From the perspectives of leaders and teachers, how do people working at schools in Saudi Arabia make sense of the Tatweer policy
5 Aims of the Study
The overall aim of this study is to explore the Tatweer policy in the light of the enactment of power dynamics within the school systems of Saudi Arabia. It aims mainly to investigate the perceptions by school leaders and teachers of the policy. It also attempts to explore the practices of school leaders and teachers affected by the introduction of Tatweer. It seeks to understand the tensions and possibilities experienced by school leaders and teachers when enacting the policy. Its purpose is to inform policy makers and researchers about the ways in which the Tatweer policy is enacted in different schools in the country.
1.6 Research Questions
1. From the perspectives of leaders and teachers, how do people working at schools in Saudi Arabia make sense of the Tatweer policy?
This question explores what the leaders and teachers think of the Tatweer policy. It will also elaborate how they make sense of the policy in their settings. Given that policy can be enacted differently by different people (Ball et al., 2012), this question will investigate Tatweer as both a process and outcome that undergoes multiple interpretations in various settings. Specifically, this question will investigate: what is happening in the leaders and teachers mind about Tatweer policy? How do they construct meaning? How do they explain and rationalize the policy? How do they justify the policy? What is their interpretation of, and attitude towards, the policy?
2. In which ways are the practices of school leaders and teachers affected by the introduction of the Tatweer policy?
This question moves from what school leaders and teachers think of the policy to what they do when the policy is introduced in schools. It explores how the Tatweer policy affects the practices of school leaders and teachers in Saudi Arabia and what they do differently as a result. Since school leaders and teachers are people down there who should implement the policy developed by the government up there (Bell and Stevenson, 2013), this question will also explore specific measures, programmes and activities developed by school leaders and principal in response to Tatweer policy.
3. What are the tensions and possibilities experienced by school leaders and teachers when enacting Tatweer policy?
This connects to the earlier two questions. This question will investigate tensions and possibilities that leaders and teachers experience when enacting the policy. Specifically, it will explore how easy or difficult is it to encourage an alignment between thought and action amongst school leaders and teachers? Are there any tensions between what they think and what they do? Does the Tatweer policy make the school leaders and teachers do things that they do not believe in?
