Case Study of Science Teachers’ Professional Development in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and Improvements

Abstract

Professional development has a major role in addressing the skill gaps of teachers. Recently, much effort has been focused on improving teaching practices in Saudi Arabia. Here we aim to determine Saudi teachers professional development needs in the higher educational system. We also focus on skill needs, training programs, factors affecting teacher performance, and teacher’s control of their own professional development. Here, through face-to-face interviews, we explore how current professional development strategies could be improved to better meet the needs of academic teachers views through face to face interviews data collection to address the questions of what teachers needs to develop and support their professional knowledge, how it affect their teaching methods and what opportunities and roles provided to them based on the instructional systems. Finally, the study illustrates how the professional development among based on their experiences and practice could be improved and how they encounter their participations and interaction to facilitate their development among higher educational institutions in Saudi Arabia.