Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

1-1-2011

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Instructional Technology

First Advisor

Monica W. Tracey

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, the single-sex learning environment is the only choice for students due to social and religious concerns. Recently, online education is a growing field in Saudi Arabia. However, there is a paucity of research examining coeducational online cooperative learning that allows virtual interaction between male and female learners. The purpose of the study was to investigate the attitude, belief, and preference of Saudi students regarding working in a coeducation online cooperative learning environment. The participants of the study were 707 students from the Saudi students in the USA. An electronic questionnaire was developed by the researcher for the purpose in this study.

The study concluded that Saudi students from both genders showed a generally positive attitude toward learning in a coeducational online cooperative learning environment. The study also revealed that the participants believe that coeducational online cooperative learning will be possible, appropriate, and effective if applied in Saudi Arabia. Marital status was found to significantly affect student attitude toward coeducational online cooperative learning, while region was found to play a significant role on student belief toward applying coeducational online cooperative learning in Saudi Arabia. Saudi students also showed a high positive preference for the use of text-only chat, email, forums, and blogs with both sexes when studying in a coeducational online cooperative learning environment in Saudi Arabia. However, they showed a greater positive preference toward using voice chat and video-conference with the same sex only. Finally, the study provided a number of suggestions regarding the general application and design of online cooperative learning in Saudi Arabia.

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