Disabled Students in Higher Education Institutes - Literature review Example

Attitudes of teachers towards disabled students in higher education institutes in Saudi Arabia: Literature review Introduction In this chapter, a detailed evaluation of literature on the subject of the attitudes of teachers towards disabled students in higher education institutes in Saudi Arabia is presented. For purposes of clarification, the review of literature on the subject is presented in the form of three different approaches that are based on three different but interrelated subtopics. These are described as follows. The first section of the literature review is based on a general evaluation of the issue of disability in Saudi Arabia. Here, a detailed analysis of studies that have been conducted on the subject is presented. The main aim of this section is to present a broad overview of research findings on the subject of disability in Saudi Arabia with reference to its prevalence, history and research. The second section of this review is based on the issue of disability in institutions of higher learning. Although a brief review of research on the issue in other countries is presented, emphasis is laid on studies that have been carried out about disability in such institutions in Saudi Arabia. In the third section of the review, an evaluation of published academic research on the subject of existing attitudes of teachers towards disabled students in Saudi Arabia is presented. The main objective of this section is to present a comprehensive analysis of academic literature on the existing perceptions of teachers towards disabled students in Saudi Arabia. Disability in Saudi Arabia The subject of disability in Saudi Arabia is not a new one. There has been a considerable amount of academic work on the subject that has already been carried out. One important thing about studies on the general issue of disability in Saudi Arabia that is worth noting, though, is that there has been a wide variation in the studies. The variation has arisen from a number of different factors, key among them being the specific aspects of the disabilities that have been examined in Saudi Arabia, the methods that have been used and the findings that have been documented. Whereas a considerable number of studies on the subject have sought to document the prevalence of disability in the Saudi Arabian population (Al-Jadid, 2013; Elsheik & Alqurashi, 2013; Shawky, Abalkhail & Soliman, 2002), others have sought to examine the different social and economic effects of disability on the general population in Saudi Arabia (Al-Gain & Al-Albdulwahab, 2002; Kumosani, Alama & Iyer, 2011; Waldman, Al-Nowaiser, Hamed & Perlman, 2010). Still, other studies have been concerned with the existing policies that have been developed and adopted as a way of handling the impact of disability within the general population in the country (Aldosari & Pufpaff, 2014) while others have focused on specific public services in Saudi Arabia (Almalki, Fitzgerald & Clark, 2011). The basis of the argument that has been contained in such studies has been the general influence that Islam as a predominant religion in the country has on the attitudes and approaches that are used towards the subject in the country. Al-Jadid (2013, p. 455), in a study to evaluate the prevalence of disability in Saudi Arabia, states that about 350,000 individuals in the country, which is about 0.8% of the general population, are living with one of the many different forms of disability. Although Elsheik and Alqurashi (2013, p. 68) agree with the results of this survey, they point out that the figures may not be convergent because of the methods that were used to carry out the survey. Further, it is important to take note of the fact that although these figures indicate the level of prevalence of disability in the country in the recent times, figures about the prevalence levels in Saudi Arabia in the past have largely remained debatable. For instance, the general global survey about the prevalence of disability at the global scale that was carried out by World Health Organization (2011, p. 275) lacks data for Saudi Arabia for the period between 2000 and 2004. Although this appears to be the case, there are studies that have documented the level of prevalence of disability in Saudi Arabia in the early years with a relatively high degree of accuracy. One such study is the survey that was carried out by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (2002, p. 3), which covers the level of prevalence of disability in Saudi Arabia for the period beginning 1997. One explanation that has emerged from this scenario and other cases in which there has been controversy about the accurate level of prevalence of disability in Saudi Arabia has been that this is a result of difficulties that researchers face when attempting to carry out research about disability in the country. Several researchers, including Aljadid (2013), Elsheikh and Alqurashi (2013) and Al-Gain and Al-Abdulwahab (2002) observe that socio-religious factors such as the high level of relative intermarriage and the unwillingness of families who have disabled members to participate in surveys hampers the effectiveness of such kinds of research in the country. It is because of such factors that accurate data about the prevalence of disability in Saudi Arabia cannot be ascertained easily. On the other hand, a number of studies have been conducted to determine the leading causes and overall impact of disability in Saudi Arabia (Elshinnawey, Fiala, Abbas & Othman, 2008; Kumosani, Alama & Iyer, 2011; Shawky, Abalkhail & Soliman, 2002; Waldman, Al-Nowaiser, Hamed & Perlman, 2010). From the studies, it is observed that to the extent that factors such as road accidents and other forms of accidents are among the leading causes of disability among the population in Saudi Arabia (Elshinnawey et al., 2008, p. 2), there are also medical conditions which, to a considerable degree, contribute to the prevalence of disability in the country. Kumosani et al. (2011, p. 1), in a study on the impact of cardiovascular disease on the population of Saudi Arabia, observe that cardiovascular disease is a significant contributor to disability not only in the country but also in other leading countries in the world. On a different note, Waldman et al. (2010, p. 57) observe that the composition of disabled people in Saudi Arabia is highly diverse when the causal factors of disability are taken into account. It is observed that when the population of disabled persons in the country is characterised in terms of the type of disability, physical, hearing and intellectual types of disability are the leading types of disability in the country (Waldman et al., 2010, p. 58). Apart from the variety that is evident in the population of disabled persons in Saudi Arabia in terms of the causes and type of the condition, other researchers have sought to evaluate diversity in this population in terms of the ages of the individuals. For instance, Shawky et al. (2002, p. 61), in a study, evaluated the extent of prevalence of disability among children in the general population of Saudi Arabia. Disability in institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia The subject of disability in institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia can best be understood within the context of two interrelated perspectives: studies that have been conducted on the subject of disability in institutions of higher learning across the world and findings of studies on the subject that have been conducted specifically in Saudi Arabia. Understanding findings of studies on the subject of disability at the global level is necessary for an accurate understanding of trends and findings of studies that have been conducted on Saudi Arabian institutions of higher learning. It can be seen that researchers on the subject have been concerned with two important thematic areas: the experiences and challenges that disabled students face on one hand and the existing policies and recommendations on how to remedy the situation on the other. For example, Tinklin, Riddell and Wilson (2004, p. 1) observe that concern for disabled students within institutions of higher learning has arisen as a result of a massive increase in the number of disabled students who have been joining such institutions in the recent past. Although this has been a positive trend worldwide, it has not been without challenges. Given that the proportion of disabled students who have been joining institutions of higher learning has been on the rise (Tinklin, Riddell & Wilson, 2004, p. 2), there have been a number of challenges which have arisen in response to the trend. Heiman and Precel (2003, p. 251) note that such students do face different types of challenges in terms of the way they conduct their social and academic duties within such institutions. Several writers have attempted to evaluate specific challenges that disabled students in institutions of higher learning face during the course of their studies. For example, Ndume, Tilya and Twaakyondo (2008, p. 49) point out that many disabled students in institutions of higher learning face different barriers that hamper the extent to which they can benefit from adaptive learning programmes that are adopted in several institutions. This is to say that even if universities and other institutions of higher learning may seek to adopt learning programmes that are conducive for the needs of disabled students, existing barriers make it difficult for such students to benefit from the programmes. Obiozor, Onu and Ugwoebu (2010, p. 131) state that such barriers exist in the form of lack of access to physical, educational and social resources, and as a result, present difficult challenges to disabled students in institutions of higher learning. Studies based on the subject of disability in institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia have been few. However, the few studies that have been conducted have more or less followed the same pattern evident in studies about the subject that have been conducted elsewhere. In this case, Al-Zoubi and Rahman (2013, p. 1698) argue that the need for universities to adhere to high quality standards has led to the development of special programmes that seek to address the challenges that disabled students in Saudi Arabia encounter in institutions of higher learning. Apart from the need to implement policies and meet quality standards, the need for development and inclusion of programmes that cater for the needs of disabled students in institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia has been a result of a growing trend of inclusion within the institutions (Weber, 2012). It is observed that following the ratification of a number of important international treaties, the government of Saudi Arabia has sought to implement inclusion for disabled students in institutions of higher learning in the country (Weber, 2012, p. 91). This has been one of the most important factors that have contributed to the success of inclusion of disabled students in the education programmes that are offered by institutions of higher learning in the country (Al-Mousa, 2010, p. 52). Attitudes towards disabled students in Saudi Arabia Studies on the subject of attitudes towards disabled persons in Saudi Arabia have varied in terms of the specific subgroup that has been evaluated, the methods used and the results obtained. This variation has been seen not only in studies that have sought to evaluate the general attitude of the entire population towards disabled persons but also in studies that have been done to determine attitudes towards disabled students within the education sector in the country. It is worth mentioning at this point that there has been a considerable number of studies that have been carried out on the subject of the attitudes of teachers towards disabled students in Saudi Arabia. Although it is clear that there has been considerable level of variation in the type of findings that have resulted from such studies, one issue about which there appears to exist a general consensus among researchers is the impact that the attitude of teachers towards disabled students with regard to their inclusion in normal school activities has on the subject of disability within the education sector in the country in general. Dukmak (2013, p. 30), in a study to evaluate the attitude of regular classroom teachers towards inclusion of disabled students in the United Arab Emirates, points out that although slight variations in the existing attitudes of teachers towards disabled students do exist, the overall attitude of teachers towards such students largely remains positive across the country. The variations that are mentioned are as a result of factors such as the age of the teachers in question, the number of years for which they have been in the field and the specific type of disability that is in question. Although the level of acceptance that teachers tend to show towards disabled students tends to vary with these factors, the overall perception of teachers toward disabled students in Saudi Arabia is that including them in normal school activities will enhance their educational and personal development process (Kashkary, 2014, p. 76). Further, Alnahdi (2013, p. 543), in a study to determine the attitude of teachers in Saudi Arabia towards transition activities for students who have learning disability, points out that regardless of the gender of the teachers in question, their overall attitude towards the process remains positive. These findings can be interpreted in terms of the observations by Al-Ahmadi (2009, p. 60), who states that the progressive changes that have been taking place in the education sector in Saudi Arabia have played a key role in shaping the attitudes of teachers towards disabled students in the education institutions in the country. What this means is that although the opinion of teachers towards including disabled students in regular classrooms varies in terms of their gender, years of experience in teaching as well as the specific type of disability in question, their overall attitude remains wholly supportive of the idea. This is because of the programmes and policies that the government of Saudi Arabia has been implementing over the course of time as a way of ensuring that disabled students are fully incorporated in the mainstream education system. On a different note, other studies on the subject have sought to evaluate the attitude of students towards the issue of disability in general. The basic argument in such studies has been that by determining what the perceptions of students towards disability are, it will be possible to understand how they will end up viewing disabled students later in their careers. One of the most important studies that have made use of this argument is by Haimour (2012). In this study, it is observed that although the attitude of university students towards disability depends on a number of factors such as the gender of the students in question and the type of disability towards which the attitude of the students are supposed to be evaluated, there is generally a highly positive attitude towards disability among university students in Saudi Arabia (Haimour, 2012, p. 275). In the same vein, a study by Salem (2013, p. 123) found out that many teacher students perceive it as a necessity to include disabled students in the normal school routines that are undertaken by the other students. What this implies is that many teacher students tend to have positive attitudes towards disabled students. From the foregoing analysis, it can be seen that studies on the issue of existing attitudes towards disabled students in Saudi Arabia have been diverse. However, it appears that there is a consensus among researchers on the attitudes of teachers towards disabled students. It is seen that in general, teachers in Saudi Arabia are in favour of programmes that seek to include disabled students in the ordinary learning programmes in Saudi Arabian schools. Although doing so presents a number of difficulties, it appears that the majority of teachers in Saudi Arabia perceive the process of inclusion of disabled students in ordinary learning institutions as a step that is not only necessary but also feasible and highly productive. Furthermore, it is in response to the challenges that disabled students on one hand and the teachers on the other are likely to face when such a programme is implemented that teachers are in supportive of special technologies that can be used to assist disabled students to learn (Alkahtani, 2013, p. 73). This perception is not only widely shared by teachers but also supported by parents and other stakeholders (Somaily, Al-Zoubi & Rahman, 2012, p. 4). Conclusion Several important conclusions can be drawn from the analysis of literature on the subject of the attitudes of teachers towards disabled students in institutes of higher learning in Saudi Arabia that has been presented in this section. First, with regard to the general subject of disability in Saudi Arabia, it can be seen that there has been a number of studies that have been conducted on the subject. Further, although many researchers seem to disagree on the actual level of prevalence of different forms of disability in Saudi Arabia, there seems to be a consensus on the observation that social and religious factors make it difficult for one to carry out a comprehensive research on the subject in the country. Second, with regard to disability in institutions of higher learning in the country, many studies tend to agree with the findings of similar studies in other parts of the world. In general, it is seen that social and cultural factors present barriers to disabled students in such institutions. This has therefore made it necessary for the institutions to implement programmes that foster inclusivity. Third, studies that have been conducted on the issue of prevailing attitudes of teachers towards disabled students in Saudi Arabia have indicated that, regardless of the type of disability in question, many teachers are in favour of including disabled students within normal school programmes. It is this finding, together with the others, that will shape the findings of this research in the subsequent chapters. References Al-Ahmadi, N. A. (2009). Teachers’ perspectives and attitudes towards integrating students with learning disabilities in regular Saudi public schools (PhD Dissertation), Faculty of the College of Education, Ohio University. Retrieved from https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=ohiou1241556018&disposition=inline Aldosari, M. S., & Pufpaff, L. A. (2014). Sources of distress among parents of children with intellectual disabilities: A preliminary investigation in Saudi Arabia. The Journal of Special Education, 3(1), 1-21. 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Retrieved 19 from http://www.wjeis.org/FileUpload/ds217232/File/11.weber.pdf World Health Organization (2011). World report on disability. Retrieved from http://who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/technical_appendices.pdf Read More