Understanding Students&apos; Experiences with E-Learning 2.0 in Australian Higher Education: A Grounded Theory Study
Author: Mayan, Omar Hasan
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Student Experience,Electronic Learning,Foreign Students,Study Abroad,Cultural Influences,Cultural Differences,Student Adjustment,Affordances,Barriers,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Scholarships,Family Influence,School Security,Technology Uses in Education,Learner Engagement,Teacher Student Relationship,Student Rights,Friendship,Educational Benefits

Focusing on the themes of culture and e-learning 2.0, this study provides a Grounded Theory exploration of the experience of Saudi Arabian students in Australia. The research was conducted because a growing number of Saudi Arabian students chose to pursue their studies abroad in countries with very different cultural and educational environments such as Australia, and there is little in the literature that focuses on Saudi Arabian students' experiences, specifically with new learning settings. The study aims to explore the experiences of Saudi Arabian higher education students in Australia and the opportunities and challenges that emerge from these experiences. An essential part of this research is discovering the role of culture in shaping attitudes and experiences of Saudi Arabian male and female students within an Australian e-learning 2.0 higher education environment. A qualitative approach based on Charmaz's Constructivist Grounded Theory approach was adopted to allow the participants to describe their experiences and to analyse the gathered data. Three theoretical underpinnings based on cultural, educational and technological theoretical perspectives, were used to understand the data gathered. Twenty Saudi Arabian higher education students sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education to study at Australian universities were surveyed and interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The twenty interviews were transcribed into 5000 lines of text and over 800 excerpt basic statements were subsequently extracted from the raw data. Through a line-by-line initial coding process, over 400 line-by-line initial codes emerged. Through the constant comparative method focusing on coding the relevant data, a reduced list of (38) initial codes emerged; these were identified as the most frequently repeated and relevant codes to address the research questions. The focused codes were categorised into three conceptual categories: 'adaptation to the Australian cultural environment,' ?adaptation to the Australian education system,' and 'engagement in learning through technology.' Each of the three categories was associated with a set of subcategories. Through the theoretical coding process, key theoretical concepts were drawn, and the conceptual categories and their interplay were specified and explained in a theoretical model. Key findings from the analysis indicated that: (i) Saudi Arabian students experienced a number of cultural and educational challenges while studying in the Australian higher education environment; (ii) Saudi Arabian students were able to utilise the e-learning 2.0 environment in their respective universities as a learning enabler to help them overcome some of their educational challenges. In an e-learning 2.0 environment, they were able to interact with other people while preparing themselves to become more interactive in their classes. The enabling affordances of the e-learning 2.0 environment also served as a learning facilitator where the students successfully engaged in, and adapted to, the Australian higher education environment. Furthermore, (iii) e-learning 2.0 platforms were utilised by the students as a sociocultural enabler, helping them to transcend some of the sociocultural challenges. However, for some participants, the language barriers, the gender segregation culture and the technology expertise persisted as intervening challenges even in the enabling e-learning 2.0 environment. The theoretical model developed in this study contributes to our understanding of international students' experiences with, and attitudes towards an e-learning 2.0 environment and its role in their cultural and educational adaptation in a new setting.