PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN SAUDI ARABIA

1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN SAUDI ARABIA Abdullah Albalawi, Ph.D Radman Ghaleb , Ph.D The Excellence Research Center of Science and Mathematics Education, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia

2. Introduction • Guskey [2000] ensures that two of the best ways of improving teachers competency is through well designed and highly qualified professional development programs, and through spreading the culture and the belief of continuing learning among teachers.

3. Introduction • The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education "NCATE" (2006) supports the vision that "view teacher preparation and development as a continuum, moving from pre-service preparation to supervised beginning practice to continuing professional development" P4. Moreover, Educators ensure that professional development of teachers should be in the center consideration of any educational system reform because teachers are the heart of education.

4. The purpose of the study The purpose of the study was to discover the needs for professional development of mathematics teacher in Saudi Arabia in two domains ofprofessional development: content knowledge in mathematics, and pedagogical content knowledge.

5. The importance of the Study • The importance of this study stems from many consideration. According to the priorities of research in mathematics education in Saudi Arabia listed by (Albalawi, 2010), identifying that the professional development needs of mathematics teachers was at the second research priority in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, this study coincides with a project to develop mathematics and science education in Saudi Arabia. Thus, there is a need to identify the needed PD programs for teachers in order to enhance education in Saudi Arabia.

6. The importance of the Study • The study goes in line with the interest of the Excellence Center of Science and Mathematics Education at King Saudi University and the ministry of Education. • In 2007, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study TIMSS (2007) reported that the Saudi students in the eighth grade (middle school) scored among the lowest on the mathematics achievement test. It was 152 points below the international average. This weakness in achievement may be attributed to many factors; one of them is likely the quality of teacher education programs. • Then, In Saudi Arabia, there is a movement toward quality of education and teacher education programs as a response of public demand to improve education. So this study coincides with this movement.

7. Methodology • Participants: • The population of this study was all mathematics teachers in ten educational districts in Saudi Arabia; the total number of the population was 5420 teachers; however, the participants who replied to the survey were 643 teachers and 39 supervisors.

8. Methodology • Instrument : • The researchers developed a questionnaire which encompasses two domains representing 42 items; The instrument validity was assured through review of peers and eighteen experts, the reliability according to Alpha Chronbac's factor was (0.983).

9. Methodology • Instrument :

10. Results In accordance with the scale used in many studies, the current study accepted the following scale to interpret the participants' responses to the survey’s items in terms of the extent of mathematics teachers need for professional development. In other words, means less than (1.80) were considered “very low”, means ranging from 1.81 to 2.60 were recognized as 'low', means ranging from 2.61 to 3.39 were recognized as a medium need, means ranging from 3.40-4.19 were considered “High”, while means above 4.19 were considered “very high” and urgent needs.

11. Results Answer to Question# 1: Which professional development needs, especially in the content area, are identified by mathematics teachers and their supervisors in Saudi Arabia?

12. Results • Means and Standard deviation of the first ten Teachers’ Professional Development needed in the Content Area

13. Results • Means and Standard deviation of the first ten Teachers’ Professional Development needed in the Content Area

14. Results • Means and Standard deviation of the last ten Teachers’ Professional Development (least needed) needed in the Content Area

15. Results • Means and Standard deviation of first ten Teachers’ Professional Development needed in the Pedagogy Area

16. Results • Means and Standard deviation of first ten Teachers’ Professional Development needed in the Pedagogy Area

17. Results • Means and Standard deviation of last ten Teachers’ Professional Development needed in the Pedagogy Area (the least needed)

18. Results • Means and Standard deviation of last ten Teachers’ Professional Development needed in the Pedagogy Area (the least needed)

19. Conclusion The aim of this study was to determine the professional development needs of mathematics teachers in Saudi Arabia into two domains of professional development:  content knowledge in mathematics, and pedagogical content knowledge. The study revealed that, in the domain of content knowledge for professional development, the most needed topics across twenty one items were included the following: Topological concepts and their applications, Spherical Geometry and its applications; Mathematical Problems Solving; Mathematical logic, reasoning, and proof; and, Limits and Continuity and their applications.  

20. Conclusion In the domain of pedagogical content knowledge, Mathematical teaching for students of special needs, Mathematical teaching for gifted students, Lab use in teaching mathematics, and, Encouraging creative thinking skills in students, and teaching mathematics through field trips were the most needed skills for professional development of teachers.

21. Conclusion The results also showed that there were differences in favor of supervisors when compared to mathematics teachers in their responses to the surveys in determining the degree of teacher needs for professional development content knowledge of mathematics and in the pedagogical knowledge, while there were no significant differences in determining the degree of needs for professional development for mathematics teachers related to their teaching grade level (elementary, intermediate, secondary, and other), or to the interaction between jobs (teaching, supervisory) and grade level in both domains. Those results are consistent with the results of the study of (Alturk, 2009; Alghamdi, 2008; Abdulkader, 2005; and Yarkandy and Guneem, 1997).

22. Recomendation • In lights of the study’s results, researchers offer the following recommendations: • Using this study results to plan and design the needed professional developments programs for teachers through the training centers at educational departments and through the continuing educational centers at the Saudi universities in cooperation with the ministry of education. • Align the professional development programs designed by the specialized centers to the real needs for teaching at school levels in which the target teachers teach. • Designing and preparing special programs for mathematics teachers to teach the students of special needs. • Holding workshops in cooperation between universities and departments of education in each city.

23. Thank you Questions