The Expatriate Quandary Shaping Higher Education in Saudi Arabia

Author(s):

Annemarie ProfanterDesmond Victor Rice

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 07 C, Academic Work

Paper Session

Time:

2009-09-29

15:30-17:00

Room:

HG; HS 29

Chair:

Monne Wihlborg

Contribution

Higher education opportunities in Saudi Arabia have risen sharply in the past 5 years. In an effort to jump start this rise of opportunities for the Saudi young people, both government and private institutions have had to rely on increased expatriate involvement. While many studies in the past have focused on Multinational Corporate (MNC) expatriates, there is limited research on expatriates involved in Higher Education. This study was an attempt to bridge this gap and focus on the specific issues facing expatriate instructors in higher education and more specifically in a startup private institution in the Eastern Province of the country. In order to get at the real issues confronting expatriate involvement, the methodology demanded a greater emphasis on the collection of qualitative data where research could get at the heart of issues and adjustments faced by both the expatriates as well as by the university establishment. Several personal interviews of expatriates were conducted in Saudi Arabia as well as in Bahrain. University instructors and administrators presented contrasting images of survival in Saudi Arabia. The samples were video-taped with their permission allowing responses to be checked for accuracy. In addition, email from concerned instructors were also obtained. This session attempts to present the results of these findings with implications for startup institutions not only in Saudi Arabia, but also in the Arabian Gulf region. Methodological issues of research endeavors in this cultural very sensitive area are addressed critically.

Method

According to Glanz et al. (2001) there appears to be a lack of data in the area of expatriation research/higher education in the Gulf although within the last decade concentrated research has been done in specific areas. This study is based on a qualitative approach using interviews and written materials. Qualitative data is more readily available in Saudi Arabia. Authorization to conduct a survey is somewhat tenuous because of administrative sensitivities. Therefore, the sample size is limited for reliable data. Expatriates in Saudi Arabia are more likely to open up at one-to-one meetings due to anxiety over possible retaliation. Moreover, affects of emotional factors which would be difficult to screen out in a written survey are taken into account and analysed in line with the current status of research in relation to expatriate involvement in Higher Education in the Middle East.

Expected Outcomes

Researchers have taken a myopic view of various facets of higher education in the Gulf dealing with specific aspects of expatriate performance. This lack of studies in our view may result from the fact that there is a concentration by institutions on hiring and research takes a back burner. Thus, education in the Gulf exposes instructors to a special type of interpersonal relationship involving integration at one level within a segregated society: In the West, teaching students at college level implies a one-on-one relationship with the students; whereas, in the Gulf countries an instructor must take into account the immediate family as well as members of the extended family. There is a clash between the individualistic approach of the Western instructor and the collectivistic make-up of the society of the host country. Therefore, dealing with expatriate research in the field of education in Saudi Arabia demands a much broader view.

References

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Author Information

Annemarie Profanter

Free University of Bolzano-Bozen

Faculty of Education

Brixen

104

Desmond Victor Rice

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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