Perceptions of teachers of mental retardation regarding their preparation program at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia

The teacher program of Special Education at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia has been in operation for 16 years, but little information exists regarding the program's effectiveness. This study examined perceptions of current teachers of children with mental retardation regarding their preparation in the Special Education Program at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. A survey was developed of 36 items that covered four themes: Course Work, Internship, Evaluation, and Teaching Skills. In addition, three open-ended questions dealt with graduate teachers' perceptions of program strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations. Of 390 practicing teachers who graduated from 1993 to 2000, 65% returned usable questionnaires.; Validity and reliability studies ensured that the instrument really measured what it purported to measure. A pilot study yielded correlation coefficients generally in excess of 0.80, indicating good reliability. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and analysis of variance were used.; Findings indicated that graduates in the Mental Retardation major were slightly positive about overall preparation in the program. The most effective theme was the Internship, with a mean score on the five point Likert scale of 3.65. Means of other themes were: Course Work 2.76, Evaluation 3.05, and Teaching Skills 2.83. Graduate teachers therefore agreed that the Internship was effective, but all other constructs were in the middle of the scale Neither Agree nor Disagree.; Results indicated a significant difference between males and females. Male teachers viewed their preparation program more positively than female teachers. Findings failed to reveal a significant different between recent graduates (1 to 4 years teaching experience) and long-term graduates (5 or more years teaching experience). A significant difference was found between perceptions of graduates assigned to mental retardation centers as compared to those assigned to regular schools. Regular schools teachers perceived their preparation program more positively than teachers who operate in mental retardation centers.; In the open-ended questions, graduates reported needing more time for Internship and practical experiences, an increase in specialized professional faculty, and a reduction in the gap between Course Work and classroom practice. Enhancing the curriculum and linking it more with reality were common responses. Additionally, teacher graduates emphasized more variety was needed in methods teaching in the University.