Saudi science students' experiences and perceived benefits of participation in the Innovation Olympiad
Email: a.alamri@ut.edu.sa

Abstract:
This case study examined male Saudi high school students' experiences and the perceived benefits of participation in Science Olympiad. It used a semi-structured interview protocol adopted from Kulbago et al., (2015) for a Saudi context. The participants were 15 male high school students who participated in at least one Science Olympiad competition in the city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia. These interviews were analyzed to identify emergent themes. The main themes included developing social, life and research skill, learning and increased interest in science, and STEM and career choice. A conceptual model was developed to describe Saudi Science Olympiad experiences and perceived benefits of participation in the competitions. The theory of social interdependence, along with the Social Cognitive Career Theory, represent the theoretical framework for this study (Johnson & Johnson, 1989; Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1994). Major implications of the Saudi Science Olympiad experiences shed light on the importance of these activities on students' social skills, STEM majors, career choice, inquiry instruction, and science acquisition.