Author: Manal Alhumaidi
Alhumaidi, Manal, 2018 Primary Mathematics Teachers’ Views about Using Online Assessment in Saudi Arabia , Flinders University, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
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This study has explored the attitudes of mathematics teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) towards the use of online assessment, with a view towards understanding how these attitudes may influence the implementation of online assessment in schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among six female teachers in Saudi governmental, private and Islamic schools. A thematic analysis was performed on interviews conducted with the six teachers to discover their views regarding online assessment and how those views influence their decisions whether or not to implement online assessment practices in their mathematics classrooms. The research includes a literature review that demonstrates the importance of assessment in education, enables an understanding of the background of online assessment and use of technology in Saudi Arabia (KSA). The findings from this study indicate that teachers feel somewhat ambivalent about the introduction of online assessment in mathematics. This study has revealed that there is some enthusiasm about the prospect of using information and communication technology. However, there is also hesitancy and a sense of the need to progress cautiously due to beliefs about some obstacles of using online assessment, as an example, policies of schools, limits of resources and budget, lack of teacher training and problems with managing the time within the classroom to practise online assessment. This study indicates that online assessment of mathematics in KSA requires a review of individual school policies prior to implementing online assessment, including management and the availability of time in the classroom for online practise. It is also important to train teachers to be able to assist students online, as well as to set the specific budget with consideration of the technology capabilities of every school.
Keywords: Online assessment, Assessment in primary school, Online assessment in mathematics, Formative assessment
Subject: Education thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2018
School: College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Supervisor: Dr Katharine Swain