The Academic Challenges Facing Faculty Members At Tabuk University

Abstract

The current study aimed to identify the academic challenges facing faculty members at Tabuk University and their relationship to some variables, including gender, academic rank, teaching experience, and age. To achieve the study objectives, a survey method was utilized, applying a questionnaire consisting of 32 items, ensuring their validity and reliability. The questionnaire was administered to the study sample, comprising faculty members at the College of Education and Arts at Tabuk University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2011/2012, totaling 122 faculty members. The results indicated that the means of the problems ranged from (-2.17) to (2.83), with item 11, which states "the complexity of university procedures for promotion from one academic rank to another in the first position," ranking highest, while item 5, which reads "the lack of industrial facilities and educational laboratories to facilitate material delivery," ranked lowest. Regarding the gender variable, problems varied between males and females, with issues related to the university's failure to meet the needs of male faculty members in resource allocation being prevalent. The academic problem of the complexity of university procedures for promotion from one academic rank to another ranked highest among females. Concerning the academic rank variable, problems differed based on rank, with assistant professors facing more complex promotion procedures than their counterparts. Conversely, associate professors faced challenges in the specialized fields of research dissemination, while professors fa[1]ced a shortage of faculty members. Regarding the age variable, there was no difference in the problems faced by faculty members of different ages. Finally, concerning teaching experience, differences were found in the problems, with issues related to the university's failure to meet the needs of faculty members associated with hiring experienced individuals (less than five years of experience) being prevalent, while problems were less widespread among those with 11 to 15 years of experience and those with 16 or more years of experience. The study concluded with a set of recommendations.