TEACHERS' EXPECTATIONS OF THE IMPACT OF E-LEARNING ON KUWAIT'S PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM

Social Behavior and Personality, 2006 by Aldhafeeri, Fayiz, Almulla, Mohammed, Alraqas, Bandar

At the time of the study, most schools in Kuwait were in the initial stages of the implementation of E-learning. The study shows that Kuwaiti teachers are positive and keen about the use of E-learning and the extent to which it would enhance curriculum standards in the country. The current study shows that Kuwaiti teachers are aware of the lasting impacts of the use of E-learning in schools. That, perhaps, is due to the efforts made by the Ministry of Education of Kuwait. Thus, if the same study were to be applied to a different country in the Middle East, similar results may not occur. The Ministry of Education has been advocating this vision, which led them to depend on teachers' effort to support E-learning project in Kuwaiti schools. The Ministry considered the results of this research and started to network schools to allow for further collaboration by teachers. Teachers have had the opportunity to upload and download lesson plans and media clips. Also, teachers were offered live E-training sessions and professional support. They could utilize E-services to access schools' statistics, student academic profiles, and communicate with each other. However, this application of E-learning was still limited to a small number of teachers who were willing to contribute to the project. Therefore, a generalization of the findings of this study would increase their confidence and encourage more of them to participate and initiate E-learning activities.

However, the lack of similar experiences in other countries in the Middle East region makes the implementation of this project difficult and slow. Therefore, undertaking research into E-learning implementation in Kuwait has brought with it considerable challenges because of the decision-making process and because of the absence of a technology curriculum framework to guide the implementation of technology in schools. At the end of the study period, a long discussion accompanied by teachers-administrators conflict occurred regarding the impact of E-learning implementation on curriculum supervision and the role of computer teachers (the Ministry of Education offers "Computing" as a stand-alone subject). In order to promote the integration of E-learning into the curriculum, teachers have to be convinced that there are real benefits to be gained. Codie and Simpson (2004) found that there was a relationship between teachers' attitudes and the success of technology integration and adaptation in schools. Therefore, E-learning acceptance is a necessary condition for effectiveness and competency in the information age. However, there is a recognized rejection of these initiatives in less developed countries such as the Middle East countries. Al-Gahtani (2001) contends that social and cultural influences could bridge the gap towards a better understanding of technology acceptance if the problems being experienced by teachers who are not yet comfortable with computer use, could be solved. The adoption of technology is being undertaken by many Arab countries (Pons, 2004). However, some difficulties and problems, such as understanding the capabilities of technology, still hamper the promotion of its use in the Middle East.