Special Education Teachers and Student Academic Achievement in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Teaching evaluation has been used widely in learning institutions globally to address achievement gaps for students with special needs, math learning disabilities (MLD), and learning impairments, such as autism. In most cases, learners with disabilities impeding the acquisition of mathematics and languages receive preferential consideration for special education. Successful knowledge acquisition for special needs students usually involves teacher guidance, especially in the evaluation of learning needs and dissemination of curriculum content, and student interactions. In this study, data collected from 170 special education administrators drawn from three regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (Riyadh, Makkah, and Medina) was used to explore the effectiveness of training and certification of special education teachers on the attainment of desirable academic outcomes in mathematics. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit the participants. A descriptive analysis design was applied to study the underlying characteristics of the sample population. The findings from the study, which were presented using graphs and tables based on the responses from the participants, showed the diversity in the composition of special education teachers in KSA. Specifically, qualified practitioners, uncertified personnel, and unfilled teaching vacancies accounted for 55.88%, 38.24%, and 5.88% of all positions respectively. A considerable proportion of special education teachers (52.94%) reported that they use teacher-directed instruction as opposed to student-centered learning (47.06%). The implications of the findings and the recommendations are discussed in the final sections of this report.