15
Some perspectives of Omani primary headteachers on
E-learning
Harith N.S. AlHinai
and
Desmond Rutherford
School of Education, The University of Birmingham
Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) on “E-learning and Leadership Development: Technology for Education Managers” in Harben House, Newport Pagnell, England, from 5th – 7th October 2001
Address for correspondence and comments:
Ø Harith N.S. AlHinai, Room G7, School of Education, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
o E-mail:
o Tel: + 44 (0) 121 414 4386
o Fax: + 44 (0) 121 414 4865
Ø Dr. Desmond Rutherford, School of Education, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
o E-mail:
o Tel: + 44 (0) 121 414 4804
o Fax: + 44 (0) 121 414 4865
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to present some of the researchers’ findings from the fieldwork required for a PhD programme on ‘Leadership in Omani Primary Schools’ at the University of Birmingham, UK, which was conducted in four out of the ten educational regions in Oman. The primary schools in these regions make up 59% of the total population of primary schools in Oman. The targeted groups for this research consist of officials from the Ministry of Education and its regional offices (policy makers) and headteachers (school leaders/practitioners).
The focus of this paper is on exploring the officials’ and the school leaders’ intention to equip schools with Learning Resource Centres (LRC) and so enable them to use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to modernise the primary schools.
Furthermore, it is essential for Omani primary school leaders, especially headteachers, to be confident in their use of ICT to enable them to manage their schools more efficiently. From this point of view, they have to be knowledgeable about these new technological opportunities and their relevance to school leadership and management, in order to be able to guide their own schools through the ICT revolution. In so doing, they will become more effective and more efficient leaders and so more able to meet the challenges of the current reform of primary schools in Oman (Rutherford & AlHinai, 2001).
INTRODUCTION
This paper will focus on the current reform of the General Education System (GES) in Oman which has been in progress since 1998 (Ministry of Information, 1998; AlHammami, 1999; Educational Consulting Services, 1995b; AlHinai, 2000). Moreover, the major focus with which the researchers are concerned is “the development of primary school leadership” in the context of this reform.
At the same time, this paper will highlight some findings relevant to the theme of this Conference. Thus the paper will include perspectives from both the major groups of the authors’ research population: the officials and the headteachers. As described above, the first group (officials) represents the policy makers in the Ministry of Education as well as the Directorate Generals in the educational regions in Oman; whereas the second group (headteachers) represents the practitioners in Omani primary schools.
The researchers’ concern is to explore the respondents’ views on E-learning, whether as currently implemented or as a future intention which it is hoped will be implemented within the current reform programme of education in Oman. The respondents’ views will be illustrated in a selection of quotations which the researchers will interpret and comment on. In addition, a wide range of references will be cited in order to build up a body of evidence to support the arguments developed in the quotations.
CONDUCTING THE PHD RESEARCH PROJECT
It has been possible to study a reasonably high percentage of the targeted primary schools and to have interviews and discussions with a great many of the targeted primary headteachers. The targeted schools were concentrated in four large regions out of ten regions in Oman (see Chart 1).
Consequently, the targeted population of the primary headteachers is 59 percent of all Omani primary headteachers and this also represents the targeted number of primary schools. In other words, the targeted headteachers numbered 135 participants from the same number of schools. None of the schools were represented by more than one person. Of course, those who represented their schools were considered as headteachers, whether official or acting headteachers. The official headteacher, it should be explained, is the person who officially holds the position of headteacher whereas the acting headteacher is someone who is on probation for the position of headteacher. Remarkably enough, it was found that the percentage of acting headteachers was higher than those who were considered official headteachers (see Chart 2, p. 4). This means, that the majority of primary headteachers were not yet fully confirmed post-holders.
Chart 1 indicates the percentages of primary schools in the targeted regions of this research project and the rest (unstudied) of the educational regions in Oman. Also, the chart shows that a higher percentage was targeted to be covered by the scope of this research. This chart shows that the research project targeted a large proportion of the primary schools for study.
Altogether, Charts 1, 2 and 3 provide basic information about the population of this research project; hence, they provide the reader with a clue to the way in which this research has been conducted. Unfortunately, as indicated in Chart 3 (see p. 5), for one reason or another, there was a considerable percentage of the targeted population who did not show up at the interviews to which they had been invited. Of course, this can be considered as a common problem in such research especially in a qualitative research project, since it emphasises face-to-face interviews, whether with individuals or in focus groups.
Chart 2 indicates two major possibilities for school leaders (headteachers): official headteachers or acting headteachers (on probation). Those acting as headteachers have the actual rank of deputy headteachers and sometimes even teachers.
Furthermore, it may be helpful to mention that the methods used for this research project were individual and focus group interviews. In all, seventy headteachers and twelve officials participated in the research.
Chart 3 indicates both groups of headteachers (practitioners): those who attended their interviews with the researcher and those who missed their interviews. This clearly indicates that the former group exceeds those who did not attend the interviews.
PRESENT SITUATION OF OMANI PRIMARY SCHOOLS
The present situation of the existing primary schools of the General Education System (GES) indicates that there are no computer labs in these schools, except that individual schools might have a few computers which may be used for school management purposes. Thus there is no E-learning practised in these schools, although the GES has been under development within the current reform which ultimately will equip the whole of the Omani primary school level with computers to integrate E-learning and ICT applications. As mentioned earlier, the current reform of the GES was started in 1998 by the Ministry of Education. This brings to mind that Oman is not the only country which started to redefine its educational system as well as its school curriculum. Thus, there are many countries that have decided to reform their educational curriculum, for example, the UK (Secretary of State for Education and Employment, 1998) and the United Arab Emirates (Abdel-Mawgood, 1999; Cassidy, 1999; Riley, 1999; Hind, 1999).
Of course, Oman has continued to update its educational curriculum in various stages throughout the past three decades (1970 – 2000). However, in 1998 the Ministry of Education started the current reform of the General Education System (GES), the old system. Therefore, it is hoped that the reformed schools will be equipped with the Learning Resource Centres (LRCs) which will include computers and useful software in connection with each subject field for effective teaching, for example, by using CD ROMs (Compact Disk - Read Only Mammary) that are relevant to school curriculum. No doubt, the existing primary schools of the GES will be improved to the level of the model schools of the current Omani reform in education, which in a sense means that the existing schools will have to be refurbished, redefined and reequipped with modern technology such as LRCs which represent computers, E-learning and ICT applications. This is in turn will transform the existing schools into modern ones which meet the standard of the model schools of the current reform. Hence, according to the present situation of Omani primary schools, there is little technology equipment but there is a hope that the current reform will implement E-learning as the Ministry of Education has planned to do since 1998. Thus, Table 1 indicates the availabilities of new technology equipment in the existing schools of the GES and as is currently happening in the model schools of the current educational reform in Oman. Thus, Table 1 also draws a contrast between the former and the model schools, examples of which can still be found in Oman’s primary schools system (see Table 1).
Table 1
TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT TO BE FOUND IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF OMAN
USES OF THE ICT / ALREADY IN PLACE / NEW INITIATIVES(Not yet in place in every school)
Leadership and Management / A few computers in some schools only / More computers have been equipped (word processing, spread sheets and, perhaps, power point for presentations)
Curriculum and Pedagogy
(E-learning) / Audiotape Recorders, Audio Cassettes, VCRs, TV Sets & Videotapes. / LRCs (computers, CDs and books), LRC Teachers (information technology lessons) and LRC Technicians (on-going support)
Source: Table 1 is combined with different information which is based on the researchers’ experience and also collected from various sources: Ministry of Education, 1998; AlHammami, 1999; Educational Consulting Services, 1995; Educational Consulting Services, 1995a.
The columns of Table 1 show that there is a useful collection of technological equipment which may support teachers in introducing related-subject information and in integrating E-learning according to each subject field. For example, the VCRs, TV sets and videotapes could be considered very useful and effective tools in enhancing the pupils’ understanding on every aspect of the school curriculum.
Furthermore, Table 2 indicates both situations of the existing schools of the GES and the reformed schools in terms of providing Information Technology Lessons (ITLs) for pupils in all grades: from grade one to grade six in the existing primary schools of the GES and from grade one to grade four in the reformed schools (both school levels indicate the equivalence of what can be described as the primary school level).
Moreover, as indicated in Table 2 below the existing primary schools of the GES have no opportunity of ITLs which would allow pupils to understand the use of both E-learning and ICT facilities. However, the model schools of the current reform indicate that the Ministry of Education seeks to integrate E-learning as part of the current reform of the GES (see Table 2).
Table 2
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WEEKLY TIMETABLE AT PRIMARY SCHOOL LEVEL
TYPES OF SCHOOL / INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LESSONSGrade 1 / Grade 2 / Grade 3 / Grade 4 / Grade 5 / Grade 6
Existing Schools of the GES / None / None / None / None / None / None
Model Schools of the Current Reform / 1 / 1 / 1 / 2
Table 2 indicates that the existing primary schools of the GES have no information technology lessons (ITLs); whereas the current reform model school provides such lessons for the youngsters. Also, this table shows that the current reform model school has only four grades in comparison with the old system which includes six different grades in the primary school.
Finally, the Ministry of Education has been transforming the existing schools of the GES into equivalent schools which can be considered, in the officials’ perspective, as modernised schools (taking current reform schools as their model) and which at present are integrating the E-learning and ICT applications. At this stage, the current reform model schools is attempting to phase out the earlier type of school a way of transforming them into the most desirable model for primary schools in Oman, which go beyond the minimum requirements of 21st century.
E-LEARNING RESEARCH FINDINGS
In this section, the researchers will illustrate some of their findings which relate to E-learning in Omani primary schools. These findings are drawn from both the officials’ and the practitioners’ comments. It was expected that all the participants, officials and practitioners, would think of both the major aspects of the challenge of E-learning: first, to develop the use of what they are already have in terms of technological equipment and its applications; second, to identify new initiatives which would aid the development of ICT and which are desperately needed as part of the current reform agenda (see above Table 2). The Ministry of Education is already working on some ICT initiatives such as equipping the reformed schools with LRCs, but these are still in the process of development. This means that the respondents in this research can either put these initiatives at the top of their list of priorities or they may suggest other initiatives which they feel are more important for their schools.
As we can see from the following statement, one practitioner expresses his/her opinion on the need for the current reform in Oman and says that Oman should play its part in taking advantage of globalisation in the use of ICT. He/she states that:
No doubt, we need to develop our educational system; hence, the reasons for the current Omani educational development are to meet the requirements of the 21st Century, e.g. scientific advances and the ICT revolution (headteacher 75.4).
In response to the requirements of the Third Millennium (21st Century), the Ministry of Education seems to be implementing the current reform plans one at a time. For example, at the beginning of this academic year (01/2002), there were altogether 200 model schools in the current educational reform in Oman; new schools have been added to this list each academic year since 1998 (www.omandaily, 20001a, www.omandaily, 2001c; www.omanobserver, 2001a).
Furthermore, response 75.4 brought to mind that the Omani government, which is represented by the Ministry of Education, has studied its needs in order to make appropriate changes, either major or minor, to the Omani Educational System for the 21st Century. The above argument is supported by one official’s point of view; he/she says: