Saudi education postgraduates' (Trainee teachers') perspectives on distance education

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study undertaken in Saudi Arabia is to understand how in-service and new teachers perceive distance education. The study involved nineteen male and female postgraduates who were pursuing an education master's degree during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a qualitative research asking participants to provide a 300-word response to the open-ended question: "How will you implement what you have learnt in your studies so that distance education can be effectively provided and convince others of the merit of this approach?" The task was presented in Arabic and the complete assignments were returned electronically. The 11,181-word corpus underwent content and thematic analyses yielding eight themes. Participants addressed issues pertinent to teaching and learning, equity in technological access and digital literacy. To make DE in Saudi Arabia successful, thorough preparation of involved parties, including educators and learners, and their digital teaching and learning skills should be mastered.

Keywords: Distance education, e-learning, education postgraduates, Saudi Arabia, "Vision 2030"