Barriers to Effective use of Information Technology in Science Education at Yanbu Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This study examined the barriers to use of information technology (IT) in science education at the Yanbu school district in Saudi Arabia. Sub-domains investigated included: infrastructure and resources, policy and support, science teachers’ personal beliefs, and staff development. This chapter is using a survey which shows common barriers encountered by the science teachers were identified. Demographic data enabled description of science teachers based on similarities and differences of gender, location of the school, training, years of teaching experience, and age. Science teachers rated the barriers limiting their use of technology in teaching on a scale ranging from 0 (does not limit) to 3 (greatly limits). We present results which showed that all four domains were highly significant barriers: infrastructure and resources (M = 2.06, p<.001); staff development (M = 2.02, p<.001); policy and support (M = 1.84, p<.001); and science teachers’ personal beliefs regarding technology (M = 1.15, p<.001). The more bariers comes to face the teachers who are related to science and are experienced, the less likely they were to be IT users (r = -0.16, p = .02). To minimize the impact of these barriers and consequently improve the level of integration of information technology in science education in Saudi Arabia, a well-conceived strategic vision, adequate funding, and good implementation plan are of great importance.