EVOLUCION DE LA VARIABLE NUMERO MEDIO DE ESPINAS DENDRITICAS POR NEURONA

The general educational system in the KSA is multi-track and operates on a variety of levels;

it includes pre-school, primary, intermediate and secondary school levels (Aljughaiman and Grigorenko, 2013).

2.4.1 Pre-school Level

Attendance at pre-school level is free for children but is not compulsory. It is separated into numerous phases: from 2-4 years (infant), 4-5 years (nursery) and 5-6 years (preliminary).

The main objective of this school level is to provide children with the necessary skills and basic knowledge to help them succeed in the proceeding levels of schooling (Ministry of Education, 2014; UNESCO, 2011).

2.4.2 Primary School Level

There is compulsory attendance for male and female learners from age 7 to age 12. The primary school level contains six graded phases. The main aims of this school level are to improve learners physical and mental foundational skills, to encourage learners to take on responsibilities and be aware of their duties, to increase the learners` identity to their religion and country and to increase the learning motivation among these learners (Ministry of Education, 2014; UNESCO, 2011).

The nature of the curriculum specifications and the number of lessons in a particular subject are different according to the grade level. In primary school, the learners study a range of subjects including Arabic, Islamic culture, mathematics, sciences and EFL (from grade six).

In this stage, learners` achievement is dependent upon teacher assessment, if teachers do not notice any disparities in learners’ knowledge, they are usually moved on to the next graded phase automatically. Teachers teach a range of subjects in the first three graded phases of primary school and normally most of them are graduates from The College for Teachers or Intermediate Collage, both of which are governed by the Ministry of Higher Education. It is usually the case that the teachers teaching from the fourth phase will possess a university degree and will normally teach only their specialist subject. This is also the case with elementary and secondary schools (Al-Salloom, 1995; Bin Salamah, 2001; Ministry of Education, 2008).

2.4.3 Intermediate School Level

The next compulsory level in the KSA education system for both genders is the intermediate school level. This level includes three graded phases and learners are aged between 13 and 15 when they attend. The main aims of this level of education are to provide the learners with appropriate knowledge according to their age, to enable learners to learn the basic

concepts of modern science and the arts, to help learners develop independence in searching for knowledge and improve mental abilities among them, to encourage learners to increase their sense of responsibilities, to be aware of their duties and to increase their identity to Islam and the Saudi nation (Ministry of Education, 2014; UNESCO, 2011).

In intermediate school the learners continue to build on their sense of knowledge gained in the primary grades and study a range of subjects including Arabic, IT, English, Islamic culture, mathematics, sciences, geography, history and the arts. In addition, home economics is included for female learners. To progress to the next graded phase, all learners have to successfully pass examinations in all of the subjects in the two semesters during the academic year. Learners who do not pass either the first or second semester have to re-sit them before they can progress to the new grade level. If the learner fails to achieve the minimum marks after two attempts, he/she will have to repeat the same grade level for a second time. Although they do not attend any further classes and are only permitted to retake the exams (Al-Salloom, 2004; Ministry of Education, 2008; Oyaid, 2009).

2.4.4 Secondary School Level

Learners attend secondary school between the ages of 16 to 18 once they have graduated successfully from elementary school. Secondary school has three graded phases and attendance is compulsory for both males and females. The secondary school level is concerned with developing the skills of learners in a number of ways in order to effectively prepare them for entry into higher education. It attempts to support all learners including gifted learners and aims to offer differential learning to learners of different abilities. It also seeks to enhance the independence of scientific thought and encourages analytical and mental skills in scientific fields such as searching, referencing, analysing and practicing the academic process. The aim is to encourage learners to develop productive skills in their free time, which could enhance their skill-set and general character. Particular emphasis is also placed on literacy, improving the general understanding of foundational concepts in the core disciplines and finally, enhancing learners` identities to Islam and the Saudi nation (Ministry of Education, 2014; UNESCO, 2011).

As previously noted the secondary school level is divided into three graded phases; in the first grade the subjects are the same as before; Arabic and English language, Islamic culture, historical studies, geography, mathematics, humanities, IT and home economics (for female

learners). Learners must pass all exams at the end of each semester of the year and will be re-examined if they fail in any of the exams. In the final two graded phases, learners study a more limited range of subjects and develop the skills of their choosing; they are required to choose an arts track or a science track. The science track emphasises the study of mathematics and sciences and the arts track emphasises the study of Arabic literature, humanities and arts (Ministry of Education, 2008; Oyaid, 2009).

It is important for learners to consider the career opportunities that are available in the KSA labour market before selecting a track. Aljabri and Alahmadi (2012) explain that male Saudi learners usually tend to choose the science track while female learners will normally choose the art track. In fact, the science track offers more job opportunities for male learners and is usually supported by family and the government. The amount of work opportunities available for women in the scientific field could be limited. For example, females are not allowed to study or work in the petroleum and minerals industries in the KSA.

Learners must graduate successfully from every graded phase by passing a series of exams and performing to a specified standard. Following secondary school, learners will be offered a place at the university or college of their choosing, depending on their performance in exams (second and third grades of secondary school). Learners are graded on their general ability in their final examinations (Oyaid, 2009; Al-Salloom, 2004).

In order to improve the quality of the educational system in the KSA, the Tatweer Project, known as “The General Project of Curriculum Development”, was established in 2007. Its main goal is to develop and reform the educational standards and provide the facilities necessary to improve secondary school learning environments. Secondary school learners can choose whether to attend a traditional school (as explained above) or a modern school offering the Tatweer Project (Meemar, 2014). The educational system in the KSA is centralised and the curriculum traditionally does not encourage self-learning, technical skills and critical thinking among Saudi learners. The Ministry of Education in the KSA noticed that there was a need to improve the Saudi educational curriculum taught in public schools (Tatweer, 2011). The Tatweer Project gives teachers a degree of freedom in the classroom such as modifying contents, organising the classroom and using a variety of activities and resources according to the learners’ learning abilities. It also enables head teachers to contribute to decision-making in schools in order to improve the educational experience of Saudi learners. Similar to university learners, learners in these schools have the freedom to

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choose their modules, enrol in a summer semester and arrange their own timetables (Tatweer, 2011).

The Tatweer Project’s launch in 2007 involved 50 secondary schools (25 female and 25 male) in different areas around the KSA as a pilot stage. After evaluation, it was found that generalising the project to apply to all Saudi schools was difficult due to the programme’s high cost in providing every school with highly advanced technologies. The pilot stage was then modified to a system of three stages. The first stage ran from 2011 to 2012. The main aim of this stage was to choose and develop a model of changes and train staff to handle this model (Tatweer, 2011). The second stage, from 2012 to 2014, aimed to support the previously defined model for change, apply it in selected schools and supervise its practice.

As reported by Meemar (2014), 900 Saudi schools applied the Tatweer Project in 2014. The final stage started in 2014 and will finish in 2017. By the end of the final stage, all secondary schools across the KSA are expected to have applied the Tatweer Project (Tatweer, 2011).

2.4.5 The Nature of the Curriculum in General Education

As mentioned earlier, the entire education system in the KSA including the administration sectors is highly governed by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry has a Curriculum Department that sets the curriculum, specifies the subjects and issues standard textbooks for every school grade across the KSA. The nature of the curriculum specification and the number of lessons in a particular subject are different according to each grade level. The Ministry of Education provides a unified curriculum and a specified group of textbooks to accompany each curriculum. These are prepared, designed, printed, published and passed to the schools around the KSA every year by the Ministry of Education (Ministry of Education, 2008). The Ministry of Education provides the teachers with specific teaching textbooks with different pedagogies for learning and teaching practices in all subjects for all school levels (Alshumaimeri, 1999).

All textbooks are provided free for primary, intermediate and secondary school levels and are shared by both genders. In addition, every age group in each educational level has an associated curriculum and course related reading material, this material is updated on an annual basis, according to the changes that occur in the economic, political, cultural and social arenas. The various curriculum subject areas and textbooks are designed in accordance with relevant topic areas for the learners. A great deal of importance is placed on the content

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of these textbooks and as such, teachers are encouraged to follow the curriculum very closely. Further, teachers, head teachers, parents and learners in the educational process are not in a position where they can be involved in, or influence, any area of the education delivered in the KSA (Bin Salamah, 2001; Ministry of Education, 2008).