Barriers to using the Interactive Whiteboards in Tatweer Primary Schools in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This paper is a part of a larger study aimed at identifying the problems that faced teachers, both males and females, in Tatweer primary schools in the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia when using the interactive whiteboards in classrooms. Mixed methods approach was employed in this study using, a questionnaire, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. 587 teachers (301 female and 286 male) completed a self-reporting questionnaire mainly designed for this study. Twenty teachers (10 female and ten male) were interviewed. Additionally, seven female teachers were observed teaching in their classrooms or in learning resources rooms. Both quantitative and qualitative findings indicated that the top three difficulties that face teachers (both males and females) in Tatweer primary schools when using IWBs are the lack of training courses, technical problems, and the lack of assistance and support. The bottom three barriers facing teachers in the sample in using these technologies were difficulties relating to student use, their location in the learning resources rooms, and challenges in integrating these technologies in teachers' lessons.