Teaching 21st Century Skills in Saudi Arabia with Attention to Elementary Science Reading Habits

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 urges the teaching of 21st century skills. This study involved female elementary science teachers (n = 55) and students (n = 232) (intentionally taught using science reading and not intentionally taught this way) in two offices of a Saudi Eastern Province school board. Descriptive statistical analyses of teachers’ beliefs and students’ thoughts on science reading revealed key results. Most teachers believed that students had a high degree of eagerness and passion to learn science, were always passionate and eager to read scientific texts, had a high desire to participate in class discussions of scientific readings, and had a moderate understanding of what they had read. However, the students were more ambivalent. Students who were intentionally taught using science reading scored higher on reading tendencies than those not intentionally taught this way. These statistically insignificant results were interpreted to further garner insights into the Saudi context that is fully grounded in Islam, which deeply values reading.