From Singular To Mixed: A Comparative Study Of The Perceptions Of Male And Female Saudi Students At The University Of Akron In Adapting To The Coeducation Experience

INTRODUCTION
 The Kingdom’s culture, which combines elements of both Islam and the Arabic ethnicity of its people, is considered to be conservative, especially concerning issues of gender. In this culture, men and women are formally required and expected to study, work and socialize in gender-segregated environments, with the exception of close family members.
 Thus, it is but a social norm that members of opposite genders interact in a respective, afar and limited manner. Due to such a culture, schools and universities are divided according to gender, and as a result, people of Saudi Arabia educated through a single-sex education system.
 In 2005, the Kingdom initiated an annual scholarship program, which presents the opportunity for thousands of young Saudi men and women to pursue their higher education abroad. However, while the program gives the applicant the opportunity to choose among several countries, such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, China, Japan among others, a significant portion of them prefer to attend their studies in the U.S.
 Due to the different cultures, and social and institutional norms of these countries, many Saudi students attending universities abroad have reported several academic and social challenges when attempting to adjust to such differences.
 While there have been several studies that have investigated the adjustment issues and challenges facing Saudi students attending educational programs abroad, there has been but limited studies that focus on issues related the impact of experiencing a mixed gender education for the first time. Moreover, I have found that none of such studies have compared the perceptions and experiences of Saudi male students to those of Saudi female students in adjusting to the new cultural norm of coeducation.