Index

Abstract

This study investigated social studies teachers’ teaching practices in the knowledge society framework at Saudi Arabian schools as viewed by educational supervisors and teachers using the descriptive analytical approach. The study used a questionnaire. The study’s sample consisted of 33 randomly selected educational supervisors and 62 social studies teachers. Only 95 questionnaires were complete and statistically analyzed Results revealed that the means of the social studies teachers’ performance were viewed as being above average. The study recommends training teachers on the modern educational experiences imposed by the knowledge society.

Keywords: Teaching practice, Social studies teachers, Performance, Knowledge society, Educational supervisors, Saudi Arabian schools.

Received: 4 June 2019 / Revised: 9 July 2019 / Accepted: 13 August 2019/ Published: 11 October 2019

Contribution/ Originality

This study contributes to existing literature by investigating social studies teachers’ teaching practices in the light of knowledge society at Saudi Arabian schools as viewed by educational supervisors and teachers.


1. INTRODUCTION

Currently, people entirely depend on knowledge as the most precious resource they have. It comprises experience, values, beliefs, and skills. Additionally, it is the most important factor in our society’s intellectual and technological development that has to continuously adapt to rapid change in all aspects of life. Such rapid adaptation implies a huge international revolution that has created a "knowledge society". It is a society that is capable of producing and employing knowledge in various aspects of life. Therefore, knowledge is the most important capital in any society. In other words, the progress of a society is not measured by its economic or military powers only but by the knowledge, it has and employs (Alzemety, 2012).

The knowledge society is not distinguished by the collection or efficient use of data to achieve certain and defined objectives. Rather, it is the production of knowledge that makes the difference (Abu, 2005; Sverker and Hebe, 2007). In the Arab context, the most prominent examples in the field were the 2nd report of the Arab human development "Towards Creating Knowledge Society" and "Curricula in Knowledge Society 2012" Conference on developing teachers' competencies and performance (Alyan, 2012; Mousa and Alhanan, 2013).

The educational system must address such rapid developments and changes by appropriate means, including the teacher. Thus, the social studies teacher has to primarily train students on how to find knowledge, not solely instruct them by exerting effort and employing different means and techniques. S/he develops them by organizing the educational process and by identifying their needs, abilities, attitudes, and thinking methods; mastering his/her performance and using their abilities to guide them towards creativity and innovation; motivating them to employ their mental abilities and giving feedback; and paying attention to the world events. In addition, s/he teaches the students to be aware of the current events and know different cultures (Alanzy, 2010; Janh, 2012).

Therefore, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was interested in the concept of the knowledge society and how best teachers could be prepared to train students to adapt to its demands as well as performance assessment and development of teachers. The teacher's impact is one of the largest factors that enhance education's efficacy and student achievement.

Many studies addressed the tasks, performance, and competencies of the teacher. For example, Stephenson (2004) recommended continuously training the teacher on new roles so students could effectively handle technology, think creatively, solve problems and make decisions. Baran and Cagiltay (2006) concluded that the teacher's professional development has a strong relation to knowledge management in the electronic knowledge societies. Adelabu (2006) and Darling-Hammond (2006) agreed on the professional features that the 21st century's teacher should have: high professionalism, communication skills, effective technology use, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving and decision-making. They generally reflect the teacher's changing role in the age of globalization and economic competitiveness.

Therefore, the importance of the knowledge society is highlighted because it builds its strategies and prospective policies on genuine knowledge. It also earnestly and professionally seeks knowledge production and employment. However, there are no studies, to the author's knowledge, on the reality of the performance of social studies teachers in the context of the knowledge society as viewed by educational supervisors and teachers at Saudi Arabian schools.

2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study’s problem is defined in investigating the reality of social studies teachers’ performance as this would help develop the educational process by examining and continuously developing their training on the latest updates and fulfill the knowledge society's requirements.

The study seeks to answer the following major question: What is the reality of social studies teachers' performance in the light of knowledge society as viewed by supervisors and teachers at Saudi Arabian schools? It is subdivided into the following minor questions:

3. OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to investigate:

4. SIGNIFICANCE

5. LIMITATIONS

Human and spatial limitations: The sample consisted of only the educational supervisors and social studies teachers at Asir's basic schools.

Temporal limitations: The study was limited to the period of the second semester for the educational year of 2017 to 2018.

Objective limitations: The reality of social studies teachers' performance at Saudi Arabian schools.

6. DEFINITION OF TERMS

Performance: This was defined as the procedural behaviors of the teachers' behaviors in teaching social studies, including their extent and styles, as well as teaching practices. It was represented by the arithmetic means of the questionnaire’s responses.

Knowledge society: This was defined as the society in which the social studies teacher masters using, disseminating, and using knowledge in all teaching fields to facilitate learning and make sound decisions. It was defined by the total marks given by the educational supervisor or teacher in responding to the items of the questionnaire.

6.1. Conceptual Framework and Literature Review

6.1.1. Knowledge Society

It is a concept of transformation from an industrial society into one that generates knowledge, in the most varied form, i.e. the driving force. According to UNCTAD (2002) the society members are mostly occupied with the production, collection, storage, processing, or distribution of information.

The United Nations Development Programme and Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (2003) defines the knowledge society as the one that is mainly based on disseminating, producing, and effectively using knowledge in all aspects of societal activities, e.g. economy, civil society, politics, and private life to promote the human status through human development.

The author concludes that the knowledge society is that of the innovative human, mutual intelligence, effective mind, and accurate information. It utilizes knowledge in all life aspects, where the human is a knowledge generator and user. Therefore, it represents a new leap towards information and communication technology and investing the human capital.

According to Almalkawy (2007) and Albelawy and Hussien (2007) it is characterized by the following including the:

Saeed (2003) reported that freedom of opinion, dissemination of high-quality education, and freedom of knowledge exchange and access are the most significant features of education in the knowledge society. Hussien (2006) argued that it also includes the growing educational services based on information and communication technology. According to Albelawy and Hussien (2007) it includes the development of the cognitive and metacognitive skills and abilities, life-long learning, growing need to new systems of counseling and guidance, and changing work forms and models because the individuals consistently change their jobs.

Therefore, the author concludes that education in the knowledge society is characterized by increasing awareness of information technology, developing the infrastructure of information and communication technology, educating the teachers about the basics of computer to utilize technology in teaching and curricula, and designing continuous training programs to keep pace with the technological developments.

6.2. Requirements of the Knowledge Society

The requirements of the knowledge society should be listed to enable the educational supervisors and teachers to evaluate the social studies teachers’ performance of and whether they are doing well in preparing students for it. The knowledge society depends on the wide availability of many fundamentals to cover all aspects of the societal system to include politics, economy, education, values, beliefs, science, technology, media, as well as the system relating to the external environment (Dahawy and Almelegy, 2010).

The knowledge society requires:

According to Taha (2014), the specialists of teaching social studies agree on a set of features that a teacher must have to perform his/ her role optimally, including:

The teacher should develop himself/herself and increase his/her knowledge. The technological and information updates and social and moral issues set up successive changes. Thus, the teacher has to be prepared and informed or will be lost and unable to do their job as they would feel that the world keeps evolving without warning.

The author concludes that evaluating the performance of social studies teachers is performed via many tasks such as:

6.3. Significance of the Knowledge Society

Taha (2014) and Aly and Hijazy (2005) report that it is a significant society because it:

Due to the significance of the knowledge society, many studies were conducted to ensure its effectiveness.

Alqatrawi and Alhaj (2016) examined the role of principals and teachers of special education in the reality of educational transitions as an approach to achieving a knowledge society in Palestine. The results revealed that the cognitive, security, creative, technical, and democratic domains were ranked in order.

Taha (2014) proposed a training program to develop some concepts of international literacy of social studies teachers in the light of knowledge society. The study recommended continually evaluating the current situation of social studies teachers to identify their academic, practical, and professional levels and to know their weaknesses to treat them in other training programs to keep pace with the features and requirements of the knowledge society. It recommended evaluating their current situation in the field of specialization (history, geography, or national education) to identify their training needs based on future changes.

Abualmajd (2014) illustrated the nature, challenges, and future requirements of the knowledge society. The study provided a comprehensive overview of the aforementioned items and proposed a future plan for education in Egypt in the light of knowledge society challenges.

Al Rafaa (2014) investigated the most important personal, professional, and scientific qualifications of the Saudi teacher in the light of knowledge society. The results revealed that communication and information technology strongly affect knowledge society formulation. Despite the growing knowledge production, there is a shortage in knowledge on how to prepare the multi-skilled teacher. Additionally, there is a shortage in making the available information freely circulated. The study recommended that the Saudi educational institutions should be transformed from the conventional form, i.e. factory to learning organizations, to build institutions that are capable of knowledge absorption, as well as developing teacher preparation and training based on knowledge society requirements. 

Kelley (2013) highlighted building knowledge society by the faculty. The study reported that the applied scientific disciplines, e.g. engineering and computer, contribute to building the knowledge society more and longer than the theoretical ones, e.g. languages, history, and arts and have multiple objectives. It recommended offering technical and scientific counseling services and making use of the Internet in building the knowledge society. It also highlighted the importance of incentives where the faculty members work to produce knowledge.

Mousa and Alhanan (2013) investigated the obstacles facing history teachers, requirements of the knowledge society, and competencies to be developed. The results revealed the effectiveness of making a proposal to develop and improve the competencies and attitudes of the teachers based on employing many teaching methods and strategies in the light of knowledge society. They included discussion, brainstorming, problem-solving, collaborative learning, and lecture. Additionally, the activities and educational aids varied according to specialization, e.g. the Internet, computer, data show, and charts. The study recommended training the teachers on the modern educational experiences and reconsidering and developing the teacher preparation programs at the colleges of education in the light of knowledge society requirements.

Adeya and Oyeinka (2012) examined the use of and obstacles to knowledge society techniques in the academic and teaching fields by the faculty members of the African universities (in Kenya and Nigeria). The results revealed that the most important obstacles to using the Internet in scientific research were the lack of devices and financial support and unfamiliarity with the Internet use. The study recommended holding courses and professional development programs for the faculty members to utilize the knowledge society resources, including technology.

Sobhy (2011) investigated the most significant future shortage in activating the role of secondary education in meeting knowledge society requirements. The study recommended that secondary education should keep pace with knowledge society requirements in Egypt. Additionally, the general secondary education should be aligned with the updates to meet such requirements.

Barakat and Awad (2011) investigated the opinions of the faculty members at some Arab universities on the reality of the universities' role in developing the knowledge society. The results reported differences in responses in all domains on the general role of universities in developing knowledge society according to the location in favor of the Arab Gulf universities.

Slick (2009) examined the contribution of the Korea National Open University to solving problems and addressing the challenges of the knowledge society from the teachers' perspective. The results revealed a poor curricula, lack of support, and shortage in handling all techniques. The study recommended the importance of benefiting from the leaders of thinking and knowledge, addressing technical science, offering the governmental and non-governmental support to help the development programs meet knowledge society requirements.

Hopkin (2009) examined the quality evaluation of the secondary teacher's performance based on knowledge society requirements. To achieve the quality of the secondary teacher's performance, the preparation programs should be developed based on the requirements of the knowledge society. Additionally, the in-service teacher should be evaluated and receive ongoing training to help improve the teaching practices in developing the knowledge society.

Alzebedy (2008) examined the role of Arab universities in the knowledge society in the light of international information development. The study provided a set of roles for the Arab universities, e.g. creating the knowledge society, representing a new era that copes up with the information technology and knowledge development and generation to store, transfer knowledge in different areas of life, and transform the Arab society into a knowledge society.

Salem (2007) evaluated the university’s role in the knowledge society because the university focuses on creating a social basis for it based on the integration between the information and communication revolution and the persons with specialized knowledge for the human service. The university also offers opportunities to generate knowledge and implement the knowledge skills among the community members, not only a select group.
Graig (2007) analyzed the features of knowledge communities through the portfolios of the teachers' practices. The results revealed that the development of knowledge societies is dynamic.

Chenq and Yip (2006) aimed to describe, analyze, and reform secondary education in Hong Kong and Shanghai to achieve the knowledge society. The study reported the need to reconsider the nature, objectives, and content of the secondary education to suit the reality of the knowledge society.

Baran and Cagiltay (2006) investigated the relationship between the professional development of teachers and knowledge management in the electronic knowledge communities. The study reported a strong positive relationship between the professional development of teachers and the management of the electronic knowledge communities.

Switjer (2002) aimed to develop educational roles and jobs in the light of the knowledge society. The study concluded that the internal and external efficiency was low and there was a lack of using modern technology, e.g. technology, information, and communication. It recommended increasing the production of the knowledge society and consolidating it in achieving development.

To conclude, the literature illustrates the broad local, regional, and international interest in the knowledge society, its reflection on all life aspects, and implications in the educational system. We concluded that there should be radical changes in the educational system to contribute effectively to the knowledge society.

The present study benefited from the literature review in the conceptual framework, identifying the educational requirements for the knowledge society, preparing the questionnaire, and discussing the results.

7. METHODOLOGY

7.1. Method

The study adopted the analytical descriptive approach because it is the most appropriate to the nature of the study in collecting, interpreting, and analyzing data.

7.2. Population and Sampling

The population comprised all the social studies teachers and educational supervisors in the Saudi schools in Asir Region that is located in the southwest of Saudi Arabia in the scholastic year 2017 to 2018.

The sample of the study consisted of 33 randomly selected educational supervisors and 62 social studies teachers. Only 95 questionnaires were analyzed statistically because they were complete.

7.3. Tool

After reviewing the relevant educational literature, a questionnaire with 33 items on the performance of social studies teachers in the context of the knowledge society was prepared.

The Likert five-point scale was used, as follows: very high (5), above average (4), average (3), below average (2), and very low (1).

Table-1. Likert scale.

Agreement
Strongly agree
Agree
Moderately agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Arithmetic means
4.2-5
4.2-3.4
3.4-2.6
2.6-1.8
1.8-1
Percentage
84%-100%
84%-68%
68%-52%
52%-36%
36%-20%

Source: Data was statistically analyzed by calculating the arithmetic means and percentage.

7.4. Validity

7.4.1. Reviewers' Validity

The questionnaire was submitted to some reviewers in psychology and fundamentals of education at Saudi Arabian universities, as well as educational supervisors. They were asked to give opinions on the validity of the tools, appropriateness of items, and academic and linguistic accuracy. Consequently, some items were added, while others were deleted or modified. In its final form, the questionnaire comprised 33 items.

7.4.2. Internal Consistency

The validity of the items was estimated between each item and the total degree of the pilot sample. The correlation coefficients were [0.398-0.644] . Consequently, the coefficients were statistically significant at the level of 0.01.

7.5. Reliability

The questionnaire was applied to a pilot sample of 12 teachers. Cronbach's alpha was used to estimate reliability. It equaled 0.82. Thus, it was a highly reliable test.

8. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

To answer the first question "what is the reality of social studies teachers' performance as viewed by educational supervisors?” the arithmetic means, standard deviations, and percentages were calculated, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2 shows that:

This may be due to the teachers' interest in developing the teamwork and assuming responsibility amongst the students, as well as the development of their ability to take responsibility. Collaborative learning and responsibility are important features of the knowledge society members.

The lowest scores were as follows:

Diagnosing the problems of students, guiding them and discovering the gifted ones require training because they are difficult and require special techniques. Additionally, the teacher gives the students freedom of expression opportunities, but they should have more.  Therefore, the teachers must be trained to act effectively in the light of the knowledge society to overcome the students' problems, provide care to the gifted students, and provide opportunities for greater freedom.

This result agreed with Alqatrawi and Alhaj (2016); Taha (2014); Al Rafaa (2014); Alzoboun and Alskety (2014); Mousa and Alhanan (2013); Alzemety (2012); Sobhy (2011); Barakat and Awad (2011); Alrabean (2010); Abdul and Zaman (2009); Hopkin (2009); Salem (2007); Baran and Cagiltay (2006) and Alazab (2006). However, it disagreed with Switjer (2002) and Kelley (2013).

This result significantly indicated developing the performance of the social studies teachers in the knowledge society. That is, their roles are not only useful to the activity, knowledge, classroom management, products, performance, and skills, but they are positively reflected in the knowledge development, practice, and application. It also meets the students' needs to achieve scientific and social progress and develop their abilities. Consequently, they develop interaction with modern developments and keep pace with the knowledge and technological revolution. Additionally, the teachers enable the students to search, explore, deduce, conclude, and generate knowledge. The new role of the social studies teachers helps them develop students' responsibility, interaction with society, and exchanging attitudes. This was reflected in meeting their knowledge and technological needs.

Table-2. Arithmetic means, standard deviations, percentages, and ranks of the performance of social studies teachers in the light of knowledge society as viewed by educational supervisors in a descending order.

No. Item
Arithmetic means
Standard deviation
Percentage
Degree
1 The teacher develops the students' ability to teamwork.
3.94
0.66
78.79
Above average
2 The teacher offers investigation and counseling opportunities.
3.73
0.80
74.55
Above average
3 The teacher develops the students' ability to assuming responsibility.
3.85
0.67
76.97
Above average
4 The teacher uses technological applications in the educational process.
3.79
0.86
75.76
Above average
5 The teacher allows students to show their ideas and energies.
3.64
0.70
72.73
Above average
6 The teacher develops the creative skills and abilities among the students.
3.79
0.89
75.76
Above average
7 The teacher has adequate experience in developing the values and attitudes.
3.58
0.97
71.52
Above average
8 The teacher tries to solve the social problems of the students.
3.64
0.82
72.73
Above average
9 The teacher enhances students' abilities to create knowledge.
3.67
0.74
73.33
Above average
10 The teacher develops students' abilities to creativity and depiction.
3.64
0.65
72.73
Above average
11 The teacher performs her role as a manager of useful knowledge resources.
3.70
0.88
73.94
Above average
12 The teacher helps the students to be as they like.
3.79
0.74
75.76
Above average
13 The teacher offers freedom of expression opportunities.
3.52
0.91
70.30
Above average
14 The teacher is interested in world events.
3.64
0.90
72.73
Above average
15 The teacher tends to develop her skills, knowledge, and abilities.
3.58
0.83
71.52
Above average
16 The teacher tries to make the students effective society members.
3.67
0.74
73.33
Above average
17 The teacher is aware of the thinking approaches based on epistemology.
3.70
0.88
73.94
Above average
18 The teacher can evaluate and verify the information.
3.67
0.74
73.33
Above average
19 The teacher works as a medium of knowledge.
3.67
0.85
73.33
Above average
20 The teacher teaches her students the knowledge related to the information revolution.
3.79
0.70
75.76
Above average
21 The teacher implements the spirit of innovation and independence amongst students.
3.79
0.82
75.76
Above average
22 The teacher offers her students the activities of having and using knowledge.
3.64
0.82
72.73
Above average
23 The teacher develops the students' ability to face life problems.
3.73
0.67
74.55
Above average
24 The teacher motivates the students to understand the nature, features, and treatment of information.
3.70
0.64
73.94
Above average
25 The teacher is familiar with the knowledge applications.
3.64
0.65
72.73
Above average
26 The teacher diagnoses the problems encountered by students to guide them.
3.52
0.80
70.30
Above average
27 The teacher solves problems creatively.
3.64
0.82
72.73
Above average
28 The teacher has adequate experience to discover the gifted students.
3.48
0.97
69.70
Above average
29 The teacher has new ways of cooperative learning.
3.73
0.63
74.55
Above average
30 The teacher develops the training materials she uses.
3.58
0.97
71.52
Above average
31 The teacher guides the students to have new perspectives.
3.58
0.83
71.52
Above average
32 The teacher develops mental skills amongst the students (e.g. conclusion, deduction, and analysis).
3.67
0.89
73.33
Above average
33 The teacher develops her skills in using various life examples related to the students' lives.
3.55
0.97
70.91
Above average
Total
3.67
0.60
73.43
Above average

Source: Data was statistically analyzed by calculating the arithmetic means, standard deviation, percentage, and degree.

The educational supervisors believed that the teachers' role in the light of the knowledge society was a good indicator of their role in fostering the personality, teamwork, and responsibility of the students, allowing them to contribute to the achievement of the knowledge society requirements.

To answer the second question "what is the reality of social studies teachers' performance from the teachers' perspective at Saudi Arabian schools?” the arithmetic means, standard deviations, and percentages were estimated, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3 illustrates that:

There may be a real attitude among the teachers to use modern technological applications in teaching and delivering the information to the students. Additionally, they motivate creative students.
The lowest scores were as follows:

This result was because the teachers are occupied with the teaching process and cannot always review updates in the field to keep up with the change of pace in the knowledge society.

It agreed with Alqatrawi and Alhaj (2016); Taha (2014); Al Rafaa (2014); Alzoboun and Alskety (2014); Mousa and Alhanan (2013); Alzemety (2012); Sobhy (2011); Barakat and Awad (2011); Hopkin (2009); Salem (2007); Baran and Cagiltay (2006) and Alazab (2006). However, it disagreed with Switjer (2002) and Kelley (2013).

It was a good indicator of the performance of social studies teachers. It was concluded that such performance was largely reflected in using the technological applications better in the educational process based on the huge technological revolution to develop the students' performance and the teachers' interest in developing the creative skills and abilities of the students. The teachers had adequate experience in developing the values and attitudes and they tried to solve the students' social problems. They developed the students' abilities to generate knowledge, their interest in the world's events, and their skills. In addition, the teachers prepared aids and designed lessons according to the requirements of the knowledge society, helping equip the students with positive attitudes towards applying such requirements in the educational process.

Table-3. Arithmetic means, standard deviations, percentages, and ranks of the performance of social studies teachers in the light of knowledge society from the teachers' perspective in a descending order.

No. Item
Arithmetic means
Standard deviation
Percentage
Degree
1 I am interested in the development of the students' creative skills and abilities.
3.94
0.67
78.71
Above average
2 I have adequate experience in developing the values and attitudes.
3.26
0.75
65.16
Average
3 I try to solve the students' social problems.
3.52
0.50
70.32
Above average
4 I enhance the students' ability to create knowledge.
3.13
0.97
62.58
Average
5 I am interested in the world's events.
3.47
0.50
69.35
Above average
6 I tend to develop my skills, knowledge, and abilities.
3.13
0.97
62.58
Average
7 I give the students the knowledge related to the information revolution.
3.19
0.90
63.87
Average
8 I can evaluate and verify information.
3.53
0.50
70.65
Above average
9 I motivate the students to understand the nature and features of information.
3.55
0.67
70.97
Above average
10 I have new ways in cooperative education.
3.56
0.93
71.29
Above average
11 I diagnose the various problems that students face to guide them.
3.53
1.07
70.65
Above average
12 I have adequate experience in discovering the gifted students.
2.90
1.25
58.06
Average
13 I develop the teaching materials that I teach.
2.87
1.26
57.42
Average
14 I develop my skills in using various relevant life examples.
3.65
0.66
72.90
Above average
15 I develop the students' teamwork abilities.
3.45
0.80
69.03
Above average
16 I develop the students' abilities to take responsibility.
3.65
0.68
72.90
Above average
17 I help students to be as they want.
3.02
0.80
60.32
Average
18 I provide more search and counseling opportunities.
3.53
0.80
70.65
Above average
19 I perform my role as a manager of useful information resources.
2.90
1.08
58.06
Average
20 I use technological applications in the educational process.
3.95
0.69
79.03
Above average
21 I develop the students' abilities of creativity and perception.
3.61
0.71
72.26
Above average
22 I offer the students opportunities to express themselves freely.
3.40
0.84
68.06
Above average
23 I implement the spirit of innovation and independence amongst students.
3.32
0.92
66.45
Average
24 I allow the students to show their ideas and energies.
3.53
0.50
70.65
Above average
25 I provide the activities that enable the students of having and using knowledge.
3.85
0.74
77.10
Above average
26 I develop the students' ability to face life problems.
3.68
0.65
73.55
Above average
27 I guide the students to have new future perspectives.
3.26
0.90
65.16
Average
28 I develop the mental skills of the students (e.g. conclusion, deduction, and analysis).
3.71
0.82
74.19
Above average
29 I am familiar with the knowledge creation and applications.
3.87
0.34
77.42
Above average
30 I solve the problems creatively.
3.63
0.66
72.58
Above average
31 I try to make the students effective community members.
3.84
0.58
76.77
Above average
32 I work as a medium of knowledge.
3.74
0.44
74.84
Above average
33 I am aware of the thinking approaches based on epistemology.
3.55
0.67
70.97
Above average
Total
3.48
0.42
69.53
Above average

Source: Data was statistically analyzed by calculating the arithmetic means, standard deviation, percentage, and degree.

The teachers provide interesting topics and issues that attract the students' attention towards research and exploration and develop their interaction skills to acquire new skills, information, experience, and knowledge to such the technical revolution. However, they lack the experience of discovering gifted students and they cannot manage useful resources. This may be due to developing the materials they teach. Hence, such results are real.

9. RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations were made that include:

  1. Reconsidering and developing the educational supervision strategies of the in-service social studies teachers in Saudi Arabia in the light of the knowledge society.
  2. Continually holding training courses for social studies teachers on employing activities to enhance the knowledge needs of students and learning about the latest technological developments.
  3. Preparing the school environment and facilities that help the social studies teachers implement the various knowledge activities and achieve the desired objectives.
  4. Selecting the social studies teachers based on enthusiasm that their personalities can develop, search, discover, and follow-up the updates.
  5. Issuing educational bulletins to display the teaching strategies employing the knowledge society requirements.
  6. Training the teachers on the modern educational experiences imposed by the knowledge society with its technological development to be reflected in the teaching competency, creativity, and innovation.
  7. Giving the opportunity to the social studies teachers to review the experiences of the successful Arab and foreign states in developing and improving the teachers' performance in the light of the knowledge society through the effective role of the educational supervisors.

10. FURTHER STUDIES

The following studies are proposed:

  1. A field study on the obstacles to the role of educational supervisors in developing the professional performance of the social studies teachers in the context of the knowledge society.
  2.  A study on the effectiveness of using modern technological means in teaching the social subjects in the context of the knowledge society.
  3. An evaluative study on the role of the educational supervisor in evaluating teaching the social subjects in the context of the knowledge society requirements.
Funding: This study received no specific financial support.   
Competing Interests: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

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