving strategies: word analysis and guessing meanings of words. Problem solving strategies are concerned with working directly and analyzing the reading text.The study has three goals. First, the study aims to investigate the impact of teaching global and problem solving strategies on preparatory level students' reading comprehension. Second, it compares the impact of teaching global strategies on reading comprehension and that of teaching problem solving strategies on readingcomprehension. Third, it measures how preparatory level students' perception of use of strategies develops after teaching these strategies to the students.There were three groups of preparatory students (beginning) representing two treatment groups and one control group. Each treatment group received training in different strategies. The number of students in the global strategy group was twenty-four, and in the problem solving strategy group it was twenty-two students. Students in the control group numbered twenty-one. Measurements consisted of reading comprehension tests and a questionnaire about reading strategies conducted over pre- and post-training stages.The results obtained from the two measurements lead to three findings. First, the two training groups (global and problem solving) experienced only non-significant improvement in their post- reading comprehension when compared to the control group. This means that reading strategy training did not significantly improve their reading comprehension. Second, there was no significant difference between the two treatment groups in their gain in reading comprehension. This implies that the present study did not show any favor of training students on global strategies over training them on problem solving strategies. Third, there were various results regarding students perception of using the strategies they were taught. Students mostly showed decrease in their perception of using strategies either significantly or non-significantly except for two strategies which were using context clues and prediction. Students showed more significant awareness of using contextual clues after the treatment. They also revealed an almost significant gain in their perception of using prediction. / Department of English

This study compared perceived stress in fathers and mothers of male children with intellectual disabilities. The sample consisted of 102 fathers and 102 mothers of children with intellectual disabilities who were enrolled at institutes for male children with intellectual disabilities, and from special education classrooms attached to the public elementary general school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. By using the Parent Stress Index (PSI) for the study, results indicated higher perceived stress levels in Saudi mothers compared to fathers regarding the overall parent-child relationship, the child’s individual characteristics, and the parent’s characteristics. The implications obtained from this study provide research-based data for stakeholders, justifying the creation of appropriate and effective programs for parents of children with intellectual disabilities, especially mothers. The knowledge gained from this study will inform professionals in Saudi Arabia of the services that parents of children with intellectual disabilities need, and support the funding of sufficient numbers of quality social services for these families. Additionally, the results of this study will encourage further study of families of children with intellectual disabilities in Saudi Arabia. / Department of Special Education

Graduation date: 1989

Individuals with different personal demographics and job-based factors have different attitudes and behaviors, which can influence their levels of commitment to their organizations. These differences in organizational commitment increase as their cultural backgrounds differ significantly. Personal demographics and job-related factors are reliable predictors of employees' commitment to their employing organizations. The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate if there is a difference in the level of employees' commitment to Saudi petrochemical companies on the basis of differences in their personal demographics and job-related factors.