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Improving educational attainment at a bridge program in Saudi Arabia: a gap analysis

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Improving educational attainment at a bridge program in Saudi Arabia: a gap analysis

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Content Running head: EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AT A BRIDGE PROGRAM

1
IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AT A BRIDGE PROGRAM IN
SAUDI ARABIA: A GAP ANALYSIS

by

Gada Korayim

__________________________________________________________________________

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

August 2016

Copyright 2016 Gada Korayim
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Acknowledgements
It is with immense gratitude that I acknowledge the assistance and support of my chair,
Dr. Cathy Krop. Dr. Krop has consistently availed herself when I needed her guidance when
writing my dissertation. She is an amazing individual, and I am grateful to have had the
opportunity to have her as my chair, as I learned a great deal. I would also like to thank Dr.
Robert Filback and Dr. Lawrence Picus as my co-chairs. They have provided me great support
and provided valuable feedback during my defense.
I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents, especially to my dad. He was
my role-model, my supporter, and my mentor who had always guided and encouraged me to
strive for bigger and better. I wanted to continue to make him proud of me. I miss him
tremendously. May he rest in peace. And it goes without saying–God bless my mom who has
always been there for us no matter what. She always finds a way to keep us strong, optimistic
and confident in good times and bad.
I would also like to give special thanks to Stephanie Gibbons, a great, close friend,
colleague and professional educator. She volunteered as the second reader of this dissertation. I
am indebted to her for her very valuable comments on this dissertation. Despite her very busy
and hectic schedule, she has always found time for me. She saw the struggles I have been
through and wanted me to succeed to the end; I have always been blessed to have such an
amazing, life-long friend.
Special gratitude to my husband, Mohab Edelbi, and to my wonderful four boys– Omar,
Tarek, Michael, and Hamza–for providing me with unfailing support and continuous
encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing
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this dissertation. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the support of my
entire, loving family.
Last but certainly not least, special profound gratitude to my strong-minded, intelligent,
and darling sisters, Sophia and Nancy, and my extremely intelligent brother, Jimmy. As a strong
knit family, they have never failed me and have always been right by my side. I am truly blessed
to have such a strong, supporting and loving family.
To you all I thank you.
Gada A. Korayim

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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 2
List of Tables 6
List of Figures 7
Abstract 8
Chapter One: Introduction 9
Organizational Context and Mission 9
Organizational Performance Status 11
Related Literature 11
Importance of Problem 14
Organizational Performance Goal 14
Stakeholder and Stakeholder Performance Goals 14
Stakeholders of the Study and Stakeholder Performance Status 16
Purpose of Project and Guiding Questions 17
Methodological Framework 18
Organization of the Dissertation 18
Definitions 19
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 21
Perspectives on Nationalization in GCC Countries 21
Main Obstacles Against Nationalization in GCC Countries 25
Labor Market Challenges 25
Education Challenges 28
Saudization 29
History and Outlook 30
Challenges to Saudization 31
Programs (Initiatives) to Address Saudization 32
The Saudi Higher Education Sector 33
Academic Bridge Programs 34
Benefits of the Academic Bridge Program 36
Theoretical Frameworks 38
Knowledge and Skills 38
Motivation 39
Organization 40
Conclusions 41
Chapter Three: Methodology 42
Methodological Framework 42
Assumed Performance Issues 44
Preliminary Scanning Data 45
Learning and Motivation Theory 46
Population and Sample 49
Data Collection 51
Surveys 52
Interviews 52
Validation of Performance Issues 53
Data Analysis 55
Trustworthiness of Data 55
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Role of Investigator 56
Limitations and Delimitations 57
Chapter Four: Results and Findings 58
Results and Findings for Knowledge Issues 60
Synthesis of Results 69
Results and Findings for Motivation Issues 70
Findings from Survey and Interviews 70
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Motivation Issues 74
Results and Findings for Organization Issues 75
Findings from Survey and Interviews 75
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Organization Issues 81
Chapter Five: Solutions, Implementation, and Evaluation 85
Validated Issues 85
Solutions 87
Solution 1: Improve Recruitment and Hiring to Foster Quality Teaching 88
Solution 2: Develop Professional Training Programs 91
Solution 3: Communication Culture 93
Implementation Plan 94
Key Implementation Action Steps and Human Resource and Cost Implications 96
Implementation Timeline for Recruitment and Hiring 97
Implementing Faculty Training 100
Implementing a Communication Culture 101
Evaluation Plan 105
Reactions 106
Learning 107
Behavior 107
Impact 109
Future Research 109
Conclusion 111
References 114
Appendix A: Survey Instrument Protocol 125
Appendix B: Survey Instrument 126
Appendix C: Interview Protocol 128

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List of Tables
Table 1: Organizational Mission, Organizational Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals 16
Table 2: Summary of Assumed Issues for Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Issues49
Table 3: Summary of Methods of Validation 54
Table 4: Knowledge Issues Validated and Not Validated 61
Table 5: Motivational Issues Validated and Not Validated 71
Table 6: Organizational Issues Validated, Not Validated, and New 76
Table 7: Summary of Assumed Knowledge, Motivational and Organizational Issues and
New Issues 83
Table 8: Summary of Validated Issues Including New Issue 86
Table 9: Summary Implementation Plan for Recruitment and Hiring 99
Table 10: Findings, Implementation, and Potential Risks for Proposed Training and
Communication Solutions 103

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List of Figures
Figure 1: Distribution of employment by sector and nationality in the GCC 26
Figure 2: Gap Analysis Process for Organizational Success (Clark & Estes, 2008) 44
Figure 3: Results of Assumed Knowledge Issue #1 62
Figure 4: Results of Assumed Knowledge Issue #2 64
Figure 5: Results of Assumed Knowledge Issue #3 65
Figure 6: Results of assumed knowledge issue #6 68
Figure 7: Results of assumed motivational issue #2 73
Figure 8: Results of Assumed Organizational Issue #2 78
Figure 9: Results of Assumed Organizational Issue #3 80
Figure 10: Three Solution Constructs Yield Learning and Ultimately Positive Performance 87

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Abstract
The Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework was used to conduct a gap analysis
that carefully assess the knowledge, motivation, and organizational issues to help close the
educational gap at an academic bridge program in Saudi Arabia. Assumed knowledge,
motivation, and organizational issues were extracted from related literature, learning and
motivation theories, and personal knowledge.
The analysis of data from this qualitative case study validated 11 issues out of 14
assumed issues that led to three recommended solutions. The proposed solutions in Chapter 5
provide concrete strategies and implementation plans for addressing the knowledge, motivation
and organization needs to close the gap and improve educational attainment from a bridge
program to the university’s academic program in Saudi Arabia. The solutions proposed in this
study focus on three main components: (1) improve recruitment and hiring to foster quality
teaching in the bridge program as part of the University’s Strategic Plan; (2) offer faculty
continuous quality training and assessments, and (3) provide open lines of communication to
help further promote increased performance and production within the faculty that lead to the
results needed by the program. The paper concludes with an evaluation framework for
monitoring the effectiveness of the proposed solutions.

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
A well-educated and well-trained population is essential for the social and economic
well-being of any country. Saudi Arabia, being the single largest economy in the Middle East
and North Africa with an estimated 15.9% of the world’s proven oil reserves, has an agenda to
move toward nationalization (Oxford Business Group, 2013). In 2013, the total resident
population in Saudi Arabia was about 29.9 million and the number of non-Saudis stood at about
9.7 million people, or about 32% of the total population (De Bel-Air, 2014). Though
Saudization, a national policy of Saudi Arabia to replace expatriates with Saudi nationals, is a
stated goal of the country, these nationals still lack the education, practical knowledge, and job
skills needed to be efficient performers in the private labor market (Faizy, 2012). With this in
mind, Saudi Arabia, like many countries, expanded its focus on higher education in recent years
(Organization for Economic Co ‑operation and Development [OECD], 2011).
When nationals lack the education, knowledge and skills needed, the gap between
education and employment eligibility will continue to widen, and Saudi nationals will continue
to be ineligible or under-skilled to enter the workforce. This, in turn, will increase unemployment
among Saudi nationals and affect the social and economic well-being of the country.
Organizational Context and Mission
Alfaisal University (AU) is a private, non-profit, student-centered university located in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The mission of AU is to create and spread knowledge through world-class
undergraduate and graduate education programs, research and service that benefits the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, the region and the world and inspires the development of knowledge-based
economies. AU first opened its doors to the male campus in September 2007, then to the female
campus in September 2011. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees that
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are accredited programs by the Ministry of Education. In the 2014-2015 academic year, AU had
approximately 150 male and female faculty members, either PhD or MA holders. The total
enrollment for the 2014-2015 academic year at AU was approximately 2,400 students with
English as the instructional language. Class instruction is segregated; however, there are fully
segregated female classes that are taught by male faculty. Female faculty do not teach male
students, unless they are medical faculty.
Students not eligible for direct admission are referred to the AU Preparatory Program
(AUPP) which has its own set of admission criteria that students must meet before being
accepted. This is a one-year foundation/bridge program which is affiliated and primarily feeds
into AU. It aims to help close the academic gap between the foundation year and the academic
year to help allow students to gain the needed academic requirements to enter into AU. It offers
world-class instruction in English and prepares students for entry into the most prestigious
universities in the world. The bridge program offers four tracks: Medicine, Science, Engineering
and Business. Courses include English, math, sciences, and business with English being the sole
medium of instruction. Upon completion of the program, students are required to take and pass
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language
Testing System examinations, one of the main requirements for entry into the freshman academic
year at the university level. In 2014-2015, the bridge program hired 32 full-time faculty
consisting of 18 English instructors, three biology instructors, five math instructors, two physics,
two chemistry, and two business instructors, who serve 460 male and female students. The
instructor to student ratio is 1:25. The bridge program’s English instructors are all native English
speakers from the US or Canada. The instructor of the bridge program must hold a minimum of a
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master’s degree in their field of specialty. Some of the faculty that hold PhDs teach courses in
the bridge program based on their area of expertise.
Organizational Performance Status
The organizational performance problem at the root of this study involves the bridge
program’s students not being prepared enough to transition from the bridging program to the
university’s academic program. The bridge program aims to successfully graduate 85% of
admitted students in this one-year program. At the start of the 2013-2014 academic year, the
bridge program admitted 375 students. Out of the 375 students, approximately 25 either dropped
out of the AUPP program, withdrew from the semester or withdrew from the university. The
remaining 350 students have completed the program but have not all necessarily met AU’s
entrance requirements in the prescribed timeframe of one academic year. Out of the 350 students
who have completed the one-year academic program, approximately 62%, or 217 students met
the entry requirements into the academic track at the university level of AU. The majority of the
38% or 133 AUPP students who did not meet the entry requirements were Saudi nationals.
Related Literature
Human resource development is a challenge to all nations across the globe, and Saudi
Arabia is no exception. With the first oil discovery in the 1930s, Saudi Arabia had an initiative to
build a knowledge society, as internal human capital capacity was insufficient. Saudi Arabia has
had to rely on foreigners to fill human capital needs since the mid-1970s (Al-Sheikh, 2015).
During this time, foreigners have been hired to build the infrastructure and satisfy the high work
demands of the kingdom.
However, Saudi Arabia was aware of the importance of incorporating Saudi nationals in
the workforce and implemented Saudization where Saudi companies and enterprises are required
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to employ Saudi nationals within certain criteria and levels set by the Ministry of Labor and
enforced by the Ministry of Interior. The first announcement of Saudization began in 1969
(Alsheikh, 2015). In 1974, the Saudi government reinforced Saudization with an initiative to
cater to the sharp increase in the Saudi population from 5.8 million in 1970 to 16.1 million in
1990 (Alsheikh, 2015). Saudization’s goal is to increase Saudi manpower and expand work
opportunities for Saudi women and youth. This initiative was a reaction to improve
employability among Saudi nationals in the private sector to combat the kingdom’s
unemployment problem. Yet, Saudi nationals were still interested in working in the public sector
rather than the private due to higher wages, fewer working hours and more stability than a
private organization. Over 90% of private-sector employees are foreigners (Alsheikh, 2015).
In any country, labor force reforms are linked to education. Saudi Arabia, along with
other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, have been struggling to develop effective
nationalization strategies backed by education reforms, training programs and employment
opportunities for nationals in the private-sector industries (Evidence for Policy Design, 2015).
Dr. Adel Al Dosary (n.d.), Chairman of the City and Regional Planning Department of
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, conducted a survey and found two important
points about Saudi nationals and their educational level. First, a low percentage of Saudi
graduates have needed scientific and/or technical training backgrounds. For example, Saudi
nationals held just 2.7% of basic engineering jobs and 6.9% of jobs in industrial and chemical
processes and food industries in 2010 (Salloum & Zarah, 2012). This data coincides with a study
conducted in 2012 by Saudi Hollandi Capital Bank, a Netherlands branch bank, that stated
humanities and arts remain the single largest majors chosen by Saudi Arabian students (Salloum
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& Zarah, 2012). Second, Saudi nationals have a poor command of the English language
compared to foreign workers, a requirement for many private-sector jobs (Al Dosary, n.d.).
To promote educational systems and outcomes, Saudi Arabia opened several major
universities, including King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, which is one of the
largest research-oriented universities in the region. In addition, new programs have raised the
number of students studying abroad on the King Abdullah Scholarship Fund. These scholarships
are geared more toward scientific specializations that are in high demand, such as medicine,
engineering, computer science, mathematics, and physics (International Monetary Fund [IMF],
2012).
In addition, due to high rates of unemployment among Saudi nationals, the Ministry of
Labor of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched the Nitaqat program (translated to mean
“Zones” in Arabic) in 2011 to increase job opportunities for its citizens in the private sector
(Sadi, 2013). All businesses conducted in Saudi Arabia are labeled by a color scheme that
determines the number of employed Saudis in their organization: red and yellow are for non-
compliant companies, and green or premium are for companies that fulfill Saudization
requirements. Accordingly, Saudi companies that comply with the Nitaqat program receive
benefits, and companies that do not receive prohibitions. For instance, companies that are
categorized as green are able to transfer employment sponsorships with ease. Red categorized
companies are banned from applying for or renewing work visas. The government’s direct
intervention is aimed at obtaining quick results and giving Saudi nationals a better stand in the
local jobs market (Sadi, 2013).
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Importance of Problem
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia places education and Saudization in the forefront of its
mission and vision. AU’s problem of only 62% of the bridge program’s students meeting the
entry requirements into the academic track can have an impact on the university’s accountability,
the overall organizational learning and the culture of the university. The problem can also affect
the bridge program’s reputation, senior management’s decision making processes, the image of
the program, the curriculum and the faculty at large. The success or failure of the bridge program
can also affect other stakeholders, such as the president of the university, the Board of Trustees,
the sponsors, and students. In addition, the success or failure of the program to prepare nationals
for the academic track at AU or other higher education institutions affects Saudi Arabia’s goal of
moving toward greater employment of nationals in high-skilled positions to further the economic
and social well-being of the country.
Organizational Performance Goal
By spring 2018, a realistic organizational performance goal for the bridge program is to
improve admission rates into AU from 62% to 85%. The program’s goal is to provide students
with the required tools, knowledge and advising needed to help them move into the next stages
of their academic careers.
Stakeholder and Stakeholder Performance Goals
The stakeholders in the bridge program are comprised mainly of senior management,
faculty and students. The role of senior management is to articulate policies and procedures to
faculty and create a framework that produces optimal learning outcomes for students. Senior
management also focuses on developing well-organized departments that will fully function to
cater to our students, parents and board members. Senior management applies effective skills and
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strategies for supervising faculty. Lastly, they apply policies to confirm procedures are being
implemented correctly by faculty. The second main stakeholder is the faculty who are hired to
ensure the delivery of needed skills to students. In addition, the faculty are to employ effective
strategies to support student learning, persistence and proficiency in learning. Student output is
expected at every level and encouragement is required to inspire students to execute their best
performance. Lastly, the students are another main stakeholder within the bridge program.
Students’ main role is to understand and pass all admission requirements to move into the AU’s
academic program.
The demographic composition of the stakeholders varies greatly. The students of the
bridge program are comprised of 67% of Saudi nationals and 33% of non-Saudi nationals:
comprised of Pakistanis, Indians, Americans, Britons, Syrians, Palestinians, Jordanians,
Sudanese, Eritreans, and Malaysians. Some Saudi nationals are residents of the city of Riyadh
where the university is located; others are out of city residents and reside in local dormitories.
The faculty and senior management come from more than 25 different nationalities, mainly from
English speaking countries such as US, UK, Canada and other Arab speaking nations. All faculty
who teach at the bridge program hold a minimum of a master’s degree in their specialized field
from accredited universities around the world. Table 1 depicts a summary of the stakeholders,
their competencies and their recommended goals that are expected to meet the overall
organizational mission and vision of the university.

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Table 1
Organizational Mission, Organizational Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
Alfaisal University’s mission is a student-centered university which creates and disseminates
knowledge through world-class undergraduate and graduate education programs, research
and service that benefit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the region and the world, and
stimulate the development of knowledge-based economies.
Organizational Goal
By Spring 2018, 85% of AUPP graduates will meet entry requirements and be admitted to
Alfaisal University.
Stakeholder 1 Goals
Management/Leadership
Stakeholder 2 Goals
Faculty
Stakeholder 3 Goals
Students
By July 2017, management
will create policies and
procedures that will support
the graduation and transition
of the bridge program’s
students into academia.
By September 2017, faculty
will create curricula that
employ skills and strategies
to support student learning
and persistence, and
implement policies related to
instruction.
Faculty will need to apply
100% of policies and
procedures related to
attendance, grading and
learning outcomes to each
class, at every lesson and
meet every objective
mandated by the curriculum.
By June 2018, all foundation
year program students will
meet their admission
requirements that were set
for September 2017.

Stakeholders of the Study and Stakeholder Performance Status
Faculty is a critical source of inspiration, information and guidance to any student and
university community. They present a range of knowledge, skills, understanding and resources to
the classroom that will help the students engage and empower them with knowledge to succeed
in their daily lives. The role of the faculty member is to bring research, teaching and service to
the university and their stakeholders, the students. For this study, the main stakeholder were the
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faculty members of AUPP. Faculty members have specializations in English, biology, chemistry,
math, physics or business.
The goal of this study is to increase admission rates from 62% to 85% at AU. In order for
the bridge program to reach this goal, faculty will need to increase their commitment to transfer
needed skills to students. Faculty will be required to employ effective strategies to support
student learning. Faculty will need to apply 100% of policies and procedures related to
attendance, grading and learning outcomes to each class, at every lesson, and meet every
objective mandated by the curriculum.
Purpose of Project and Guiding Questions
Student success is a pressing issue at any educational institution (Hearn, 2006). The
bridge program invests time, manpower and effort in determining how to fill the university’s
seats each semester and focuses on major recruiting efforts each semester for both faculty and
students. The initiative on campus is focused on creating a culture of evidence, one in which data
about student success and failure are gathered, analyzed and used to identify problems and create
new ways to address them, all with the goal of improving student outcomes. It makes the
communities inside and outside the institution participants in the process, and it works to affect
policy changes that support a student-success agenda.
In order to meet these initiatives, this study focused on the faculty as the main
stakeholders and pose several questions to help gauge a clearer understanding on how to improve
student educational attainment at the foundation program at AU. Three specific questions guided
this study:
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1. What knowledge, motivation and organizational barriers have prevented faculty from
creating curricula and strategies to support student learning and persistence to
successfully advance to AU’s academic program?
2. What knowledge, motivation and organizational barriers have prevented faculty from
applying policies and procedures related to attendance, grading and learning outcomes as
mandated?
3. What are the recommended knowledge, motivation and organizational solutions to those
barriers?
Methodological Framework
In order to research the potential causes of and address potential solutions to the low
acceptance rates by the bridge program’s students, this study used the Clark and Estes’ (2008)
gap analysis framework. This systematic, analytical method clarifies organizational goals and
identifies the gap between the actual performance level and the preferred performance level
within any organization. Assumed causes for the performance gap, observations, personal
knowledge and related literature were determined. Surveys, interviews, literature review and
content analysis were conducted and assessed. Solutions were recommended and evaluated in a
comprehensive manner.
Organization of the Dissertation
This dissertation is organized into five chapters. This chapter provides the introduction
and importance of the problem statement, stakeholders’ performance goals, purpose of the
project and the guiding questions for the study. Chapter Two provides a review of current
literature surrounding the scope of the study. Topics in this chapter include global perspectives
on nationalization, Saudization, changes and growth in higher education sectors, academic bridge
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programs and theoretical frameworks. Chapter Three details the assumed causes for this study as
well as the methodology. In Chapter Four, the data and results are assessed and analyzed.
Chapter Five provides plausible solutions to the issues and causes of the problem(s).
Definitions
Expatriates — An expatriate (often shortened to ‘expat’) is a person temporarily or
permanently residing and often working in a country other than that of their citizenship.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — A regional intergovernmental political and
economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Arabian Gulf, except for Iraq. Its member
states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Hafiz [Arabic word] — An unemployment program in Saudi Arabia aimed at financially
assisting unemployed Saudi nationals for up to one year.
Human capital — The stock of knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes,
including creativity, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value.
Nationals — Local citizens of a particular country.
Liqaat [Arabic word] — A program run in Saudi Arabia that is meant to link both the
unemployed with employers for possible employment opportunities.
Nationalization — Nationalization is the process of bringing private industries under the
control of a government in an effort to encourage private industries to increase the dependency
on nationals and a decrease on expatriates.
Nitaqat [Arabic word] — Quota requirements for Saudi Arabian companies and
enterprises to employ Saudi nationals into the private sector within certain criteria and levels set
by the Ministry of Labor.
Saudi Riyal (SR) — Local currency of Saudi Arabia.
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Saudization — A national policy of Saudi Arabia to replace expatriates with Saudi
nationals. The percentage of Saudization is equal to the average number of local workers divided
by the sum of the average of locals plus the average number of expatriates.

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CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This chapter represents an analytically synthesized review of the literature that frames the
purpose and rationale for this research. This chapter examines nationalization and the global
perspectives of nationalization in GCC countries, main obstacles to nationalization, Saudization,
changes and growth in GCC higher education sectors to support nationalization and discusses
and compares the academic bridge programs in different parts of the world. Chapter two also
reviews learning and motivation theory, focusing on the knowledge and skills, motivational, and
organizational issues affecting the stakeholder group in this study. This literature review
highlights Saudi Arabia, one of the GCC countries, as the main case study, and it is compared to
other GCC countries.
Perspectives on Nationalization in GCC Countries
GCC countries are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE (Faizy,
2012; Naufal & Genc, 2014). Nationalization is the process of bringing private industries under
the control of a government in an effort to encourage private industries to increase the
dependency on nationals and decrease on expatriates. The process of nationalization is
categorized as Saudization in Saudi Arabia, Bahrainization in Bahrain, Kuwaitization in Kuwait,
Omanization in Oman, Qatarization in Qatar, and Emiratization in the UAE (Randaree, 2009).
Ways to help nationalize the labor force require education and training, acquisition of
work and knowledge skills, and motivational techniques to encourage nationals to work in the
private sectors. Nationalization also looks at the importance of the inclusion of women in the
labor force. Therefore, nationalization is essential to these countries as it helps governments
reduce the remittances to other countries.
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Furthermore, the role of any government is to ensure the well-being of its citizens which
includes reducing the levels of unemployment among its citizens. To confront high
unemployment, the GCC countries are implementing nationalization plans. Thus, nationalization
aids governments in fulfilling the role. To achieve nationalization, governments are investing
more on education and training in order to equip nationals with the required skills and to set
targets that the privately run organizations must meet related to the numbers of locals they
employ.
Major strides are being made to achieve nationalization, especially by improving the
education sector. Policy makers in the education sector are required to introduce reforms that
focus on improving the education system and quality of teaching. The changes are being
implemented by improving vocational schools and regional universities (Barber, Mourshed, &
Whelan, 2007). Materials taught in schools require some proposed changes by curriculum
planners (Hajee, 2013). Performance of schools must be assessed to determine progress. This
assessment was achieved by introducing continuous testing of students on a regular basis.
In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Labor launched its nationalization plan in 2011, known
as Nitaqat, to increase job opportunities for its national citizens (Faizy, 2012). The program also
enforces penalties on corporations who are not abiding by the policy to ensure compliance. The
Nitaqat program is divided into different categories that include platinum, green, yellow and
red–to determine compliance status. Companies classified as platinum and green have met the
Saudi employment quota. However, companies in the yellow and red have not met the
employment quota for Saudi nationals and are monitored closely by the government (Faizy,
2012).
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To assist with the unemployed nationals in Saudi Arabia, a program called Hafiz was
launched back in 2011 by the former monarch of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The
unemployment program benefited over one million Saudi nationals and presently pays an
unemployed Saudi national 2,000 Saudi Riyals (SR) per month for up to one year. This was an
initiative to alleviate unemployment and poverty and a temporary solution to help the Saudi
youth seek employment (Al-Jassem, 2012).
The Hafiz program was a springboard for another program called Liqaat that was meant
to link the unemployed with employers for possible employment opportunities. The director of
the Jeddah Chamber for Commerce and Industry stated that out of the 9,000 applicants received
for the Liqaat program, “we hired [sic] so far 5,000 Saudis because of Liqaat. The offered
salaries are between SR 3,000 to SR 5,000 (Al-Jassem, 2012).
Among other GCC countries, Qatar reformed its examination standards by partnering
with other bodies (Barber et al., 2007). A partnership of developing new curriculum standards
was formed in 2002 between Qatar and the Council for British Teachers (Barber et al., 2007).
Test development companies in the United States, such as McGraw-Hill and Education Testing
Service, are now supporting Qatar in its educational reforms.
According to Fasano and Iqbal (2003), the GCC countries have also undergone social and
economic changes in regards to nationalization. Oil reserve incomes have been mostly used to
increase training institutions in order to provide skills to the nationals. Socially, women have
been encouraged to seek employment. In the past, women were expected to solely perform
domestic jobs. With the shift in women’s employment, unemployment figures are reduced
among women. Social changes are also being implemented. GCC countries aim at the creation of
education and/or development plans in addition to job markets where trainees can be employed.
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Leaders of these countries are urged to invest in education and training programs and raise the
terms and standards of living for nationals in order to address nationalization (Faizy, 2012).
In 2002, the average per capita income and gross domestic product for these countries
were estimated to be $12,000 and $340 billion respectively (Fasano & Iqbal, 2003). Substantial
progress was made possible through liberal capital flows, adoption of a free trade system, and
borders that are open to foreign labor. The GCC is now a center that promotes regional growth.
Changes and Growth in GCC Higher Education to Support Nationalization Policies
Nationalization is a means of attaining social and economic goals (International
Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 1968). Education contributes to economic development.
Illiteracy in females from the UAE dropped from 29% to 21% between 1990 and 2000 as a result
of improved education opportunities.
There are various developments in higher education sectors that are being established in
different GCC countries. Education in higher institutions of the UAE emphasize technological
developments and scientific advancements. The government is improving workforce standards
through Emiratization, “a well-designed nationalization process, objectively a policy for
reducing the demand for expatriate workers, for human resources” (Randeree, 2009). It is
required that Emirati citizens obtain education qualifications and are able to transition smoothly
into the workplace. For instance, an agreement was signed in 1990 between the Higher Colleges
of Technology and Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to give priority to graduating Emirati
students in securing jobs in all sectors (Randeree, 2009). There is diversification of careers that
can be studied in higher education institutions, including forensic science, engineering, medicine,
journalism, and information technology (Randeree, 2009).
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In addressing the gaps that exist in the workforce, GCC countries have invested in
training and development programs (Randeree, 2009). The main goal of these programs is
promotion of nationals’ employment rates in the labor market. Major companies are encouraged
to invest in education and training initiatives through participating in curriculum development.
They can also design training programs. Training and development programs have also targeted
women and women are being supported to join universities in the UAE so they can secure
employment in the workforce once they graduate (Randeree, 2009).
Main Obstacles Against Nationalization in GCC Countries
Despite the fact that GCC countries have oil reserves and witnessed rapid economic
growth, they are still faced with multiple, interrelated challenges to nationalization. These
include labor market challenges related to joblessness, public sector employment, and the heavy
reliance on foreign workers, as well as education challenges related to poor performance of
educational systems and low educational attainment of nationals.
Labor Market Challenges
The main challenges to nationalization in GCC countries are joblessness among nationals
and a heavy reliance on foreign labor (Faizy, 2012). As a result, GCC countries lose a significant
amount of revenue in terms of remittances to foreign countries. The unemployment rate among
nationals is mostly high among the youth and women of all age groups. About 37% of the Saudi
population is under the age of 14. Those under 25 years of age account for around 51% of the
population, and when those under 29 are included, young people amount to two-thirds of the
kingdom’s population. (In the United States, those 14 years and younger are 20% of the
population; those 29 and below make up 41%) (Murphy, 2011). This suggests that the number of
people entering the job market annually will continue to increase (Hertog, 2012). The number of
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foreigners in the GCC countries is up to 10 million. These foreigners are predominantly
employed in low paying jobs and thus comprise the largest portion of the labor market. Looking
at Figure 1, for instance, 95% of workers in the UAE are foreign, and they make up the bulk of
employment in the private sector (Hertog, 2012).

Figure 1. Distribution of employment by sector and nationality in the GCC. (Adapted from “The
GCC’s national employment challenge,” by S. Hertog, 2014a, National Agencies. Copyright
2014 by National Agencies. Adapted with permission.)

Investors have been encouraged by the labor market to substitute capital for labor instead
of giving incentives for the creation of job opportunities. There is also a misallocation of labor in
the public sector. Job opportunities that are most attractive to nationals are provided by Arab
governments. However, scrutiny of scholastic performance, such as choice of subjects to major
in or grade point average, is a challenge. Due to this, students select and major in subjects that
can gain them ‘easy’ grades rather than the best education. These students are dependent on
guaranteed government jobs. Dasgupta (2004) notes that high wages and salaries are spent in the
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public sectors of Arab countries compared to other developing countries. The results include
inadequate incentives for developing private sectors, failing education systems, and an increased
number of undereducated citizens who cannot find jobs that match their skills.
According to Hertog (2012), there are various obstacles that hinder labor market
nationalization. Labor productivity of GCC countries has been stagnant since the 1990s. The
import of cheap labor since the 1970s is responsible for slow economic growth. Employment of
nationals is expensive due to the entailed substitution of cheap labor with technological upgrades
(Hertog, 2012). The labor market challenge of unemployed nationals in Saudi Arabia is an issue
that the country has yet to effectively address. According to the IMF, in July 2013, figures were
released showing 1.5 million of the 2 million new jobs created in the last four years went to
expatriates (Hoetjes, 2013). The IMF indicated that the unemployment rate among Saudi
nationals reached 12% as of July 2013. The youth (30%) and females (35%) are particularly
affected by the country’s unemployment problem. The total population estimated in 2007 in
Saudi Arabia was 17.7 million while working age constitutes only 10.5 million (Hertog, 2012).
Foreigners dominate the labor market in Saudi Arabia’s private sector. Segmentation of
the market labor is due to expatriates who are unskilled and come from low-wage earning
countries. On the other hand, locals have high qualification levels and demand for increased
wages. Figure 1 indicates that expatriates dominate employment in the private sectors throughout
the GCC. In 2012, Kuwait had 70% of expatriates in the private sector with only 10% of
nationals in the private sector compared to 2% of expatriates and 18% of nationals employed in
the public sector (Dasgupta, 2004). Salary payments in the public sector are relatively low
compared to private sector while the working hours along with the workload are less compared
to the private sectors.
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Thus, secured jobs in government institutions are sought by a majority of GCC nationals.
Hertog (2014a) states that “the prospect of a secure, low-effort and comparatively well-paid
government job created what labor economists call “waithood”–young job-seekers remaining in
a waiting loop until a public job finally becomes available.” Hence, employment with private
organizations becomes only a “gap-filler” (Hertog, 2014b). Some nationals avoid working in the
private sector until a public job opening is available. As a result, there is a shortage of skilled
labor in the market due to an excess of laborers in the public sector.
Looking ahead, the GCC will continue to face major challenges in finding employment
for the millions of people looking to enter the labor market. According to Shediac and Samman
(2010), the GCC’s labor force will exceed 20.5 million by 2020—an increase of almost 30%
from the current estimated labor force of 15.6 million. This data published from the World Bank
suggests that the GCC will need to generate hundreds of thousands of jobs annually.
Education Challenges
Recent research was conducted on educational achievement, and it suggests that Arab
countries lag behind developing countries. A high percentage of gross domestic product is spent
on education in GCC countries (Dasgupta, 2004). According to Hajee (2013), despite the
attempts by these governments to increase the revenue used to promote education, there is still a
high reliance on foreign teachers. The foreign teachers are employed on a contract basis; thus,
they remain for only a short period. The teaching profession is undermined by the locals creating
the shortage of teachers, and thus having to rely on foreign teachers. Hajee (2013) goes on to
state, “In the UAE public school system, only 28 percent of the teaching staff and faculty are
nationals and at UAE university–the first public university in the country–only 25 per cent of the
faculty are Emirati nationals.” Other GCC countries are facing the same problem (Hajee, 2013).
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A case study done by Khan (2014) shows that GCC states have made significant progress
in recent years, but their systems of education are poor resulting in low quality learning
outcomes when compared to countries that have the same income levels. Currently, a main
problem is the quality of education offered that leaves a dire need for improvement. For years,
policymakers have focused on the false assumption that the quantity of teachers meant improved
student performance (Hajee, 2013). However, it is the quality of the teacher that is in desperate
need of improvement. Professional development for teachers is lacking, “In Kuwait, Oman and
Saudi Arabia, an average of only 12% of students had teachers that had partaken in professional
development exercises” (Hajee, 2013). This insufficiency of professional development can lead
to outdated teaching styles where the focus continues to be on rote memorization and passive
learning.
A poor education system results in a poorly skilled labor force. An under-skilled labor
force then creates a negative attitude about the graduates and thus prospective employers
undermine them (Hajee, 2013). Given that employers of educational institutes strive to meet
international standards of teaching, it becomes impossible to attain the standards using a poorly
skilled labor force and this compels them to prefer foreign skills. In attempts to avoid being
forced to employ the unskilled locals, some businesses have moved to other countries and thus
further hindering the efforts to achieve nationalization among the GCC countries (Hajee, 2013).
Saudization
Just like other GCC countries, Saudi Arabia is faced with the problem of integrating the
locals into the private sector that is dominated by foreigners. According to Hertog (2014b), the
foreign labor is more attractive to the private sector because in addition to being inexpensive, it
can be easily controlled and in some cases exploited. This situation leaves the private sector
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attracted to foreign expatriates who then flood the private sector, and the locals remain
unemployed. This issue can be seen as creating security for the private sector by employing
people they have control over as opposed to the locals who can shift between employers easily
without any barriers.
History and Outlook
As a result, the Saudi government put in place an initiative that sought to increase
employment for nationals while decreasing the number of foreigners in the labor force. This
initiative was referred to as ‘Saudization’. It aimed at increasing employment for Saudi nationals,
reducing the over-reliance on foreign workers, and reinvesting remittances to foreign countries
(Looney, 2004). It was a series of plans targeted to create 319,500 jobs for the Saudis, by
replacing foreign workers, during the 1995-2005 period. However, the number of foreign
workers grew by 58,400 during this period (Randeree, 2012). The implementation of Saudization
through this quota system was not successful.
The majority of the people dominating the Saudi labor market are expatriates from
foreign countries. A large wage gap, therefore, exists between the Saudi nationals and their
foreign counterparts since the foreign expatriates are more attractive to the potential employers.
Furthermore, employers in the private sector complain of the unwillingness of the Saudi
nationals to take up manual labor jobs, yet they lack the skills to take up the technical jobs. The
government implemented rules and regulations that ensured that the percentage of locals in the
market increases. However, the government rules do not account for the level of skills and
competence. Thus, Saudi nationals remain less preferred in the private sector (Hertog, 2014b).

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Challenges to Saudization
One of the major challenges to attaining Saudization is the issue of changing
demographics as a large percentage of the population is 30 years and younger. Also, the number
of graduates from the local universities increased rapidly in recent years (Randeree, 2012). As a
result, the public sector cannot afford to absorb all of them, leading to unemployment. In
addition, the graduates often lack the necessary skills to compete in the labor market with their
foreign colleagues, causing employers to train them despite hiring them on much higher salaries.
This situation is not attractive to the private sector that can employ foreign workers who are
well-skilled and are paid at a lower rate compared to nationals.
Another contributing factor to the high level of unemployment in the local population is
the number of women in formal employment opportunities. The culture and religion of the
country make it hard for women to find appropriate jobs (Hamdan, 2005). The traditional norms
and practices ensured that women are secluded from the mainstream economic activities and, for
the most part, relegated to perform the domestic chores (Randeree, 2012). The other factor that
contributes to a high level of female unemployment is the issue of minimum wage. Women have
a lower wage rate compared to their male counterparts thus widening the gap further (Hamdan,
2005).
The human resource practices in Saudi Arabia, especially when it comes to hiring
women, is another challenge to Saudization. For instance, some companies do not hire female
employees at all. Due to the unpredictable nature of Saudization, foreign companies are wary of
hiring labor from the Saudi nationals. This is because the rules and quotas for hiring them change
in an unpredictable manner (Randeree, 2012). As a result, some foreign companies have started
to relocate so as to avoid losing their qualified staff and not be forced to hire the expensive and
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less qualified Saudis. Consequently, a number of organizations are reducing the hiring of staff
while the demand for jobs increases (Al-Sheikh, 2015).
The educational system also poses another challenge in the realization of Saudization.
Most of the children attend the public Wahhabi schools. In these schools, the students mainly
study Islam. This suggests that students are not learning the specific knowledge and skills that
the labor market is asking for.
The Saudization policy does not focus on the levels of skills and performance, yet the
companies have to raise their performance to reach international standards. This necessitates
training to be offered to the Saudi nationals. One of the challenges facing employers is retaining
the Saudi employees after they have trained them. Since the Saudi nationals can easily shift
between employers, they are easily lured by other well-paying employers (Randeree, 2012). This
makes the foreigners desirable for the private sector as they do not require much training and are
hired on a contractual basis. This provides stability and security to both employees and
employers.
Programs (Initiatives) to Address Saudization
The Nitaqat system. To enhance the implementation of the Saudization system, in June
2011, the government announced a program called the Nitaqat system (Randeree, 2012). This
system ensures compliance with the Saudization process by imposing penalties for companies
that do not comply with the set regulations. Nitaqat introduced new rules to ensure that
companies not employing enough locals would face hiring restrictions by the government, hence
reducing the number of renewed working visas for the foreign workers. On the other hand, the
program promises a better operational environment for companies that employ enough Saudi
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locals while at the same time increasing the cost of maintaining foreign workers for those
companies that do not comply.
Investment in education. The government of Saudi Arabia put greater emphasis on the
education of locals as demonstrated by the huge investments in training institutions. The Saudi
Arabia education system adopted the K-12 system of education. The K-12 system involves six
compulsory years of primary school and three years each of intermediate and secondary school.
English is being taught in both state-run and privately controlled schools. For instance, in
privately owned schools, English is taught from kindergarten, while in state-owned schools,
English is taught from class four. This is an attempt to ensure that the students do not have a
difficult time while transitioning to university.
The government also promoted the education of women as opposed to the past traditions,
where women were associated with domestic chores. To facilitate the smooth education of
women, the government established separate classes for both women and men. This is significant
as it has the potential to eventually substantially reduce the unemployment rate among women.
The government also put structures in place to incorporate students with disabilities into the
private and public schools, and they are considered as regular students.
The Saudi Higher Education Sector
Alsuliman (2004) maintains that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud of its academic
programs. As years pass by, the kingdom is building and developing new scientific disciplines
and establishing new universities and colleges. Higher education is used as a tool for cultural
transformation (Findlow, 2006). The universities and colleges contribute to the education of
students and regional growth.
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In recent years, Saudi Arabia increased the numbers of training institutions and the
number of students (Vardhan, 2015). For example, efforts were put in place for medical colleges
to gain recognition at national and international levels. These institutions are committed to
research, healthcare, and medical education. Members of faculties are equipped with values such
as discipline, objectivity, concern for others, critical thinking, and creativity. To achieve this,
education for healthcare students in Saudi Arabia is widely supported. While students are
undergoing training, they also can participate in internship programs and can train in hospitals
that will later employ them.
In further efforts to improve academic programs, faculty at Saudi universities are given
the freedom to practice accountability (Alsuliman, 2004). A new focus in the education system in
the universities is the need to be reliable, relevant, and valid through evaluations and assessments
that can be easily done. Values that are instilled in faculty members and students during training
include integrity, commitment, respect, openness, and intellectual honesty (Alsuliman, 2004).
Academic Bridge Programs
Academic Bridge Programs (ABP) are generally pre-university programs that help the
transition of students into academic university programs. In many countries, the mission of these
programs is to equip top secondary school graduates with personal and academic skills to enable
them to join and succeed in the university programs requiring the use of the English language.
In Qatar, for instance, the ABP was an initiative established by the Qatari government as
part of its Education City Strategy (Davis, 2010). Interviews conducted among the Qatari
employers showed that most were not satisfied by the levels of skill that the secondary and
university graduates possessed. There were complaints that their English and communication
skills were poor. It was also noted that the graduates’ technical skills were wanting and that the
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Qatari employees had poor work attitudes and lacked motivation and enthusiasm for their jobs
(Davis, 2010).
Results of the Qatar Comprehensive Educational Assessment indicated that the
knowledge base of the students graduating from high schools was not consistent with
international standards (Davis, 2010). To address this, the second wife of the King of Qatar
championed the establishment of the Education City that hosts a plethora of Western universities
including six American, one British, and one French university branch campus at Education City
in Qatar.
In Qatar, the ABP helps Qatari and non-Qatari students to transition from high school to
these university. In this nine-month, co-educational, student-centered program, students study
English, science, mathematics, computers, and multi-media skills. These courses assist the
students with study skills and problem-solving skills that will support their success as they enter
university life. Students from the top 20% of Qatari high school graduates with a TOEFL
examination score of 420 and above are admitted into the ABP. With 40 teachers that hold
Masters’ degrees and extensive international experience along with 20 staff, the ABP caters to
around 200 students yearly (Davis, 2010).
Shifting to the United States, Jason Taylor, a PhD student at the University of Illinois,
wrote an article entitled What the Literature Tells Us about Bridge Programs (2010). He states
that such bridging programs can link educational systems or link education to work
opportunities. All in all, these programs are meant to “…prepare students to transition from one
level to the next” (Taylor, 2010) and used as justification for “…evidence of student success in
moving through the educational pipeline’ (Taylor, 2010). Community colleges also offer such
programs, allowing students to move from high school to college and college to employment.
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Taylor (2010) discusses that “a number of states and institutions are implementing bridge
programs that are intended to help individuals taking adult education, general education
development and English as a second language (ESL) classes, to transition into college and
careers”. Washington State is a model bridge program that received attention nationally for the
Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training program that combines ESL with workforce
training and college-level professional-technical credits (State Board for Community &
Technical Colleges, 2010).
Benefits of the Academic Bridge Program
One of the potential benefits of the ABP is the improvement of problem-solving skills
among students and the improvement of their study skills. John C. Davis (2010), the director of
the ABP of the Qatar Foundation from July 2002 to June 2004, noted that some of the
weaknesses he observed in students coming into the ABP in Qatar were the lack of problem-
solving skills due to the reliance on rote memorization in the Qatari schools and the lack of study
discipline. Thus, the ABP program heavily emphasized on improving the students’ time
management and problem-solving skills. Thus, almost all Qatari students completed the program,
and the TOEFL test scores improved (Davis, 2010).
The Academic Bridge Program in Qatar also seeks to instill a sense of independence and
individual responsibility on the students. Despite the fact that there is a high degree of control
and guidance in the early stages of the ABP, the supervision gradually reduces as the students
continue with the program. A strong commitment to the ABP by a student in Qatar is a
prerequisite for participation as it is highly intensive and requires the student to complete 35
hours of assigned learning activities (Texas International Education Consortium, n.d.). Students
who undergo the program benefit by being able to accomplish job assignments that are
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increasingly demanding. Further, the students are placed into learning groups based on their
assessment results thus instilling teamwork skills.
Students in Qatar have succeeded by receiving the right guidance and counseling on the
career path they should pursue. The ABP supports the use of continuous assessment to monitor
the progress of the students throughout the program. The results enable the faculty members to
match the interests and aptitudes of the students with a program that the student can pursue
further. The students are then advised on the fields of studies that will match their interests. Also,
the faculty provide advice to the students on the fields where they are less likely to be successful
(Texas International Education Consortium, n.d.).
The Texas International Education Consortium (n.d.) suggests that the ABP program
students have also benefitted from being qualified to enroll at the universities at the Qatar
Foundation Education City (QFCE) following completion of the program. Initially, these
students would not meet the standards for enrollment. However, after completion of the ABP,
many are well-equipped to join these universities where all instruction and learning takes place
using the English language. This improvement can be attributed to the high quality of faculty
members who have experience in teaching in international schools. Thus, the education they
receive through the ABP matches that required by the international universities situated at the
QFCE.
The ABP program can also equip students with computer skills that are appropriate for
students who enter universities. These skills enable them to conduct research over the Internet
and access information from across the globe. Apart from assisting students in their academics,
the knowledge gained can be a stepping stone for them to enter the job market, which often
requires some knowledge in the use of computers (Davis, 2010).
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In effective ABP programs, the ABP coordinator plays a significant role in ensuring that
the training received by the students meets the job market requirements so as to make the
students relevant when they enter the working world. This may include organizing the activities
of the program to ensure that the programs comply with the policies, standards, and procedures
of the companies as well as coordinating between the different departments to evaluate whether
the students who graduate from the program have really achieved the skills and knowledge
required to pursue a degree (Davis, 2010).
Theoretical Frameworks
The following knowledge, motivation, and organizational frameworks are used to better
understand and address the research questions for the study.
Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge is a fundamental force that drives business success (Mansour, Alhawari,
Talet, & Al-Jarrah, 2011). There have been shifts from the information age to a knowledge age,
and knowledge is now seen as a crucial element of human life. Numerous organizations face the
task of knowledge elicitation (Abu-Nahle, Mohammad, Maher, & Sabri, 2010). However, there
are many knowledge gaps in the education systems of GCC countries. According to Hvidt
(2013), Gulf countries are trying to move from a trading economy to a knowledge-based
economy. These transformations in GCC countries aim at increasing the knowledge level and
entrepreneurship in order to tap into foreign knowledge successfully. Improving educational
attainment requires proper knowledge and skills. Research by Kumar and van Welsum (2013)
suggests that developmental rankings of GCC countries is lowered by insufficient skills. Kwan
and colleagues (2011) define knowledge as “to know something while skill is to know how.” If a
problem is given in the educational sector, knowledge helps one to understand and analyze the
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problem. Additionally, the theory, background, and rationale required are provided so that
different approaches can be provided to solve the problem. A problem cannot be solved with
knowledge alone; skills are also required. Practical consequences and results are provided by
knowledge, and reasoning is enhanced with skills. Incorrect procedures can be performed when
skills are present but no knowledge. For students to be competent, they need to build on their
knowledge. For youths in GCC countries to find employment in private sectors, educational
reforms are thus directed toward development of knowledge and skills (Wiseman, Alromi &
Alshumrani, 2014).
There are also theories that analyze the roles of stakeholders in higher education in Saudi
Arabian universities (Trevithick, 2012). The theoretical framework of knowledge and skills is
suitable for this study since the creation of knowledge and development of skills by faculty, the
stakeholder group in this study, can help address educational issues and improve the education
system overall, including outcomes in ABP.
Motivation
According to Nukpe (2012), there exists numerous fields of literature that explore
motivation theory, including education, business and psychology. Motivation is a fundamental
aspect for successful learning (Perumal, 2009). The focus of some researchers is on how
motivation can be integrated into learning and teaching processes (Perumal, 2009). Hvidt (2014)
investigates various motivational challenges that face GCC countries. Challenges discussed
include inadequate development tracks, expatriate labor, intergenerational learning, and
economic structure. Motivation can be internal, inherent, or external. Cherry (2010) defines
motivation as a process in which goal-oriented behaviors are initiated, guided, and maintained.
Guay et al. (2010) defines motivation as efforts that individuals put in when they want to achieve
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given goals. Student motivation is concerned with energy, goals, directions, and drives (Nukpe,
2012).
Research suggests that students engage academically when they get along well with their
teachers and are interested in the subjects they are taught. Motivational factors which include
preparations they have made, choices of their courses, how they perceive higher education, and
the future aspirations they have may have an impact on students who enter into higher education
institutions. This study explored possible faculty motivation influences in an academic bridge
program that ultimately may influence students’ motivation to achieve their goals. The study also
seeks to understand faculty professional motivation, what determines their performance, and how
they cope with societal changes. The study is guided by motivational theories which include
behavioral, humanistic, social learning, and cognitive theories (Perumal, 2009).
Organization
Much of the research in organizational development focused on primary and secondary
schools. A main focus is gender inequality (stratification issues), academic culture and students
(Coleman, 1961), organizational structures and activities (Coburn, 2004), and different schools’
responses toward the interests of external groups (Binder, 2002).
Research plays an important role when discussing organizational theory at the higher
education as well. Some research related to higher education organizations looks at inequality
due to characteristics of colleges (Rosenbaum, Deil-Amen, & Person, 2006), leadership and
organizational ambiguity (Ehrenberg, 2004), organizational governance (Hearn & McLendon,
2012; Richardson & Martinez, 2009), institutional environments (Rowan, 1982), and other. In
this study, organizational theory was used to explore the organizational influences on education
attainment at the foundation year program at AU in Saudi Arabia.
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Conclusions
The review of current and seminal literature presented in this chapter provides needed
context, research, and theory to better understand the foundation year program at AU and efforts
to improve its outcomes. Nationalization (or Saudization) has been one of the main activities of
the Saudi Arabian government. The government traditionally relied on a quota system for
achieving Saudization, with more recent efforts focused on achieving Saudization through the
improvement of the education system so as to equip locals with the necessary skills for
employment.
As part of this improvement, certain programs were adopted in an attempt to develop a
well-skilled workforce that meets international standards. One main program is the ABP that
facilitates the transition from secondary school to universities. This enables students to join and
succeed in the highly competitive international universities and, ultimately, creates a sense of
confidence in the employers that the graduates have received the best training and are, thus,
willing to employ them.
Chapter Three discusses the research approach, methods and design of this study
including the assumed knowledge, motivation and organizational performance influences to be
investigated, the study population and the study instruments. The remainder of Chapter Three
includes a discussion of the data collection, analysis process, and limitations of the research.

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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the root causes of
the organizational performance problem for low graduation rates from the AUPP. The analysis
focused on causes for this problem due to gaps in the areas of knowledge and skill, motivation,
and organizational issues. The questions that guide this project are the following:
1. What knowledge, motivation and organizational barriers have prevented faculty from
creating curricula and strategies to support student learning and persistence to
successfully advance to AU’s academic program.
2. What knowledge, motivation and organizational barriers have prevented faculty from
applying policies and procedures related to attendance, grading and learning outcomes as
mandated?
3. What are the recommended knowledge, motivation and organizational solutions to those
barriers?
Methodological Framework
Clark and Estes (2008) portray the importance of selecting the right performance
opportunities to achieve the required goals and utilize evidence-based decision making to
improve organizational performance. The authors discuss the importance of finding a clear goal
and comparing it with the current performance. After the initial analysis, this performance gap is
defined with the clear goal and current performance in mind. The frameworks of knowledge,
motivation and organization are used to help identify, determine, analyze and evaluate the goals
that were originally set. These are three important factors that need to be assessed when
reviewing any organizational environment.
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Clark and Estes (2008) share how to access, analyze and determine the causes and impact
of the performance gap while supplying strategies, causes and solutions on how to close the
performance gap by using the Process Model (p. 22). The key point is that the “ultimate
objective for performance improvement is that it must support the larger goals of the
organization” (Clark & Estes, p. 23).
The gap analysis process, as shown in Figure 2 below, incorporates six main steps. The
first main step determines the key specific business goals of an organization. During this stage,
goals and indicators are quantified to be able to measure current achievement. The second step
identifies the current achievements of the organization. The third step determines the
performance gaps which is measured by the current performance of the organization verses the
desired goals of the organization. The fourth step analyzes the causes of these performance gaps
through knowledge, motivation and organizational barriers. Step five determines solutions and
implementation. This stage also determines if closing the gap is financially feasible for the
organization by using a straightforward Return on Investment formulae. The last step in this gap
analysis process evaluates results. Once the organization determines that it is cost-effective to
close the gap, then human capital is identified, plans are set in place for those involved in closing
the gap, and goal are monitored and adjusted accordingly. All in all, these are practical tools for
organizational success as it supports organizational improvements.

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Figure 2. Gap Analysis Process for Organizational Success (Clark & Estes, 2008)
Assumed Performance Issues
According to Clark and Estes (2008), knowledge, motivation and organization barriers
are the three critical factors that need to be assessed when reviewing any organizational
environment. Assessing the assumed causes are imperative in bridging the knowledge,
motivation and organizational gaps. A thorough investigation into causes of performance gaps
should include three components: (a) scanning (informal) interviews with stakeholders; (b) a
review of related literature on the performance issue; and (c) an examination of learning,
motivation and organization/culture theory. This study reviewed the related literature in Chapter
Two and includes the assumed knowledge, motivation and organizational issues retrieved from
that review in Table 2. The following is a discussion of the assumed knowledge, motivation and
organizational issues that create barriers to students successfully advancing to AU’s academic
year program.

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45
Preliminary Scanning Data
Knowledge and skills. Knowledge and skills are critical factors that need to be
determined if support is needed to achieve the goals set (Clark & Estes, 2008). At AUPP bridge
program, employees have the required educational requirements and background for their
positions. However, they may lack the knowledge and skills to apply what they know to this
academic context. The specific assumed knowledge and skills issues among the bridge
program’s faculty based on scanning data might be due to faculty not knowing how far they are
allowed to stray from the provided curricula and syllabi to create new curricula and learning
strategies to support student learning. Clark and Estes (2008) state, “Poor information and
withholding information are very common sources of knowledge problems at work” (p. 44).
Lastly, faculty at the bridge program may be reluctant to disclose their weaknesses in terms of
their knowledge base to their peers, level coordinators, department chairs and/or senior
management.
Motivation. Lack of motivation can be caused by cultural and personal issues that affect
people’s actions and beliefs (Clark & Estes, 2008). Assessing the assumed causes are imperative
in bridging the motivational gaps. Lack of mental effort exhorted can stem from low self-
efficacy and how it plays a role with low attributions. Clark and Estes (2008) state that
“motivation is the product of an interaction between people and their work environment” (p. 86).
There needs to be an intrinsic value linked to a goal or activity that will increase motivation. The
specific assumed motivational issues among the bridge program’s faculty based on scanning data
might be due to lack of motivation to attend workshops, professional development or training in
regards to learning strategies and curriculum development. The faculty might also have the lack
of motivation to work in teams and be honest and respectful to others.
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46
Organization. Organizational barriers can lead to poor structures within the organization.
For this, the role of culture in educational settings is important to understand (Gallimore &
Goldenberg 2001). Authors Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) continue to state that the cultural
settings and cultural models “work together and affect the design and implementation of
interventions”, and “…shows the value of empirically assessing both settings and models to
successfully accommodate an intervention to a particular cultural context”. Cultural setting is
defined as “…whenever two or more people come together, over time, to accomplish something”
(Gallimore & Goldenberg 2001, p. 9).
The specific organizational issues among faculty at the bridge program that prevent them
from creating curricula and strategies to support student learning and preventing them from
applying policies and procedures may include the bridge program’s inadequate preparation of
faculty on the cultural models and settings in the classroom. In addition, faculty may not be not
praised or supported for achievement as there are no awards or incentives for faculty to improve
student attainment. Lastly, expectations of specific student outcomes might not be clearly
outlined by school leadership to faculty.
Learning and Motivation Theory
Knowledge and skills. According to Anderson and Krathwohl’s (2001) taxonomy, the
four knowledge categories outlined include factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive.
Factual knowledge is required information to assist one to solve or understand matters.
From a factual knowledge perspective, the bridge program’s faculty may not be knowledgeable
about what strategies might work best to support student learning. Many faculty come from
different parts of the world and each come with different teaching styles and pedagogies.
Without this knowledge, faculty and students will suffer in learning, understanding,
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47
comprehending and retaining information in and out of class. Conceptual knowledge is the
knowledge of how interrelationships among elements are able to work together. From a
conceptual knowledge perspective, the bridge program’s stakeholder may not have effective
methods for carrying out the bridge program’s policies. Working in a location like Saudi Arabia
where segregation is prominent and strict rules are enforced can be a challenge for any new and
returning faculty. Without this knowledge, ineffective methods linger causing continued time
wasted in and out of class, increased misunderstanding, reduction in student attainment, and
increased student complaints and grievances. Procedural knowledge is how to accomplish skills,
techniques and methods. As McCormick (1997) stated, procedural knowledge is ‘how-to-decide-
what-to-do-and when’ knowledge” (p. 144). At the bridge program, faculty may not be made
aware of effective methods of taking attendance and grading policies. Without any tools in
learning a new trade, the task becomes much more difficult to manage, which in turn affects
student attainment at the bridge program.
Baker (2008) refers to metacognitive knowledge as components that include knowledge
and control. McCormick (1997) states that metacognition is a combination of procedural and
cognitive knowledge along with self-regulatory mechanisms. The knowledge component here
includes what one knows about the surroundings, what one knows about oneself, what one
knows about the task on-hand and the strategies required to process this task; the control
component involves the planning process of how to handle and evaluate the tasks on-hand. From
a metacognitive perspective, the bridge program’s faculty may not accurately assess or reflect
their knowledge and understanding of the policies and procedures set by the bridge program. If
faculty are not well versed in the understanding of the policies and procedures, this will affect
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48
their ability to create curricula and strategies to support student learning and applying policies
and procedures.
Motivation. Choice, value, efficacy, persistence and effort are the main features of
motivated performance (Clark & Estes, 2008). Choice is defined as an action to choose to pursue
a particular goal(s). Persistence is the ongoing insistence of pursing a goal. Effort is the amount
of time and dedication invested on a particular task that will develop solutions. Faculty may be
demotivated to apply and persist with policies and procedures that change frequently throughout
the year. In addition, faculty may not want to exert the mental effort into creating new curricula.
Organization. This study utilized the sociocultural theory of Gallimore and Goldenberg
(2001). Sociocultural theory is to clarify how individual mental work is identified with social,
institutional, and historical connection. The sociocultural point of view focuses on the parts that
interest in social cooperation and socially composed exercises play in affecting mental
improvement. At the bridge program, within the past three consecutive years, there was a
continuous shift and change in organizational leadership which led to policies and procedures
being altered, changed, and/or redefined. Lines of communication were expanded which usually
leads to unclear points of contacts. Hiring of new management members meant they also needed
to be trained and needed to be well versed about the community, university culture and internal
matters within the organizational structure. Faculty observations (announced and unannounced
visits) were not always conducted as often as required. Due to the custom clearance requirements
in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, resources (i.e., books, materials, equipment for experiments,
etc.) are delayed, which has an impact on faculty doing their job. Organizational policies and
procedures are not always aligned with the cultural setting which can affect the faculty at the
bridge program.
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49
A summary of the sources of assumed issues are categorized as knowledge, motivation,
and organization in Table 2. The related literature was discussed in Chapter Two but is included
in the tables in this Chapter 3.
Table 2
Summary of Assumed Issues for Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Issues
Assumed Issues
Sources Knowledge Motivation Organization
Scanning
interviews,
personal
knowledge
Faculty do not know how
far they are allowed to stray
from the provided curricula
and syllabi to create new
curricula and learning
strategies to support student
learning.
Faculty are not motivated
to attend workshops,
professional development,
or training held on
learning strategies and
curriculum development.
The bridge program does not
provide adequate preparation
to faculty on the cultural
models and settings in the
classroom.

Faculty are not praised or
supported for achievement.
There are no awards or
incentives for faculty to
improve student attainment).
Learning and
motivation
theory
Faculty are not
knowledgeable about what
strategies might work best
to support student learning.

Faculty do not have
effective methods for
carrying out AUPP policies.

Faculty are not well versed
in the policies and
procedures.
Faculty are not motivated
to apply and persist with
policies and procedures
because they change
frequently throughout the
year.

Faculty do not want to put
the mental effort into
creating new curricula.
Leadership does not protect
faculty from consequences
they face from parents and
students if policies and
procedures are carried out.
The faculty do not have the
essential supplies and
equipment needed to help them
function properly in the
cultural setting they are in.
There are no consequences if
faculty do not abide by
policies.
Background and
review of the
literature
Faculty do not know how to
measure progress toward
student goals.

Faculty do not know how to
monitor and adjust their
student learning strategies.

Population and Sample
AUPP is a bridging program for those who were not granted entry to AU directly due to
lack of suitable academic preparation. The bridge program offers four tracks to prepare students
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50
for successful undergraduate studies in the disciplines of medicine, science, engineering and
business. Courses include English, math, sciences, business and study skills. English is the
medium of instruction.
The population and sample for this study was the full complement of faculty members
who teach in the bridge program, and the study, therefore, utilized a complete sample. Faculty
members in the bridge program hold either a Masters or doctoral degree from an accredited
institution in their field of specialty. The bridge program currently has 33 full-time faculty
members that consist of 18 English instructors, three biology instructors, five mathematics
instructors, two physics professors, three chemistry professors, and two Business instructors who
serve 460 students (males and females combined) in the bridge program. All English classes are
taught by native English speakers from North America. Other faculty who teach the different
disciplines come from more than 10 different nationalities including Americans, British,
Canadians, Algerians, Palestinians, Sri Lankans, Syrians, Jordanians, Lebanese and Saudi
nationals. Expatriate faculty, which make up the majority of the faculty, are hired on a 3-year
renewable contract with an attractive salary and full benefits that include paid housing, annual
round-trip airfare to hometown for employee and dependents, annual visa costs covered, VIP
medical insurance for employee and dependents while in the kingdom, tuition allowance for up
to three children who reside with the employee in the kingdom, transportation, and a monthly
pension payment for some that equates to 2% of salary. Each year, faculty are contracted to teach
up to 9 months (September to May) and are granted three months’ paid summer holidays (June to
August). All full-time employed expatriates are sponsored by the university. In terms of the
teaching load, Master degree holders teach up to 14-16 hours a week in addition to holding office
hours, committee work and other service to the college, when needed. Professors, based on rank,
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51
teach between three to nine hours per week, with service and research as mandatory
responsibilities per contractual agreement. Most faculty are hired with at least three to five years
of teaching experience.
For the 2014-2015 academic year, most of the English faculty were recruited during the
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) job fair held in Portland, Oregon
in March 2014. Other faculty were hired by an established hiring committee located on campus
in Riyadh via referrals, job postings, university employment site, internal transfers and walk-ins.
Many of the newly hired faculty from Portland, Oregon have never traveled to the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia nor the Middle East. Most of the English faculty do not speak Arabic, the native
language, nor are aware or fully versed of the cultural boundaries and restrictions of the country,
and many have experienced culture shock.
The goal of this study is to develop program changes that increase the likelihood that
85% of the students in the bridge programs receive full, unconditional admission to the
university after participating in the bridge program. In order for the bridge program to reach this
goal, faculty were surveyed and interviewed to determine the level of commitment to transfer
needed skills to students, to determine the level of effective strategies employed to support
student learning and to determine the percentage of policies and procedures implemented
correctly and precisely related to attendance, grading and learning outcomes to each class, at
every lesson, and determine if course objectives are reached.
Data Collection
Upon approval of the University of Southern California’s Institutional Review Board in
late July 2015, data were collected through online surveys and interviews conducted on the AU
campus.
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52
Surveys
Surveys were distributed to the faculty in October 2015 through Qualtrics, an online
software. The online survey facilitated the collection of data in a timely manner. The survey was
administered in English and distributed to all the bridge program’s faculty members within a
two-week time period. The survey consisted of seven basic questions and 26 questions that
included a combination of Likert scale items. Survey items assessing factual, conceptual,
procedural and metacognitive knowledge and motivation were based on valid and reliable
instruments. Since the problem statement is focused only on the foundation year program, 22 out
of 33 respondents who taught in the bridge program of the university took part in the survey.
The survey was strictly anonymous and kept confidential in a secured cloud-based
location on a password protected laptop. Upon completion of the data analysis, all copies of data
were destroyed. The survey instrument can be found in Appendix B.
Interviews
The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews in a quiet, closed room on AU campus
located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sample group participating in the interview was comprised
of both male and female interviewees who teach in the foundation year program. The sample
included six full-time faculty that teach courses in the different disciplines within the foundation
year program including English, math, science, and business. The interviews were conducted in
English and limited to 16 open-ended questions with no more than an hour in length for each
interviewee. Each interview began with a standard interview protocol that included obtaining
permission to record the interview for later transcription and coding. Probing questions were
included to warrant further discussions, opinions and views as it relates to the problem. Faculty
who agreed to be voice recorded had their identities concealed and kept confidential.
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53
The participants for the interview component of this project were purposefully selected.
In order to be selected for the interview portion of the project, respondents needed to be currently
employed within the bridge program as a faculty member. In total, there are 33 bridge program
faculty members. Four females and two males agreed to interview, and they were selected on
whether they were new or returning faculty members. Of the six faculty members interviewed,
four were returning faculty and two were newly hired faculty. Upon completion of the data
analysis, all hard copies of data were destroyed. The interview protocol is included in Appendix
C.
Validation of Performance Issues
The assumed issues were validated or not validated using surveys and interviews to
ascertain which require solutions, and which are not considered problems and do not require
solutions. This mixed method approach results in an in-depth validation of performance issues. A
summary of how each issue was validated is presented in Table 3.

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Table 3
Summary of Methods of Validation
Assumed Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Issues Survey Interview
1. Faculty do not know how far they are allowed to stray
from the provided curricula and syllabi to create new
curricula and learning strategies to support student learning.

2. Faculty are not knowledgeable about what strategies might
work best to support student learning.

3. Faculty do not have effective methods for carrying out
AUPP policies.

4. Faculty are not well versed in the policies and procedures.

5. Faculty do not know how to measure progress toward
student goals.

6. Faculty do not know how to monitor and adjust their student
learning strategies.

7. Faculty are not motivated to attend workshops,
professional development, or learning strategies and
curriculum development.

8. Faculty are not motivated to apply and persist with
policies and procedures because they change frequently
throughout the year.

9. Faculty do not want to put the mental effort into creating
new curricula.

10. The bridge program does not provide adequate preparation
for faculty on the cultural models and settings in the
classroom.

11. Faculty are not praised or supported for achievement.
There are no awards or incentives for faculty to improve student
attainment.

12. Leadership does not protect faculty from consequences
they face from parents and students if policies and
procedures are carried out.

13. The faculty do not have the essential supplies and equipment
needed to help them function properly in the cultural setting
they are in.

X

X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
X

X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
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55
These knowledge, motivation and organizational issues must be validated or not validated
before turning to solve the problem of educational attainment in the foundation year program.
The knowledge, motivation, and organizational causes were either validated or not validated
using both qualitative and quantitative data.
Data Analysis
Data were analyzed once all survey results were submitted and the online survey was
closed. The data were first sorted into categories or themes. All data including online
questionnaire and interview transcriptions or notes were reviewed carefully and with intense
analysis. Interview results were transcribed and coded to represent knowledge, motivation and
organization categories. Survey responses were analyzed separately for males and females due to
the nature of the culture. The survey was also used to determine if there were any patterns or
discrepancies in the responses. Then, any comments, ideas, and/or questions were noted with a
coding system in place. This system led to coding and clustering common themes or patterns
found in the data. The data were eventually sorted into more specific, well-defined, and
exhaustive categories.
Once the data were placed into categories, data were stored on a laptop into files. Each
particular data set was reviewed and analyzed. Descriptive statistical analyses were undertaken
to calculate frequencies.
Trustworthiness of Data
Data were ensured to be trustworthy in three ways (Merriam, 2009). First, data were
triangulated between surveys, interviews and document analysis. Second, survey items were
based on valid and reliable instruments and piloted in advance. These instruments are based on
the work of Clark and Estes (2008), Pintrich (2003) and Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001).
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56
Lastly, assurance of anonymity (survey) and confidentiality (interviews) were given throughout
data collection and analysis.
Role of Investigator
I am the assistant dean of students at AU, and I manage and oversee all staff and students
in the program. My role as assistant dean of students consists of monitoring student progress,
advising and creating programs that will assist students in achieving their academic goals,
resolving student and staff issues, recruiting potential high school students, maintaining program
quality, conducting staff performance evaluations, conducting outreach for marketing purposes,
and ensuring the program is meeting the expectations of key stakeholders. As principal
investigator in this research, my role was to conduct a gap analysis of the performance problem
and propose solutions to help the bridge program understand the reasons for the problem and
provide possible solutions.
For this research, faculty were made aware of my role as principal investigator and steps
were taken to ensure the anonymity of survey respondents. As part of the interview and survey
procedures, faculty were informed that the primary purpose of the research was to gather
information toward improving the organization and that any information obtained during this
process will be anonymous and utilized for that end only. Faculty were also informed that no
identifiers would be collected to ensure the highest level of participant confidentiality. Faculty
members were also reassured that participation was voluntary and that there would be no
consequences for electing not to participate. The faculty of the bridge program were also made
aware that I conducted this project as a doctoral candidate and that findings would be presented
to the president, provost and the dean of science. Faculty members were informed that it is the
president who has the authority to decide what to do with the findings of this research.
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57
Limitations and Delimitations
Some limitations result from the design and questioning of this research. First, the
research is limited by the honesty and social desirability bias resulting in participants providing
answers they believe to be socially desirable and not a true presentation of their experience. This
limitation is the case both in interview and survey contexts. Second, the research is limited by the
fact that it assumes that all participants understood and interpreted the interview questions and
survey items in the manner intended. Participants could also have someone else complete the
survey since it will be administered online. Third, any statistical analysis will be based on a
correlational, not a causational relationship.
The focus of this research was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the root causes of the
organizational problems of the lack of educational attainment in the foundation year program.
The primary delimitation of the project is that it was context specific to the bridge program and
addressed this specific organization’s mission and organizational goal and cannot be generalized.
However, other institutions may benefit from the application of this project’s use of Clark and
Estes’ (2008) gap analysis process to bring about performance improvement.
The research is also delimited to examining one key stakeholder group’s experience that
may or may not be representative of that of other stakeholder groups. While other stakeholder
groups’ experiences and contributions are important to the organization, an in-depth
investigation of those lies outside the scope of the current research.

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CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to uncover the issues related to knowledge, motivation and
organization that prevented faculty from supporting the educational attainment of students within
the academic bridge program at AU located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A gap analysis was
conducted to identify the underlying knowledge, motivation, and organizational issues that may
be negatively affecting faculty in this area. Assumed knowledge, motivation, and organizational
causes were derived from a comprehensive review of the literature, learning and motivation
theories as well as personal knowledge. The gap analysis framework allowed for the possible
causes to be systematically narrowed down and validated based on the findings from both
qualitative and quantitative data. Survey and face-to-face interviews data were collected to
understand the challenges the faculty encountered in knowledge, motivation, and organization
when teaching at the academic bridge program.
The results of the survey and interview questions were arranged and categorized by
assumed issues in knowledge, motivation and organization. In terms of the order of the
instrumental protocols, closed-ended survey questions were administered first, followed by
interview questions. The rationale that led to this process was to allow the faculty members to be
acquainted with the study in a simpler and less intimidating manner. Taking the online survey in
the privacy of their own space and pace allowed faculty time to connect with the issues. Of the
33 faculty members who were sent the survey, 22 respondents participated in the online
Qualtrics survey: 17 females and five males, 77% and 23% respectively. Based on background-
specific survey questions, the majority of the faculty who responded have been with the
academic bridge year at AU for more than two years. In addition, 50% of the faculty currently
hired in the 2015-2016 academic year at the academic bridge year program have more than five
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59
years of prior teaching experience; 46% have two years or less experience. Shortly after the
survey results were completed online, face-to- face interviews were conducted. Interviews were
arranged by department within the academic bridge year program. For the face-to-face
interviews, six faculty members from the academic bridge year program who teach either
English, sciences, mathematics or business were invited to participate in this part of the study.
A careful analysis of data received from both the surveys and interviews pointed to
inconsistencies in the information provided from the participants. Looking closely at the survey
results, it was apparent that the faculty took the online 4-point Likert scale survey during the
work week between Sunday and Thursday and during working hours between 8 a.m. and 2:30
p.m., causing a possible distraction in one’s responses and thought processes. The average time
each faculty spent on each question was approximately three minutes per question, suggesting
faculty were doing other tasks while also completing the survey.
In regards to the interviews, each faculty member spent on average about 50 minutes with
the researcher, providing in-depth responses to questions that in some cases corresponded to and
clarified some of the findings of the survey questions. In cases where the survey and interviews
provided inconsistent findings, in general, the assumed knowledge, motivation or organization
issues were validated or not validated based on concise and more elaborate information received
from the interviewees than from the survey questions.
This chapter presents the key findings within the issue categories of knowledge,
motivation, and organization. The final section of the chapter summarizes the overall findings in
preparation for the development of solutions in the final chapter.
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Results and Findings for Knowledge Issues
A survey and interviews, two instrumental protocols, were used to validate or not validate
the assumed knowledge issues. As Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) state, ‘knowledge’ refers to
the basic, elemental knowledge that an individual must know about a subject area or discipline in
order to adequately perform. In terms of knowledge, the survey and interview questions in the
present study focused on:
1. What knowledge barriers have prevented faculty from creating curricula and strategies to
support student learning and persistence to successfully advance to AU’s academic
program?
2. What knowledge barriers have prevented faculty from applying policies and procedures
related to attendance, grading and learning outcomes as mandated?

Using Krathwohl’s (2002) expansion on Bloom’s Taxonomy, knowledge is categorized
into four dimensions: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive. Knowledge barriers
were identified and classified per each knowledge dimension. A description of the findings
related to the assumed knowledge issues, based on the results of the survey and interviews is
shown in Table 4.
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Table 4
Knowledge Issues Validated and Not Validated
Assumed Knowledge Issues Validated Not Validated
1. Faculty do not know how far they are allowed to
stray from the provided curricula and syllabi to
create new curricula and learning strategies to
support student learning.

2. Faculty are not knowledgeable about what
strategies might work best to support student
learning.

3. Faculty are not well versed in the policies and
procedures.

4. Faculty do not have effective methods for carrying
out AUPP policies.

5. Faculty do not know how to measure progress
toward student goals.

6. Faculty do not know how to monitor and adjust
their student learning strategies.


Assumed knowledge issue #1: Faculty do not know how far they are allowed to stray
from the provided curricula and syllabi. To teach effectively, faculty need to be able to
deviate from the provided curricula and bring in new methods to teach the concepts at hand and
address particular student needs. Yet, this requires faculty to know how far they can stray from
the curricula while still being able to complete the required structured syllabus in the timeframe
allotted. New ideas or ways of teaching an innovative concept encourages students to expand
their thinking skills and assess their level of understanding. However, not providing guidelines to
faculty to determine the level of deviation from the curricula can lead to many faculty utilizing
supplemental materials to the extent of losing the focus on the objective of the course. The
findings validated this knowledge issue that faculty do not know how far they are allowed to
stray from the provided curricula and syllabi to create new learning strategies to support student
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62
learning. The academic bridge year program being a very structured program with some room
for flexibility does not specify the amount of supplemental materials allowed to be used in each
classroom. In the survey, faculty were asked if they require additional learning objectives to help
them supplement the current prescribed learning objectives. Similarly, one of the interview
questions asked faculty what strategies are used in the classroom to support student learning. The
participants not only expressed the need to have additional learning objectives to help them best
supplement the curricula, they also expressed different ways they currently incorporate
additional material. The survey results in Figure 3 demonstrate the validity of this issue where
16, or 73%, of the participants either strongly agreed or agreed that there is a need to create
additional learning objectives to help supplement the current prescribed learning objectives.

Figure 3. Results of Assumed Knowledge Issue #1
During the interviews, one faculty stated, “If I find something outside the curriculum that
meets my students’ needs better, then I will use that instead.” Another stated during the
interview, “I’m always supplementing.” At the same time, most faculty, when needed, do not use
similar supplemental materials to meet the same objectives of the course. This supplementation
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Participants
I [faculty] need to create additional learning objectives to help
supplement current prescribed learning objectives
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63
is being done in a manner without knowledge of what particular materials are used, what level of
content is being supplemented, or what materials have been approved by management prior to
being distributed to students. It is evident that each faculty supplements different material at
different times throughout the course. Faculty need guidance on how to supplement, and they
need improved learning objectives. No guidelines were set by management and none were
conferred by management to faculty.
Assumed knowledge issue #2: Faculty are not knowledgeable about what strategies
might work best to support student learning. The findings validated the knowledge gap issue
that faculty are not knowledgeable about what strategies might work best to support student
learning. This question was asked in the survey and during the interview where both instruments
asked faculty how knowledgeable they were about strategies that might work best to support
student learning. Results differed based on the instrument. The survey found that 21 survey
participants either strongly agreed or agreed that they are knowledgeable about the strategies that
work best to support student learning (Figure 4).

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64

Figure 4. Results of Assumed Knowledge Issue #2
However, during the detail-oriented interviews, the majority of the interviewees stated in
some form the importance of implementing additional strategies in the classroom and the need
for management to foster and instill this ability among their faculty. As one interviewee stated,
“We’re constantly recycling, and I think this is important. Is this a strategy?” Another
interviewee stated, “Without current and up-to-date classroom strategies, we as a department
cannot excel. We need more.” While the survey respondents suggested they are knowledgeable
about best strategies to support student learning, when asked in the face-to-face interviews for
additional detail, it was clear there were significant knowledge gaps where they lack teaching
strategies that support student learning.
Assumed knowledge issue #3: Faculty are not well versed in the policies and
procedures. The findings did not validate the knowledge issue that faculty are not well versed
in the academic bridge program’s policies and procedures in relation to attendance and grading
policies. According to both the survey and interviews, all participants are well aware of the
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Participants
I [faculty] am knowledgeable about what strategies might work best
to support student learning
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policies set forth by management. Twenty participants responded that senior management
discussed the attendance policy with the faculty (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Results of Assumed Knowledge Issue #3
This was also confirmed during the interviews where interviewees were able to restate
the grading and attendance components. The interviewees also stated that policies are posted on
each syllabi for each course. Hence, the results suggested that faculty are familiar with the
components and identified the components of the attendance and grading policy.
Assumed knowledge issue #4: Faculty do not have effective methods for carrying out
AUPP policies. The findings from the interviews validated the knowledge issue that faculty do
not have effective methods for carrying out the policies of the AUPP, the bridge program. These
policies include attendance and grading. A question related to the effectiveness of their methods
was asked on both the survey and interview. On the survey, 20 participants either strongly agreed
or agreed that they have effective methods for carrying out AUPP policies. Findings from the
survey question suggested that faculty follow the prescribed attendance policy provided by the
academic bridge year program. Yet, during the interviews, when faculty were asked to explain
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Participants
The attendance policy in the AUPP has been discussed with me [the
faculty] by my senior management team
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their methods of carrying out AUPP policies, their explained methods were inconsistent with
program policies and with each other. It was evident that interviews were more powerful tools to
gain full insight into one’s inner feelings and views. The face-to-face interviews allowed the
faculty to open their hearts and minds to state adamantly how they really felt. The online surveys
lacked this feature. One interviewee adamantly stated, “I have heard about other ways of taking
attendance and grading in the department, but in my opinion, I see a lot of inconsistencies among
colleagues. When others tell me what they do, I listen in case they have a better idea. I haven’t
heard one yet that is better; most are lax to the extreme, and the few others that I like are very
similar to my own expectations.” Another interviewee confirmed the inconsistencies by stating,
“I take attendance at different times throughout the period, to keep my students on their feet. In
my opinion, faculty are pretty much on their own when taking attendance as there is no real
follow-up, only when the student seems to compare their class with others.”
Assumed knowledge issue #5: Faculty do not know how to measure progress toward
student goals. Measuring progress toward students’ goals and making adjustments based on that
progress are essential for students to move from bridge to university programs. At the same time,
the interviews suggest that faculty at AUPP may not know how to measure that progress. This
question was asked on the survey and interview, with the results differing across instruments.
The survey results showed 21 participants either strongly agreed or agreed on faculty being
knowledgeable about the strategies that work best to support student learning. However, when
interviewees were asked what strategies were used in the classroom, the responses were similar
in nature and suggested a lack of knowledge about measuring progress toward student goals. One
interviewee mentioned, “We’re [faculty] constantly learning from our own work to improve
ourselves.” Another interviewee simply mentioned the following statement without providing
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67
further explanation, “Engaging students in the learning process helps them become responsible,
flexible, and productive.” Most of the faculty were dependent on themselves for how to measure
progress and monitor student goals. Others were lacking concrete answers to this question with
simple, vague, general, or unstructured responses that suggested that faculty members work
individually and are unaware of how to measure progress. There is an apparent need for further
training and guidance in this area.
Assumed knowledge issue #6: Faculty do not know how to monitor and adjust their
student learning strategies. When educators speak of classroom monitoring, they generally
refer to questioning students during classroom discussions to check understanding of the
material, circulating around the classroom, assigning, collecting, and correcting homework,
recording grades, conducting periodic reviews with students to confirm their grasp of learning
material and identify gaps in their knowledge, reviewing student performance data collected and
recorded (Fisher & Frey, 2010). Using these data is used to make needed adjustments in
instruction. Knowing how to monitor and adjust student learning strategies is an essential
component of high-quality education. Cotton (n.d.) mentioned the careful monitoring of student
progress is shown to be one of the major factors differentiating effective schools and teachers
from ineffective ones. Monitoring student progress is a strong predictor of student achievement.
The findings here generally validated the assumed knowledge issue that faculty do not know how
to monitor and adjust their student learning strategies. This issue was addressed in both the
survey and the interview. Similar to other assumed issues, there were discrepancies in responses
between the two instruments. On the survey, faculty were asked if they were knowledgeable
about how to create additional learning objectives to supplement the current prescribed learning
objectives. In Figure 6 (below), 21, or 95%, of participants strongly agreed or agreed that they
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68
know how to create additional learning objectives to help supplement and adjust the current
prescribed learning objectives, as needed.

Figure 6. Results of assumed knowledge issue #6
However, during the interviews, participants were asked about the specific strategies they
use in the classroom to monitor and support student learning. Many, if not all, mentioned in
some form that the strategies they use are simply “student-centered.” But, when asked how they
put in place or monitor or adjust those strategies, few details were offered. One interviewee was
aware of the logistics of the class; however, the faculty member did not state what or to what
extent strategies or additional strategies would support student learning. The faculty responded
with the following statement, avoiding the main question, “I have a very interactive classroom.
There is extensive class discussion, problem-solving opportunities, a variety of individual, small
group, and whole group interactions. Faculty are comfortable in the class which lets them
express themselves.” Another interviewee was able to identify the concepts needed in the
classroom, for example specific learning objectives, but was not able to express how these
concepts can be monitored and adjusted to predict student learning and achievement. The
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Participants
I [faculty] know how to create additional learning objectives to help
supplement the current prescribed learning objectives
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69
interviewee mentioned, “Writing lesson plans that are based on multiple intelligence theories is
crucial. It helps to involve all students in the learning process. It is also important to reevaluate
teaching strategies and adopt new ones when needed.” This point was well noted, yet the
question on ‘how’ still remained unanswered. From the six faculty that were interviewed, when
they were asked how strategies were put in or how the strategies they proposed were monitored
or adjusted, few details or explanations were offered.
Synthesis of Results
In this section, based on the findings collected from the survey and the interviews, five
out of the six assumed issued were validated. Five validated faculty knowledge issues were
considered in Chapter 5 in terms of solutions that related to:
 discrepancies between the surveys and interviews and how different response rates to
similar questions were received in regards to online surveys versus face-to-face
interviews;
 how face-to-face interviews allowed for more favorable and candid open-ended responses
than the online surveys permitted;
 faculty do not know how far they are allowed to stray from the provided curricula and
syllabi to create new curricula and learning strategies to support student learning;
 faculty are not knowledgeable about what strategies might work best to support student
learning;
 faculty do not have effective methods for carrying out AUPP policies;
 faculty do not know how to measure progress toward student goals; and
 faculty do not know how to monitor and adjust their student learning strategies.
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70
The validation of these knowledge issues suggests that faculty knowledge in the realms
of factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive must be addressed within AU’s academic
bridge year program for faculty to better support students to successfully advance to AU’s
academic program.
Results and Findings for Motivation Issues
Survey and interview data were used to validate or not validate the assumed motivational
issues. As Clark and Estes (2008) state, choice, persistence, and effort are the three features of
motivated performance. In terms of motivation, the survey and interview questions focused on:
1. What motivational barriers have prevented faculty from creating curricula and strategies
to support student learning and persistence to successfully advance to AU’s academic
program?
2. What motivational barriers have prevented faculty from applying policies and procedures
related to attendance, grading, and learning outcomes as mandated?
Findings from Survey and Interviews
Motivational barriers were identified and classified per each motivational dimension. A
description of the findings related to the three assumed motivational issues, based on the results
of the survey and interviews are shown in Table 5.

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Table 5
Motivational Issues Validated and Not Validated
Assumed Motivational Issues Validated Not Validated
1. Faculty are not motivated to attend workshops,
professional development, or training held on
learning strategies and curriculum development.

2. Faculty are not motivated to apply and persist with
policies and procedures because they change
frequently throughout the year.

3. Faculty do not want to put the mental effort into
creating new curricula.


Assumed motivational issue #1: Faculty are not motivated to attend workshops,
professional development, or training held on learning strategies and curriculum
development. The findings do not validate this motivation issue as faculty are keen in creating
additional learning objectives to help supplement the current learning objectives. Out of the 22
participants in the survey, 17 faculty members confirmed they need to create learning objectives.
In addition, during the interviews, one participant stated, “I am pretty motivated to supplement
my curriculum. I am always looking for another way to reach my students.” Another interviewee
stated, “I look for things that might reach the different learning styles of my students.”
Participants and educators appeared motivated to acquire new learning strategies and participate
in curriculum development, given the skills to do so.
Assumed Motivational Issue #2: Faculty are not motivated to apply and persist with
policies and procedures that continuously change. The findings validated the motivation
issue that faculty are not motivated to apply and persist with policies and procedures as they
change frequently throughout the year. One participant mentioned, “It is disconcerting that the
policies that the Administration sets forth are not adhered to by the Administration!” Policies
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72
change due to vague, unclear measures that occur when any particular incident with a student,
faculty and/or parent might arise. Policies may change throughout the academic year, if needed.
Sometimes policies do not change often enough but need to be changed. Furthermore, due to
very slow procedural change processes in the University and in the country, in general, change is
imminent, and sometimes not fast enough, leaving faculty members demotivated.
The interview question asked to what extent members were motivated to apply and
persist with policies and procedures. During the interviews, four of the six participants suggested
that change causes demotivation. One interviewee stated that continuous change of policies and
procedures conducted by higher management had negative effects on students, and stated, “I
have seen that the frequent changes are a disruption to the students’ learning, morale and
attitudes about the school itself.” This interviewee continued to state, “The ongoing changes
have developed a strong level of distrust among the faculty as well as the student body. My
motivation is challenged on many occasions, but I do my best to go with the flow…” Another
interviewee mentioned, “I don’t really have a choice.” This interviewee went on to state, “I don’t
think things change so drastically anymore, but whenever there’s a new manager, they always
want to change things right away. So, that’s frustrating, especially since they don’t know the
culture here in Saudi yet.” Still another interviewee stated, “It is frustrating when management
imposes a new policy at the mid of academic year; it is not professional. Things need to be set
clear for all from the onset.”
In regards to the survey question on this issue, the participants’ responses reflected
another view. Participants were asked if they were motivated to apply and persist with
attendance and grading policies and procedures even if they change frequently throughout the
year. Of the 22 participants who responded, 15 either agreed or strongly agreed, and seven
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73
disagreed (Figure 7). Again, based on the responses, it appears the interviews in particular
allowed the interviewees to delve deeper and express themselves further in terms of the
relationship between motivation and continuous change.

Figure 7. Results of assumed motivational issue #2
Assumed motivational issue #3: Faculty do not want to put the mental effort into
creating new curricula. As a follow-up to and related to the assumed issue above regarding
motivation to apply and persist with policies and procedures, this issue explores motivational
issues related to creating new curricula. This issue was examined through the interview. Despite
that all interviewees mentioned that their role as faculty is to assist students and help them excel,
faculty who felt that policies continuously change throughout the year expressed apprehension to
exert effort to create any new curricula as change is imminent and might affect many other issues
as well. One interviewee stated, “I am pretty motivated to supplement my curriculum, but it’s an
embarrassment for all when we tell our students one thing, and then later the same day, the rules
have changed.” Another interviewee went on to state, “It is disconcerting that the policies that
the Administration set forth is not adhered to by the Administration themselves!”
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Participants
I [faculty] am motivated to apply and persist with attendance and
grading policies and attendance even if they change frequently
throughout the year
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These underlining messages are clear: continuous change causes disruption, and
disruption causes confusion and distrust among students and faculty. Vroom’s (1964) expectancy
outcome theory model demonstrates these messages in four assumptions. One assumption is that
people expect organizations to entertain to their needs, motivation and experiences, which can
influence how people react to the employer. A second assumption is that people consciously are
free to choose their behavioral level by their level of expectancy. A third assumption is that
people seek alternate things from their employers, for example salary, job security, and career
advancement. The last assumption is that people will optimize personal outcomes by providing
alternatives for themselves. As another interviewee stated, “I do my best in the classroom to
support students in learning to deal with the change and move on to Plan B.”
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Motivation Issues
The results from the survey and interviews support two of the assumed issues for
motivation gaps in this study. Two validated faculty motivation issues are considered in Chapter
Five in terms of solutions:
 Faculty are not motivated to apply and persist with policies and procedures because they
change frequently throughout the year, and
 Faculty do not want to put forth the mental effort into creating new curricula.
The validation of these two motivation issues suggests that faculty are not intrinsically
motivated in the realms of choice, persistence, and effort. The faculty are not choosing to invest
their time to improve, but they are motivated to work toward the best interest of the students as
they understand the role they play in student learning. Therefore, these issues must be addressed
within AU’s academic bridge year program for faculty to better support students and the
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75
administration to successfully enhance the program and curriculum in order to ultimately
advance the students to AU’s academic program.
Results and Findings for Organization Issues
A survey and interviews, two instrumental protocols, were used to validate or not validate
the assumed organizational issues. Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) state that organizational
barriers can lead to poor structures within an organization. As such, the role of cultural models
and cultural settings in organizations is important to understand.
In terms of organization, the survey and interview questions focused on:
1. What organizational barriers have prevented faculty from creating curricula and strategies
to support student learning and persistence to successfully advance to AU’s academic
program?
2. What organizational barriers have prevented faculty from applying policies and
procedures related to attendance, grading and learning outcomes as mandated?
Findings from Survey and Interviews
Organizational barriers were identified and classified per each organizational dimension.
A description of the findings related to the five assumed organizational issues, based on the
results of the survey and interviews, are shown in Table 6.

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Table 6
Organizational Issues Validated, Not Validated, and New
Assumed Issues Validated Not Validated New
1. The bridge program does not
provide adequate preparation for
faculty on the cultural models and
settings in the classroom.

2. Faculty are not praised or
supported for achievement. There
are no awards or incentives for
faculty to improve student
attainment.

3. Leadership does not protect faculty
from consequences they face from
parents and students if policies and
procedures are carried out.

4. The faculty do not have the
essential supplies and equipment
needed to help them function
properly in the cultural setting they
are in.

5. There are no consequences if
faculty do not abide by policies. 

Assumed organizational issue #1: The bridge program does not provide adequate
preparation for faculty cultural models and settings in the classroom. One of the validated
organization issues is that faculty are not receiving adequate preparation for cultural models and
settings in the classroom because the policies and procedures are not explicitly written with these
models in mind. Cultural models are made up of culturally derived ideas and practices that are
embodied, enacted, or instituted in everyday life (Fryberg & Markus, 2007). These ideas and
practices present information on what is good, what is right, and, most importantly, what is not.
Cultural models give shape and enlighten an experience by an individual’s perception, cognition,
emotion, and motivation. These models are so ingrained in people’s everyday lives that one often
presumes that other people share the same ideas and practices. One consequence of these cultural
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models is that they may lead to misconceptions on the part of students and faculty. Faculty come
to AU with quite diverse cultural models, and the organization does not account for these or
prepare faculty to work in an organization with possibly different cultural models and settings
than they may be familiar with. Therefore, being prepared for different cultural models and
settings in any classroom is vital, especially where cultures and traditions are clearly different
than one’s own.
At AU, the findings validated the organization issue that the academic bridge program
does not provide adequate preparation for faculty on the topic of cultural models and settings in
the classroom. The interview question searched for the importance of faculty preparation in
regards to cultural models and settings in the classroom. These models and settings may be
foreign to those faculty who are coming from different countries. Many faculty bring their own
cultural models and settings encountered in other programs from around the world. There are a
sizable number of faculty who have not previously lived or worked in the region. Hence, the
organizational issue is that the program is not adequately preparing faculty for these models and
settings faculty will be walking into.
Assumed organizational issue #2: Faculty are not praised or supported for
achievement. Another validated organizational influence on student educational attainment is
that faculty are not praised or supported for their achievements, and there are no rewards or
incentives for faculty to help improve student attainment. The survey stated, “The management
team has the faculty’s best interests in mind.” Out of 22 respondents, 12, or 55%, either
disagreed or strongly disagreed (Figure 8). This clearly indicates that faculty do not feel
supported or praised by the management team.
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Figure 8. Results of Assumed Organizational Issue #2
During the interviews, one interviewee stated, “This university at the highest levels and
in several departments are sorely lacking in morals, ethics, and accountability.” Faculty feel
underrepresented and sense they do not receive the feedback in their achievements they deserve.
Another faculty stated, “Despite management trying to supply us with technology and office
supplies, the real feeling of achievement seems to be missing. We are evaluated in classes, but
the focus is more on what we need to improve than what we have achieved.” This clearly gets to
the culture of the organization of not imparting the importance of achievement to the faculty. If
there are no incentives for faculty to achieve, there will be consequences for improving
educational attainment at the bridge program.
Assumed organizational issue #3: Leadership does not protect faculty from
consequences they face from parents and students. The findings validated the organizational
issue that leadership does not protect faculty from parents and students if policies and procedures
are carried out correctly. The concern is that faculty may be hesitant to carry out attendance and
grading policies that may result in student and parent complaints with no protection from
leadership. The interview question explicitly asked faculty to what extent senior leadership do or
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Participants
The management team has the faculty’s best interest in mind
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79
do not protect faculty from consequences they face from parents and students if policies and
procedures are carried out. The majority of the interviewees, five out of six, expressed the
sentiment that senior management does not protect faculty from parents and students should the
policies be adhered to. One interviewee adamantly expressed her confirmation by stating, “They
[the administration] do not follow their own policies and procedures which creates a disaster for
the faculty.” Another interviewee mentioned, “Any parent with enough clout can come in and
demand anything they want.” One of the six interviewees who did not directly confirm this
assumed issue mentioned, “I’ve never faced this personally…,” yet continued to state further into
the interview, “In other colleges, however, I think there have been some situations where faculty
members were not supported even though they had been generous to their students and had
repeatedly warned students of the policies.” During the interview, the interviewees were asked
their views on how senior management protects faculty from consequences they face from
parents. One of the interviewees immediately made the terse statement, “In my experience, our
administration does not support or protect our faculty. This lack of support creates a very
negative atmosphere and good faculty may leave because of these things. I think it’s important
that if there are rules, they should be followed by everyone.”
In addition, the survey results validated this assumed issue. The survey stated, “The
leadership team protects faculty from consequences they face from parents and students if
policies and procedures are carried out.” Just over half of the respondents either disagreed or
strongly disagreed. Out of 22 respondents, 12, or 55%, disagreed or strongly disagreed (Figure
9).
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Figure 9. Results of Assumed Organizational Issue #3
Assumed organizational issue #4: The faculty do not have the essential supplies and
equipment needed to help them function properly in the cultural setting they are in. The
findings did not validate the organization issue that faculty do not have the essential supplies and
equipment needed to function properly. The faculty stated that the classrooms were equipped
with the needed SmartBoards, Internet usage, access for both faculty and students to the
immense research database provided, and how the IT department continuously supplement the e-
Library with new material, sources, and publications.
New assumed organizational issue # 5: There are no consequences if faculty do not
abide by policies. During the interviews, a new organizational issue surfaced, which is that
there are no clear consequences when faculty do not abide by the policies set by management.
One interviewee stated, “Policies reflect the organization and helps management to know how
their policies are being implemented, by whom and what the consequences are for non-
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Participants
The leadership team protects faculty from consequences they face
from parents and students if policies and procedures are carried out
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81
compliance.” Two other interviewees mentioned the importance of how management needs to
provide clear and explicit input into policies that reflect the importance of culture and religion in
particular in the Middle East. One interviewee mentioned, “Without management’s input, faculty
can pretty much have the freedom to do as they please in the classroom.” This particular
interviewee continued to expand on the comment and stated, “Newly arrived faculty should be
kept aware of the cultural sensitivity in this part of the world, such as not to show inappropriate
clips, videos, comments, text, etcetera, in the classroom, that can and will lead to disrespect of
the culture and religion.” Another interviewee spoke candidly about how management does not
provide consequences for faculty who do not abide by the policies and procedures set by the
administration. One faculty stated, “There are no consequences for the teachers that don’t
[follow rules].” The lack of preparation of faculty to the cultural models and settings in the
classrooms at the academic bridge program in combination with a lack of consequences for not
abiding by policies is a barrier to faculty’s ability to improve student educational attainment.
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Organization Issues
The results and findings from the survey and interviews support that there are
organizational gaps in the AUPP. As Gallimore and Goldenberg (1993) state, the sociocultural
theory is to clarify how individual mental work is identified with social, institutional, and
historical connections. This theory stresses the interaction between developing people and the
culture in which they live. Thus, the contributions of the university offered to their faculty are
important for individual development.
Without adequate information provided to faculty regarding the perspective in Saudi
Arabia on cultural models in the classroom, without supportive praise on faculty achievement,
and without protection from parents and students for faculty who abide by the policies and
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82
procedures set by management, the effects on creating curricula and strategies to support student
learning as well as applying policies and procedures related to attendance, grading, and learning
outcomes can all be negatively affected. Ultimately, these organizational influences come
together to hinder educational achievement of students in the bridge program.
In summary, these organization issues must be addressed within AU’s foundation year
program for administration to better support faculty so that they are better able to support and
advance students to AU’s academic program.
Summary of Validated Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Needs
The research confirmed assumed issues identified through preliminary scanning, a literature
review, and learning and motivation theory. Based on interviews and surveys, 10 of the original
13 assumed issues were validated and one additional issue identified. These cut across six
knowledge issues, three motivation issues, and five organizational issues. Table 7 summarized
the findings.

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Table 7
Summary of Assumed Knowledge, Motivational and Organizational Issues and New Issues
Category Assumed Issue Validated

Not
Validated
New
Issue
Knowledge
Faculty do not know how far they are
allowed to stray from the provided
curricula and syllabi to create new
curricula and learning strategies to support
student learning.

Faculty are not knowledgeable about what
strategies might work best to support
student learning.

Faculty do not have effective methods for
carrying out AUPP policies.

Faculty are not well versed in the policies
and procedures.

Faculty do not know how to measure
progress toward student goals.

Faculty do not know how to monitor and
adjust their student learning strategies.













Motivational
Faculty are not motivated to attend
workshops, professional development, or
training held on learning strategies and
curriculum development.

Faculty are not motivated to apply and
persist with policies and procedures
because they change frequently throughout
the year.

Faculty do not want to put the mental
effort into creating new curricula.







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Table 7, continued
Category Assumed Issue Validated

Not
Validated
New
Issue
Organizational
The bridge program does not provide
adequate preparation for faculty on the
cultural models and settings in the
classroom.

Faculty are not praised or supported for
achievement. There are no awards or
incentives for faculty to improve student
attainment.

Leadership does not protect faculty from
consequences they face from parents and
students if policies and procedures are
carried out.
The faculty do not have the essential
supplies and equipment needed to help
them function properly in the cultural
setting they are in.

There are no consequences if faculty do
not abide by policies.











The next chapter presents potential solutions for the validated knowledge, motivation and
organizational issues. All solutions offered are evidence-based and derived from relevant
research and case studies.

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CHAPTER FIVE: SOLUTIONS, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION
The organizational performance goal for this study was that by spring 2018, the bridge
program at AU would improve admission rates into AU from 62% to 85%. The program’s goal
is to provide students with the required skills, knowledge, and advising needed to help them
move into the next stages of their academic careers. A total of 13 assumed issues thought to be
contributing to the challenges the AUPP faces in improving educational attainment at the bridge
program level were examined through a needs analysis framework (Clark & Estes, 2008). The
previous chapter presented findings that validated 10 of these 13 issues and identified one
additional issue. This chapter proposes solutions to address each of these 11 validated issues.
The gap analysis framework divides the dimensions of knowledge, motivation, and
organization in categories in order to identify root issues that may be hindering or preventing
improvement. However, Chapter Four highlighted the interrelated nature of these dimensions as,
in practice, they do not operate independently. These interconnectivities allow for solutions to
address multiple issues of performance gaps across the three categories in a systemic and holistic
manner, which must be addressed when being accounting for successful solutions. The proposed
solutions need to be constructed to improve the validated issues without negatively affecting
current policies that bring about a positive change to various components of the university. The
following is a discussion of proposed solutions with specific expected outcomes, which are
followed by an implementation and evaluation plan.
Validated Issues
The data collected confirmed that knowledge, motivation, and organizational barriers
exist, delaying the stakeholder’s ability to help close the educational attainment gap at the bridge
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86
program of AU. The assumed issues validated are summarized in Table 8. Solutions are
proposed in this chapter to address these issues.
Three solutions proposed in this chapter will, together, address, to some degree, all 11
validated issues and include the dimensions of knowledge, motivation, and organization. The
solutions are to improve recruitment and hiring to establish and foster quality teaching at AU’s
bridge program; to build and design tailored training programs; and to establish strong lines of
communication with all stakeholders in regards to policy changes and implementation.
Table 8
Summary of Validated Issues Including New Issue
Knowledge

 Faculty do not know how far they are allowed to stray from the provided curricula.
and syllabi to create new curricula and learning strategies to support student learning.
 Faculty are not knowledgeable about what strategies might work best to support
student learning.
 Faculty do not have effective methods for carrying out AUPP policies.
 Faculty do not know how to measure progress toward student goals.
 Faculty do not know how to monitor and adjust their student learning strategies.
Motivation

 Faculty are not motivated to apply and persist with policies and procedures
because they change frequently throughout the year.
 Faculty do not want to put the mental effort into creating new curricula.
Organization

 The bridge program does not provide adequate preparation for faculty on
the cultural models and settings in the classroom.
 Faculty are not praised or supported for achievement. There are no
awards or incentives for faculty to improve student attainment.
 Leadership does not protect faculty from consequences they face from
parents and students if policies and procedures are carried out.
 There are no consequences if faculty do not abide by policies. (new)

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Solutions
AU prides itself on three main pillars: teaching, research, and service. The primary
objective of the proposed solutions is to focus on one of the three pillars, teaching, that will
eventually help increase student performance and increase acceptance rates into the university
after joining and completing the bridge program. After assessing the protocol instruments used in
this study with the assistance of Professor Ricardo Santa, Assistant Professor of Quality and
Innovation in the college of business at AU, a brief theoretical model stemmed and evolved,
which included a few constructs that led to the primary objective of the proposed solutions for
this dissertation. Figure 10 depicts three main constructs that include policies (which
incorporates knowledge), motivation, and organization. These three constructs combine to yield
learning, with a final output of positive performance, which is the main goal.

Figure 10. Three Solution Constructs Yield Learning and Ultimately Positive Performance
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As illustrated in Figure 10, without combining all three constructs of policies, motivation,
and organization, learning, and eventually performance can be negatively affected. This was seen
in the data when one of the constructs, lack of consistent policies, led to a lack of learning and
ultimately lack of performance on the part of students. Second, without this structure in place to
support such a model, frustration will also likely result. This, again, was seen in the data findings
when faculty who do not follow policy bear no consequences. This causes frustrations for those
faculty who do follow policy. This will eventually yield to lack of learning and eventually
performance by faculty. Balance of the three constructs needs to be evident to reap positive
results. Hence, this model led to three proposed solutions that reflect the validated assumed
issues.
Solution 1. Improve recruitment and hiring to foster quality teaching in the bridge program
as part of the university’s strategic plan;
Solution 2. Offer faculty continuous quality training and assessments; and
Solution 3. Provide open lines of communication to help further promote increased
performance and production by the faculty and lead to the results needed by the program.
Solution 1: Improve Recruitment and Hiring to Foster Quality Teaching
The fundamental changes in employment over the past 50 years in OECD countries
imply a rise in the demand for non-routine cognitive and interpersonal skills and a decline in the
demand for routine cognitive and craft skills, physical labor, and repetitive physical tasks in
regards to employment (OECD, 2012). Graduates enter a universe of more prominent instability,
speed, risk, intricacy, and interdisciplinary work. Higher education establishments need to
guarantee that the instruction they offer meets the expectations of students and the prerequisites
of businesses, both today and the future. Quality education is needed to deliver learning results to
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students. Hence, this solution of improving recruitment and hiring measures to help promote
quality teaching helps address the validated issues that include knowledge of how far faculty can
stray from the curricula, knowledge of what teaching strategies should be used, knowledge of
what measures should be used toward student goals, and knowledge on how to monitor and
adjust teaching and learning strategies.
The OECD (2012) published a guide developed by the Institutional Management of
Higher Education to assist higher education leaders and practitioners in fostering quality
teaching. This guide suggests that quality education requires a few measurements, including the
compelling outline of educational modules and course content, an assortment of learning settings
(including guided autonomous study, venture-based learning, collective learning, and
experimentation), requesting and utilizing input, and successful appraisal of learning results
(Henard & Roseveare, 2012).
With this view of learning, the role of higher education faculty is evolving. In addition,
higher education educators need to be increasingly familiar with new approaches to transmit
information and accountable for having compelling pedagogical aptitudes for conveying new
learning results. Cishe (2014) asserts that quality teaching in higher education is the use of
pedagogical techniques to produce learning outcomes for students. Furthermore, for quality
teaching to be effective, it should involve well-adapted learning environments and student
support services (Cishe, 2014). Felder and Brent (1999) refer to good teaching as a lasting
attainment of the knowledge, skills, and values that lead to effective learning. In order to enhance
student learning, a focus on quality teaching initiatives is required.
The support for quality teaching needs to start at the institution level, then move to the
program level, and finally to the individual level (Henard & Roseveare, 2012). All three are
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important and interdependent on one another. However, “supporting quality teaching at the
program level is key so as to ensure improvement in quality teaching at the discipline level and
across the institution” (Henard & Roseveare, 2012). Demands for accountability that relate to the
quality of teaching and learning in higher education institutions increase, and this calls for higher
education institutions to find ways of providing evidence in measurable ways of what they are
doing to improve teaching and learning (Strydom, Basson, & Mentz, 2012). Regardless of size,
public or private, it is important that all postsecondary institutions develop a reputation for
excellence in teaching (Senge, 1990).
At the institutional level, AU’s mission statement on its website states “a student-
centered university which creates and disseminates knowledge through world-class
undergraduate and graduate education programs, research and service that benefit the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, the region and the world, and stimulate the development of knowledge-based
economies.” To achieve their mission, AU needs to support quality instruction that takes a long-
term outlook and requires a lasting institutional responsibility starting from the top
administration of the university and can be designed consistently to the program and individual
levels.
The quality of the faculty and a supportive professional culture in higher education
institutes are key to the effectiveness of teaching and learning (Cishe, 2014). Research through
Gravett and Geyser (2004) also reiterates that it is the quality of the learning experience that
determines successful learning. Cross (1990) suggests that “most professors are naïve observers
of teaching in addition to being naïve practitioners of the art and science of teaching” (p. 10).
She contends that “professors do not know enough about the intricate processes of teaching and
learning to be able to learn from their own constant exposure to the classroom…as they are not
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prepared to observe the more subtle measures of learning” (p. 10). Cross stresses that college
professors should know “how to teach, not in an amateur way, in which some classes go well and
others do not. [Rather, professors] need to know how to teach in an expert way, with the ability
to diagnose, analyze, evaluate, prescribe, and most importantly, improve the quality of teaching
and learning in the college classroom” (Cross, 1990, p. 11). In any organization, recruiting
quality professors is key to the success of any institute. International teaching experience is
another important factor in the recruitment process. Teaching international students require
special training and understanding that include differences in languages, culture, traditions,
religion, etc., that can cause challenges in the classroom. Hire faculty with international
experience assists the challenges that a faculty member will face in the country, on the university
campus, in the classroom, and on an individual basis. Hence, enhanced recruitment strategies and
implementation plans will be an essential component to addressing the gap in students’ ability to
successfully transition from the bridge program to AU. Specific policies for AU to enhance the
recruitment and hiring of quality faculty in the bridge program will be outlined in the
comprehensive implementation section of this chapter.
Solution 2: Develop Professional Training Programs
This solution will address the validated issues that touch on knowledge, motivation, and
organization. In regards to knowledge, this solution will address how to assist in creating new
curricula, learn the latest teaching strategies to support student learning, and understand how to
measure student progress. Ongoing training and assessment also address the organization’s
validated issues around the importance of cultural models and settings in the classroom and the
importance of policy and its implementation.
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Randall, Heaslip, and Morrison (2013) highlight the importance of professional learning,
including the active nature it must take. Hence, a quality training program for the faculty needs
to be developed to address the validated issues. Teaching the scholar how to teach is not a new
concept. However, educators and administrators are encouraged and sometimes required to
attend professional development seminars, trainings, and certificated programs to enhance their
teaching. Milton (1972) argued that even though significant research about learning has been
published, “faculty do not have the time, the familiarity with its specialized language, or the
inclination to avail themselves of the literature…” (p. ix). In comparison to primary and
secondary teachers, most college and university professors receive minimal or no training in
educational theory and methodology (Cahn, 1978). Instead, large universities focus on producing
scholarly research.
A proposed training program offered by reputable organizations locally or abroad can
specifically focus on how to redesign the curricula, how to bridge teaching and research more
intensively, how to rethink student workload and teaching load, how to continuously upgrade in
pedagogy, use of technologies, and assessment models aligned with student-centered learning,
how to motivate employees, and how to communicate more effectively with others in a business
environment.
Research suggests that “learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the
transformation of experience” (McLeod, 2013), and training is most effective when it is
applicable to the stakeholders’ actual work environment (McLeod, 2013). Actual examples of
utilization can help faculty divide their knowledge into manageable schema that stakeholders are
more likely to retain in long-term memory and, therefore, apply in response to similar situations
(Kirschner et al., 2010). Training increases the likelihood that the skills will become automated,
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thereby increasing stakeholder efficiency and ability to focus on other tasks (Kirschner et al.,
2010). Effective training sessions also provide a physical demonstration rather than assume that
employees have read the training materials.
Solution 3: Communication Culture
Communication is one of the most dominant and important activities in organizations
(Harris & Nelson, 2008). Communication can help motivate, build trust, create shared identity,
and spur engagement; it provides a way for individuals to express emotions, share hopes and
ambitions, and celebrate and remember accomplishments. Communication is the basis for
individuals and groups to make sense of their organization: what it is and what it means. Hence,
this solution will address the validated issues that touch on motivation and organizational issues,
more specifically on the lines of communication within the organization, the importance of
policies and their consequences should they not be reinforced, the importance of faculty reward
and recognition within the department, and the importance of the faculty’s role in the
department.
Internal communication is an essential aspect of organizational change; it is the “key
variable in almost all change efforts, diversity initiatives and motivation” (Harris & Nelson,
2008), and “some even argue that internal communication is the most fundamental driver of
business performance” (Gay, Mahoney, & Graves, 2005). Research shows that effective internal
communications help increase employee job satisfaction, morale, productivity, commitment,
trust, and learning; improve communication climate and relationships with the public; and
enhance quality, revenues, and earnings. Here are some examples:
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 Polls conducted in the US and UK state that more than 80% of employees report
communication influences their desire to stay with or leave an organization. Nearly a
third said communication was a “big influence” on their decision (Burton, 2006).
 The 200 “most admired” companies spent more than three times as much on employee
communications as the 200 “least admired” (Seitel, 2004).
 Employees’ satisfaction with communication in their organizations is linked to
productivity, job performance, organizational commitment, and satisfaction (Gray &
Laidlaw, 2004).
Communication is a two-way street. According to Harris and Nelson (2008), the most
used channel is listening, which consumes about half of our communication time (Johnson,
1996). Yet, many studies suggest that the majority of people lack listening skills, and few
institutions devote resources to developing listening skills in managers and leaders (Alessandra
& Hunsaker, 1993). Effective listening is crucial to learning, understanding, conflict resolution,
and productive teamwork. It helps leaders at all levels improve employee morale, retain
employees, and uncover and resolve problems.
This open communication solution will address specific validated issues. Better
communication within the bridge program will help address some of the knowledge, motivation,
and organizational issues that prevent faculty from successfully preparing students to continue at
AU.
Implementation Plan
The gap analysis framework provided a method to delve into knowledge, motivation, and
organizational issues. The solutions provided combine to address the validated issues and are all
linked to the importance of performance. The proposed solutions all support the need to close the
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educational attainment gap by focusing on the faculty. With the implementation of each solution,
AU will develop as an institution that instills into its culture a practice of quality teaching and
learning for continuous improvement around policy, motivation, and organization.
The implementation plan presented here will first focus on the solution to improve
faculty recruitment and hiring to foster quality education. Next, implementation of the other two
solutions–offering faculty continuous training and opening lines of communication–will then be
discussed. The first solution, discussed here, requires the director and dean of AUPP to focus on
the improvement of their recruitment and hiring processes and strategies. Employees are crucial
to a successful business. For this reason, it is essential that employers recruit and hire the right
people. The policy being implemented will discuss how to improve the recruitment and hiring
processes and strategies that AU currently has in place. This policy implementation is important
to ensure the quality of teaching available to bridge students and to reduce wasted resources.
Many recruits come through the door who are not the right fit for the program, while AU has
spent considerable resources in visa processing, airline tickets, housing, and shipping. Solid
recruiting and hiring strategies are essential both to instill an effective teaching force that will
increase the quality of teaching and to help reduce margin of error in recruiting costs. The
recruitment and hiring strategies will focus on three areas:
1. Improve recruitment by attracting talent to Alfaisal University.
2. Improve the quality of hired professionals through more stringent selection.
3. Improve the number of qualified candidates who accept positions through streamlined
and efficient processes.
Implementing this solution and the underlying strategies will require action steps, human
resources, costs, and time. These implementation components are discussed below.
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Key Implementation Action Steps and Human Resource and Cost Implications
A number of major actions need to take place in order to support and operationalize the
implementation of improvements in the recruitment processes and strategies for the AU bridge
program. At AU, a recruiting chair and committee are in place. However, the recruiting and
hiring processes need to be defined and refined in a more systematic and concise manner.
Specific actions and human resource requirements need to be clear and documented to all
members to allow for the recruitment and hiring of high qualified teachers and to improve
accountability on all levels of the recruiting process. In terms of attracting outstanding talent to
AU, some of the actions the university will need to undertake include producing job postings that
are attractive, updated, and detailed and posting these using the latest technology sites. A
recruiting committee (RC) needs to be reformed and members re-designated to follow the
postings, download the curriculum vitae (CV) and required documents, and forward the relevant
documents to the committee for immediate review. One possible alternative is to hire a recruiting
company that can begin to filter all the documents carefully and help recruit high caliber
candidates, but this has a budgetary component that AU would need to consider. The RC should
create and maintain a strong database of candidates and revisit previous high-quality candidates
from the past. The job postings need to specifically state AU’s interest in hiring ‘innovators’ to
possibly attract and widen the pool of candidates.
In terms of assessing the interviewees more stringently, prior to the scheduled interview,
an approved competencies rubric should be developed with RC members reviewing CVs and
required documents together and highlighting any points of concern that need to be addressed. In
addition, real problems should be added to the interview to allow for more thought-provoking
discussions. The RC should also ask candidates for their job acceptance criteria. Knowing what
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they are seeking might assist the process in determining who might accept the offer or not.
Furthermore, the RC should seriously consider asking each to candidate illustrate an actual
lesson in front of the committee–either taped or live. An important key component when
attracting talent to AU is to carefully assess if candidates have had international experience as
this adds to one’s portfolio and can reduce the culture shock many experience when working
overseas. Lastly, the RC must request references and follow through by making the calls and
asking pertinent information about the candidate.
These last action steps are crucial in terms of streamlined and efficient processes for these
recruitment strategies. The RC chair should elevate the recommended decisions to the
department council, and, once approved, the department chair should turn over the council’s
recommendation to the college dean. Final decisions on each candidate need to be made in a
timely manner, and, accordingly, candidates need to be notified of their offer letter in a timely
manner. Once a candidate accepts an offer, human resources (HR) and government relations
(GR) need to be informed immediately as work visa processing can take up to 2-3 months, if not
more. HR and GR should be on board to process the needed paperwork in order to meet the
deadlines for the candidate’s arrival. The RC chair needs to continue to touch base with the
candidate to confirm his/her continued interest in the job. The RC needs to continue to track and
record application offers for all hires and use that information to propose revisions to shorten the
timeframe process. Table 9 outlines these action steps as well as a timeframe for their
implementation.
Implementation Timeline for Recruitment and Hiring
Timeframes for implementing the suggested action steps allow for direction, guidance,
and time management throughout the recruitment process. Table 9 outlines the three areas in
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which recruitment and hiring strategies will be put in place for the overall solution to foster
quality teaching in the bridge program.

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Table 9
Summary Implementation Plan for Recruitment and Hiring
Improve Recruitment and Hiring
Proposed Solution: Action Steps: Timeframe:
1. Improve the recruitment
strategies by attracting
talent to (AU)
Attract talent (outstanding faculty) by
producing job postings that are
attractive, updated and detailed.
October 2016 for RC team to produce
job postings approved by department
chair and dean, then ongoing process.
Load postings using latest, common
and well-known technology sites.
November 2016 and ongoing to load
postings.
Designate someone to follow the
postings and download the required
documents and submit to the
appropriate assigned person in a timely
manner.
November 2016 and ongoing process
for RC member to track and download
CVs and required documents.
Possibly hire professional recruiter to
assist in the search of high caliber
candidates.
If Dean approves this action, search for
recruiter(s) in November 2016.
Create and maintain a strong database
of candidates, and revisit previous
high-quality candidates.
Create database by November 2016 and
ongoing thereafter.
Specifically state on job postings that
AU is seeking ‘innovators’ to possibly
attract and widen the pool of
candidates.
November 2016 during creation of job
posting.
2. Improve the quality of
hired professionals through
more stringent selection.
Prior to the scheduled interview, using
approved competencies rubric, all
Recruiting Committee (RC) members
must review CVs and documents
required together and highlight any
points/concerns that need to be
addressed.
Starting December 2016, interviews are
arranged; RC team reviews CVs and
required documents and brainstorms
thought-provoking questions and
problems prior to each scheduled
interview.
Prior to the interview, add real
problems to the interview to allow for
more thought-provoking discussions.
December 2016 and ongoing to
accommodate interviewee.
Accommodate the interviewee in terms
of interview date and time as much as
possible despite the time differences.
December 2016 and ongoing.
Ask candidates for their job acceptance
criteria. Knowing what they are seeking
might assist the process in determining
who might accept the offer or not.
December 2016 and ongoing.
Ask candidates to illustrate an actual
lesson in front of the RC–taped or live.
December 2016 and ongoing during
interview.

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Table 9, continued
Improve Recruitment and Hiring
Proposed Solution: Action Steps: Timeframe:
Carefully assess if candidates have had
international experience as this adds to
one’s portfolio and can reduce the
culture shock many experience when
working overseas.
December 2016 and ongoing during
interview.
Request references and follow through
by making the calls to ask pertinent
information about the candidate.
December 2016 and ongoing during
interview.
3. Improve the number of
qualified candidates who
accept positions through
streamlined and efficient
processes.
RC chair should elevate the
recommended decisions to the
department council and once approved,
the department chair turns over the
council’s recommendation to the
college dean immediately. Final
decisions on each candidate needs to be
made in a timely manner.
December 2016 and ongoing to elevate
recommended decisions.
Notify candidate of their offer letter in a
timely manner.
December 2016 and ongoing.
Once candidates accept offer, human
resources (HR) and government
relations (GR) need to be informed
immediately. Work visa processing
takes a minimum of 2-3 months.
December 2016 and ongoing.
HR and GR should be on board to
process the needed paperwork in order
to meet the deadlines for the
candidate’s arrival.
December 2016 and ongoing.
Continue to touch base with the
candidate to confirm his/her continued
interest in the job.
December 2016 and ongoing.
Track and record application offers for
all hires and use that information to
proposed revisions to shorten time
frame process.
December 2016 and ongoing.

Implementing Faculty Training
AU’s bridge program needs to prioritize quality teaching as part of its effort to improve
student preparation from the bridge program to AU. Implementing quality teaching as an
objective in the Strategic Plan will signify the university’s commitment to fostering continuous
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improvement in teaching. To ensure consistency throughout the institution, both at the program
and individual levels, AU will require raising awareness of quality teaching by obtaining full
cooperation and engagement from the community (full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty). The
following will need to be implemented:
 align student assessments to the framework;
 provide continuous training sessions, ongoing discussions, and opportunities to
discuss the importance of quality teaching;
 engage research-inspired teaching;
 provide support for faculty to foster quality teaching so that their engagement
does not undermine their careers as researchers;
 engage bridge program students in carrying out research as part of the teaching
and learning strategy and encourage and support students to publish their
research;
 demonstrate how research informs teaching;
 develop bridge program students’ research skills; and
 interchange professional development for teaching and research so as to increase
mutual learning.
Table 10 outlines this proposed solution as well as its implementation and potential risks.
Implementing a Communication Culture
Mayo (1933) and his Harvard colleagues found that employees who work in supportive
environments tend to outperform those who work in less favorable conditions. AU needs to build
a stronger communication culture to help close the communication gaps that have been made
apparent by the data. Blake and Mouton (1964) developed a Managerial Grid to help train
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managers in leadership styles that would stimulate employees’ cognitive contributions, satisfy
needs, and help the organization succeed. The team-management style has a high concern for
both people and production. Quality control, decentralized organizations, and total quality
management and employee participation groups are indicators of this approach. Regular face-to-
face channels that include speeches, team meetings, focus groups, social events and gatherings,
are just a few ways to improve the communication culture on campuses. Barnard (1938), an
AT&T executive, highlighted the role of executives and their role in communication. He stressed
the importance of formal and informal communications to the organization’s success and argued
that collaboration among employees and supervisors is crucial to improving productivity. In his
view, the key to cooperation is communication: “The most universal form of human cooperation,
and perhaps the most complex, is speech,” he wrote (cited in Modaff, et al., 2008). Ongoing two-
way communication is the foundation for employee motivation and organizational success. Two-
way communication provides continuous feedback, which is crucial to learning and processing
organizational change.
Provide personalized coaching. Employees lack motivation when they are not
performing well but are unsure of what they are doing wrong. Providing personalized coaching
helps employees improve their performance and achieve organizational goals. A principal way to
help employees improve their performance is to offer feedback. Unlike an employee appraisal,
feedback should occur close in time to the task being completed. Feedback should be based on
actual performance and avoid opinions. Managers who provide biased opinions will give
employees a lack of motivation to obtain any goals. When providing feedback, an employer
should listen and address the employee’s concerns.
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Internal communication is described as the essential component to change management
(Deetz, et al., 2000). Examples include developing and communicating a shared vision, using
approaches to help manage understanding and meanings (stories, rituals, and slogans), increasing
employee participation in decision making, demonstrating ethical values, communicating in a
timely fashion, and addressing signs of trouble (Deetz, et al., 2000).
All in all, successful implementation of communication strategies will improve the
university’s likelihood of achieving its goal of closing the educational attainment gap for
students moving from the bridge program to the university level. Table 10 summarizes this
proposed solution as well as its implementation and potential risks.
Table 10
Findings, Implementation, and Potential Risks for Proposed Training and Communication
Solutions
Findings Solutions Implementation Potential Risks
KNOWLEDGE
Faculty do not know how
far they are allowed to
stray from the provided
curricula and syllabi to
create new curricula and
learning strategies to
support student learning.
Evaluate and devise
quality training programs.

Assess current training
procedures.

Identify methods of
monitoring faculty and
stakeholders to oversee
training.
Faculty schedules can be
challenging to coordinate
convenient times for all.

Hiring of professional
training organizations are
dictated by the financial
resources available.
Faculty are not
knowledgeable about
what strategies might
work best to support
student learning.

Faculty do not have
effective methods for
carrying out AUPP
policies.
Hire professional training
organizations to tailor
specific programs that
will meet the issues and
needs of department.

Determine training
process and supplemental
materials.

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Table 10, continued
Findings Solutions Implementation Potential Risks
KNOWLEDGE
Faculty do not know how
to measure progress
toward student goals.

Faculty do not know how
to monitor and adjust
their student learning
strategies.

Conduct training and
develop protocol to repeat
principles of training
through reinforcement
and constant reminders.

MOTIVATION
Faculty are not motivated
to apply and persist with
policies and procedures
because they change
frequently throughout the
year.

Faculty do not want to put
the mental effort into
creating new curricula.
Evaluate and devise
quality training programs.

Hire professional training
organizations to tailor
specific programs that
will meet the issues and
needs of department.

Provide incentives.

Provide personalized
coaching.
Resistance by faculty can
still be evident.

ORGANIZATION
The bridge program does
not provide adequate
preparation for faculty on
the cultural models and
settings in the classroom.

Faculty are not praised or
supported for
achievement. There are
no awards or incentives
for faculty to improve
student attainment.

Evaluate and devise
quality training programs.

Provide open lines of
communication via
training sessions on
cultural sensitivity both in
and out of the classroom.

Provide an ongoing
communication culture
between administration
and faculty.

Hire professional
coaching organizations
prior and during faculty
arrival.

Connect new faculty with
mentors or coaches.

Provide incentives.

Culture shock by faculty.

Effect on organizational
culture: staff may feel
threatened by information
received prior to arrival
and decide to cancel
contract last minute.

Faculty are hesitance in
speaking to superiors
within the organization.

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Table 10, continued
Findings Solutions Implementation Potential Risks
ORGANIZATION
Leadership does not
protect faculty from
consequences they face
from parents and students
if policies and procedures
are carried out.

There are no
consequences if faculty
do not abide by policies.

Provide open lines of
communication.

Senior management needs
to be visible and open for
internal communication.
Visibility is the first and
most basic form of non-
verbal communication for
leaders.

Senior management need
to be credible; they need
to match their words to
their actions to the extent
to which employees will
trust, commit to, and
follow leaders.

Share set policies that
provide clear directives
along with consequences
to allow for transparency.

Superiors might derail
consequences to help
retain faculty.

Evaluation Plan
After implementation, there needs to be an evaluation plan for the proposed solutions to
determine if the solutions effectively close the organization’s knowledge, motivation, and
organizational performance gaps (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). Evaluation will empower
AU to help enhance and improve the implemented plan and assess the effectiveness of the
solutions (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick’s (2006) four levels of
evaluation will be connected here as the basis of the evaluation plan. Level one, reaction,
measures how people react to the particular plan or program (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006).
Level two, learning, determines the level of learning and change obtained as a result of the
implemented solution (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). Level three, behavior, assesses the
level to which the implemented solution changes a participant’s behavior (Kirkpatrick &
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Kirkpatrick, 2006). The final level of evaluation measures the results of the implementation plan
and determines whether the solutions are viable and whether the needed results were actually
obtained for the organization (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006).
Reactions
The first level of evaluation will measure how participants react to change. If AU
succeeds in implementing the solutions to improve recruitment and hiring and promoting strong
and continuous training sessions to foster and develop quality teaching programs and enhance
strong lines of communication, AU will notice a positive reaction stemming from high
organizational morale (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick (2006). When all participants in the process
have a positive reaction, this will increase motivation within the group and the organization
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006).
A common method of assessing participant reactions to a training program is to provide
course training evaluation sheets that specifically assess participants’ motivation including value,
interest, and efficacy. Within the training sessions, managers ask short, brief but informative
five-point Likert scale questions to assess the needed information from the participants, such as
inquire on how far they are able to stray from the curricula and syllabi (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2006). Questions on cultural models and settings in the classroom can be asked; for
example, during orientation sessions, inquire on how useful the informational sheet was that
faculty received before their arrival to Saudi Arabia. Additional comments, suggestions, and
responses are highly encouraged for future improvements within the organization (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2006). After scores are tabulated and studied and a baseline is created, scores that do
not move from the baseline indicate changes to be made to the solution plan and needs to be
reassessed (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006).
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Learning
Learning measures the amount of information the stakeholders have acquired and the
noticeable level of change that occurred (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). Participants’
achievement of the level of learning required has an impact on the next level, behavioral change
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006).
This level of learning in the implementation plan is difficult to assess, and for this control
groups are suggested (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). At AU, a questionnaire can be sent to a
random sample of the participant faculty asking about their learning and changes in their
behavior. In addition, at the training sessions, pre- and post-assessments of faculty can be
conducted by initiating open discussions. For example, ideas may include
1. Inquire on the faculty’s current understanding on how far they can stray from the syllabi;
2. Ask faculty to complete questions about their current knowledge (before and after the
session) on how far can they stray from the syllabi;
3. Provide an end-of-year cultural assessment or survey, asking the same cultural questions
that were posed at the start of the academic year; and
4. View faculty knowledge as this might have an impact on the turnover rates.
The results will determine whether there needs to be a re-evaluation of the solutions and/or
possibly provide additional solutions.
Behavior
At the behavioral level, participants are expected to have a level of change in behavior if
the proposed solutions are effective. There should be a measurable change in the stakeholder’s
job performance, hopefully permanent (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). For AU, interviews
and/or surveys can be used to evaluate this behavior transfer. The faculty who are identified as
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108
resistant also need to be interviewed. There could be a building effect that if some faculty
respond with positive behavioral changes, then the others in the department will as well.
Behavioral changes are not seen immediately (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). Hence,
during this evaluation stage, it is recommended that AU
1. Allow several months for transfer of behavior change to be gained and implemented;
2. Survey and/or interview one or more trainees, their immediate supervisor, their
subordinates, and others who often observe the faculty’s behavior;
3. Interview a few “typical” faculty at random who teach similar courses to check on their
behavior change;
4. Interview the person who might likely not be open to the change;
5. Repeat the evaluation at different times of the academic year;
6. Measure both before and after the program if practical by using surveys and/or interviews
(The same set of questions should be used before and after); and
7. Administer pre- and post-surveys to students to check on their behavioral change (from a
student’s point of view).
A few interview and/or survey questions can include
1. To what extent have you tried the changes that were presented in the training program?
2. To what extent have you found that any of the information provided during the training
sessions worked or not?
3. To what extent do you plan to do things differently in the future?
4. And, what suggestions do you have for making the program more useful?
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If the solutions proposed in this chapter are effective, this level 3 evaluation also should
indicate that the participants are actively involved and successfully conveying information to
other colleagues.
Impact
The final of all four levels of evaluation refers back to examining the initial goal and
comparing the results with the objectives that were initially set. If the solutions were effective at
this stage, a positive impact will occur and fewer new issues will surface. Participant faculty will
have increased their skills and knowledge regarding knowing how far to stray from the
curriculum, knowing what strategies to support student learning, knowing how to measure
progress, as well as having the proper cultural material and knowledge to function in and out of
an international classroom. A few interview and/or survey questions for this level can include
1. What changes have you made and/or seen since the training program?
2. What improvements have you seen in any of the activities that stemmed from the training
session?
3. What behaviors have changed since the training session?
4. What mistakes do you feel you are better able to handle since the training session?
5. To what extent has the training session contributed to positive changes in the lives of the
stakeholders?
6. And, are there any trends that the intervention has influenced? Provide an example(s).
Future Research
The literature on closing the gap on educational attainment in bridge programs and the
quality of teaching is wide-ranging. The multicultural setting and mindset of different executives
and faculty who teach internationally are challenging. The assumption that all faculty and
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110
executive management should be receptive to change, especially when positive impact can be
generated, is complicated in these types of settings. Faculty at AU are hired from all across the
globe from all facets of life where they bring different work experiences, pedagogy, teaching
styles and methodology, and different levels of language proficiency to the campus environment.
These diversities carry advantages and challenges. To provide training for a multicultural
organization such as AU requires more than a mere transmission of data.
A noticeable challenge throughout the course of this study was extracting information
that was not hindered or altered by reluctance and fear of repercussions. Depending on the
question, a couple of the interviewees were reluctant to speak openly and only provided
responses that keep them ‘safe’, despite repeated confirmation that their responses are
anonymous. Despite this small obstacle, after analyzing the data, the trend analysis demonstrated
the importance of the face-to-face interviews and the unreliability of the online survey results.
Future research should incorporate additional face-to-face interviews that can allow access to a
vast array of open-ended responses and dialogues. This protocol will help gauge more data and
more insightful information that can lead to additional findings that might not have been
observed during the regular study.
Future research needs to focus on methods to continuously provide effective recruitment
efforts and strategies, provide continuous assessment of faculty, design effective training, and
provide means to motivate faculty and administrators in settings such as that which exists at AU.
Research needs to focus on how to best train international faculty to prepare them to work in a
multicultural organization and employ relevant teaching practices with substantive international
teaching experience. In addition, bridge programs would benefit from additional research on best
practices from those organizations that are successfully preparing students in those programs for
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111
further university participation. Future research needs to continue to focus on succinct,
transparent policies that focus on accountability for all stakeholders and also dictates clear
consequences for those who do not abide by the set policies. By providing credible social,
environmental, and ethical data to people, more informed decisions can be made which yields
better decisions. Finally, research is needed on assessments to systematically ensure student
learning outcomes are being met.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to conduct a gap analysis in the areas of knowledge, skills
motivation, and organizational resources influencing the ability of the AU bridge program to
prepare students to enter AU. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia places education and nationalization
in the forefront of its mission and vision. At AU, this problem of only 62% of AUPP students
meeting the entry requirements into the academic track negatively impacts the university’s
accountability, reputation, the overall organizational learning, and the culture of the university.
The failure of the program to successfully prepare nationals for the academic track at AU or
other higher education institutions negatively affects Saudi Arabia’s goal of moving toward
greater employment of nationals in high-skilled positions to further the economic and social
well-being of the country.
The literature reflects how the majority of the Saudi youth lack skills required in the labor
force as indicated by the poor transition from school to the job market. As a result, a large
proportion of the youth remain unemployed. Faizy (2012) stated how joblessness among
nationals is a main challenge to nationalization in the GCC.
The results and findings from the present survey and interviews support that there are
knowledge, motivational, and organizational gaps. In terms of knowledge gaps, the validation of
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112
the knowledge issues proposed suggests that faculty knowledge in the realms of factual,
conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive must be addressed within AU’s academic bridge year
program for faculty to better support students to successfully advance to AU’s academic
program. In regards to motivation, the validation of the motivation issues suggests that faculty
are not intrinsically motivated on the realms of choice, persistence, and effort. The faculty are
not choosing to invest their time to improve, but they are motivated to work toward the best
interest of the students as they understand the role they play in student learning. In regards to the
organizational findings, without adequate information provided to faculty regarding the
perspective in Saudi Arabia on cultural models in the classroom, without supportive praise on
faculty achievement, and without protection from parents and students for faculty who abide by
the policies and procedures set by management, the effects on creating curricula, strategies to
support student learning, and applying policies and procedures related to attendance, grading,
and learning outcomes can all be negatively affected. Ultimately, these organizational influences
come together to hinder educational achievement of students in the bridge program.
The solutions proposed in this study focus on three main components: (1) improve
recruitment and hiring to foster quality teaching in the bridge program as part of the University’s
Strategic Plan; (2) offer faculty continuous quality training and assessments, and (3) provide
open lines of communication to help further promote increased performance and production
within the faculty that lead to the results needed by the program. By having the bridge program
close the gap in educational attainment, gaps that exist in the workforce can be addressed.
Employment rates can increase, nationalization policies can be attained, foreign dependency can
be controlled, more opportunities for women can be made available, and qualified Saudi
nationals can be retained to enhance the implementation of the Saudization system.
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113
As the GCC tries to move from a trading to a knowledge-based economy, improving
educational attainment contributes to this shift of economic growth and development. As
knowledge is a fundamental force that drives success, universities and colleges need to continue
to contribute to the education of students and regional growth.

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114
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GCC countries. Retrieved from http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/5/2/2158244015580377.
Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and motivation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Wiseman, A., Alromi, N. & Alshumrani, S. (2014), Challenges to creating an Arabian Gulf
knowledge economy, in Alexander W. Wiseman , Naif H. Alromi , Saleh Alshumrani
(ed.) Education for a Knowledge Society in Arabian Gulf Countries (International
Perspectives on Education and Society, Volume 24) Emerald Group Publishing Limited,
pp.1 - 33
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Appendix A
Survey Instrument Protocol
Dear AUPP Faculty:

My name is Gada Korayim, and I am a doctoral candidate in the Rossier School of Education at
University of Southern California. I am conducting a research study as part of my dissertation on
examining the root causes of low acceptance rates from Alfaisal University Preparatory Program
(AUPP ) into the academic side of Alfaisal University. You are cordially invited to participate in
the study.

Your participation in this online survey is completely voluntary. If you agree, you are invited to
complete an anonymous online survey of questions that is anticipated to take no more than 15-20
minutes to complete. Please be as frank and honest as possible. Your perspective as a faculty
member is very valuable.

Kindly click the following link to begin the survey:
________________

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at gkorayim@alfaisal.edu.

Thank you for your participation.

Regards,

Gada Korayim
Doctoral Candidate - Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AT ALFAISAL UNIVERSITY

126
Appendix B
Survey Instrument
Basic Questions:

1. Are you male or female? M/F
2. I teach at least one course in AUPP. Y/N
3. If you do not teach or have never taught in the AUPP, please stop here and exit the
survey. Otherwise, please continue.
4. I have taught in the foundation year program
a. Less than one year; b. 1 -2 years; c. more than 2 years
5. I teach the following courses in the AUPP :
a. English courses
b. Math, Sciences, and/or Business courses
6. Prior to AUPP, how many years of university teaching experience do you have?
a. Less than one year; b. 1-2 years; c. 3-5 years; d. more than 5 years
7. Prior to AUPP, how many years of experience do you have in teaching students of
English as a Second Language (ESL)?
a. Less than one year; b. 1-2 years; c. 3-5 years; d. more than 5 years

4-Point Likert Scale Qs: (Strongly Agree – Agree – Disagree - Strongly Disagree)
Knowledge

1. The policies and procedures in the foundation year program are clear to me.
2. I have effective methods for carrying out AUPP policies.
3. The attendance policy in the foundation year program has been discussed to me by my
senior management team.
4. I follow the prescribed attendance policy provided in the foundation year program.
5. I follow the grading policy exactly as prescribed to me by the foundation year program.
6. My grades are a good reflection of my classes’ performance.
7. I have been made aware of effective methods of taking attendance and grading policies.
8. As policies and procedures change throughout the year, I have knowledge of those
changes.
9. I am knowledgeable about what strategies might work best to support student learning.
10. The learning objectives for my course(s) in the foundation year program are clear to me.
11. I feel the learning objectives support students’ learning.
12. I need to create additional learning objectives to help supplement the current prescribed
learning objectives.
13. I know how to create additional learning objectives to help supplement the current
prescribed learning objectives.
14. When teaching a class in the foundation year program, I change the learning outcomes in
class based on my actual students’ learning outcomes.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AT ALFAISAL UNIVERSITY

127
15. The current curricula for my teaching course(s) in the foundation year program fully
supports students’ needs.
16. I feel the need to revise my curricula in my current class(es).

Motivation

1. I see the value in following the attendance policy set by the foundation year program.
2. I see the value in following the grading policy set by the foundation year program.
3. I am motivated to apply and persist with attendance and grading policies and procedures
even if they change frequently throughout the year.
4. I see the importance of adhering to the learning objectives prescribed in the syllabi.

Organization

1. Changes in the policies and procedures made by management affect the students’
learning.
2. Changes in the policies and procedures made by management have positively affected
students’ learning.
3. The management team has set clear, objective policies and procedures that we can
follow.
4. The leadership team protects faculty from consequences they face from parents and
students if policies and procedures are carried out.
5. The management team has the faculty’s best interest in mind.
6. The university has effective role models that motivate me.

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AT ALFAISAL UNIVERSITY

128
Appendix C
Interview Protocol

Respondent: _______________________________ Date: _________________________
Place of Interview: ___________________________ Time Start/End: ________________

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AT ALFAISAL UNIVERSITY

129
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
Knowledge

1. What do you understand the attendance policy in the foundation year program to be?
2. How does the attendance policy in the foundation year program help students achieve
academic success, if at all?
3. Tell me about the methods you use to carry out the AUPP policies, such as attendance
and grading? To what extent do you think your methods are effective? Explain.
4. Have you been made aware of effective methods of taking attendance and grading
policies? If so, how have you received that information?
5. What are the key learning objectives from one current course that you are currently
teaching?
6. To what extent do you feel the need to create curricula to help your students learn better
in the classroom?
7. In your opinion, what are the important steps in creating curricula?
8. What strategies are used in your classroom to support student learning? To what extent
do you feel you would benefit from knowing additional strategies? What kinds of
opportunities, if any, are made available to you to learn effective strategies to best
support student learning?

Motivation

1. What do you see as the value in following AUPP policies and procedures, if any?
2. To what extent are you motivated to apply and persist with AUPP policies and
procedures? How do the frequent changes throughout the year affect your motivation?
Explain?
3. Could you discuss some of the reasons why faculty should follow the attendance policy?
4. To what degree do you feel the attendance policy should be changed and why?
5. To what extent do you feel motivated to create supplemental curricula to support
students' learning? Why or why not?
6. What steps did you take, if any, to create supplemental curricula to support students'
learning?

Organization

1. Explain the importance in management’s input to the policies and procedures.
2. To what extent do you think senior leadership does or does not protect faculty from
consequences they face from parents and students if policies and procedures are carried
out? Please explain.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework was used to conduct a gap analysis that carefully assess the knowledge, motivation, and organizational issues to help close the educational gap at an academic bridge program in Saudi Arabia. Assumed knowledge, motivation, and organizational issues were extracted from related literature, learning and motivation theories, and personal knowledge. ❧ The analysis of data from this qualitative case study validated 11 issues out of 14 assumed issues that led to three recommended solutions. The proposed solutions in Chapter 5 provide concrete strategies and implementation plans for addressing the knowledge, motivation and organization needs to close the gap and improve educational attainment from a bridge program to the university’s academic program in Saudi Arabia. The solutions proposed in this study focus on three main components: (1) improve recruitment and hiring to foster quality teaching in the bridge program as part of the University’s Strategic Plan

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Asset Metadata

Creator Korayim, Gada A. (author)

Core Title Improving educational attainment at a bridge program in Saudi Arabia: a gap analysis

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Global Executive

Publication Date 08/08/2016

Defense Date 07/18/2016

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag academic bridge programs,challenges to Saudization,educational attainment,educational attainment in Saudi Arabia,educational gap analysis in Saudi Arabia,OAI-PMH Harvest,Saudization,workforce in Saudi Arabia

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Krop, Cathy (committee chair), Filback, Robert (committee member), Picus, Lawrence (committee member)

Creator Email gkorayim@hotmail.com,korayim@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-300671

Unique identifier UC11279585

Identifier etd-KorayimGad-4754.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-300671 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-KorayimGad-4754.pdf

Dmrecord 300671

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Korayim, Gada A.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA