The evaluation and utilisation of educational media : a critical study, with proposals for a programme of training for secondary school teachers across the curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the
utilisation and evaluation of Educational Media
Technology (EMT) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It
is a critical study, with proposals for a programme of
training for secondary school teachers across the
curriculum in KSA.
The impetus for this study came from the failure of
KSA's Administration of Education and Equipment to meet
its own objectives in EMT provision, which has led to a
shortage of teachers qualified in the use and evaluation
of EMT. The reasons for this failure lie within the
history of the development of education in KSA, which
started from a low level. The review of relevant
literature provides background evidence of a low level of
EMT awareness, use and evaluation in KSA. This evidence
is substantiated by fieldwork which examines present
conditions and provision throughout KSA.
Fieldwork was conducted through questionnaires,
interviews and school-based observation in five districts
of KSA. The enquiry gathered evidence for male and female
teachers, with and without EMT training; schools-based EMT specialists; EMT experts in Higher Education and
Government; and CCTV technicians. Statistical procedures
were used in the analysis of questionnaires, including
frequency percentage, one-way analysis of variance, and
Tukey's multiple range test.
Among the findings of the enquiry are: continuing
weaknesses in existing provision; the need for improved
and more flexible initial training and in-service EMT
programmes; the need for more EMT specialists, and for
better co-ordination between schools and district
officers in EMT planning and provision.
The extent of these findings have led to the
necessity of a comprehensive consideration of the KSA
educational system as a whole, and thus the overhaul of
teacher training.