Saudi teachers' perceptions on reading instruction

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The study examined Saudi female teachers' perceptions on reading instruction. Limited research studies have examined Saudi reading teachers' practices in the classroom, and even less research exists regarding studying Saudi teachers' beliefs about reading instruction. This study paints a picture of how teachers accommodate their own beliefs about reading within the climate of the basal reader, the school, and the Saudi culture. This study followed a qualitative research design. The survey investigated 30 female Saudi teachers who taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students in upper elementary years in Hail city. A case study was also used with three teachers in order to better understand the issues that occurred in the survey results. Sociocultural theories are developed in the study. Findings from the survey indicated that teachers seem to be traditional teachers who enjoyed the old curriculum much more than the new curriculum. Case studies had a range of perceptions of what it was like to teach reading. I noticed a common thread: tension. There were evident ideological tensions as well as professional identity tensions. Tensions may have severe consequences for teachers' learning as well as functioning. There were tensions with the image of the teacher, teachers' dichotomy, and tensions with the scripted curriculum. It was also found that there was an emergence of issues of power and teacher identity.