Effectiveness of Adult Education Programs in Saudi Arabia for Empowering Learners to Meet Sustainable Development Requirements

Abstract

This paper aims to assess the roles of adult education programs in Saudi Arabia as tools for enabling the learners to meet the needs of sustainable development. The research used a mixed-methods approach that included a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, correlational and regression tests, and a survey of perceived barriers. Results indicated a significant enhancement in cognitive and skill-based competencies of the participants who were involved in the programs, and the learning accrued was not biased based on the gender or the educational level. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that there was a strong and positive correlation between the overall program outcomes and the meeting of the requirement of sustainable development, and that close to 50 per cent of the variance in the requirements was accounted for by the program results. Patterns became apparent: cognitive gains were most strongly connected with economic empowerment, the acquisition of skills with social engagement, and the affections with the engagement with the environment. Regardless of these advances, the research found out that there were still enduring organizational, social, and cultural barriers, which moderate the effectiveness and sustainability of program outcomes. The findings provide a suggestion to adopt a holistic four-axis improvement model, which aims at focusing on the flexible governance, curriculum and sustainability; strong community relationships; and sustainable management of the resources to achieve long-term empowerment and increased congruence in the sense of national development.