Status,rationale and development of counseling in the Arab countries: views of participants in a counseling conference

Counseling has been slowly developing in the Arab countries. In 1984, Kuwait University organized a Conference on Psychological and Educational Counseling. Twenty-four professionals presented papers at this conference. A questionnaire which dealt with the status, rationale and development of counseling in the Arab countries was administered to these professionals. All the participants completed and returned the questionnaire. The majority of the participants reported that counseling services are offered in their institution and countries. They also reported that counselor education programs do not exist in their countries. They perceived that development (economic, social, and personal) is the number one rationale for counseling in the Arab countries. The implications of these views for the development of counseling in the Arab countries were discussed.Kuwait University     

The counseling needs of foreign students

This paper reports the findings of three studies of the counseling needs of international students at a medium sized University in the Midwestern region of USA. The studies were conducted over a period of five years (1977–83), and provide an historical perspective on the changes in student needs as well as in the programs designed to respond to these needs.     

The role of counseling in developing countries

Development is an important goal for developing countries. This goal cannot be achieved without the growth of human potential. Counseling is one of the effective means for developing human potential. Yet counseling has been evolving slowly in developing countries. Reports show that counseling and guidance have been started in the schools in some of these countries; they rarely show that counseling has been implemented in other settings. The purpose of this paper was to examine the obstacles for implementing counseling services in developing countries, to discuss a working definition of counseling and to propose the settings in which counseling may be implemented.Paper Presented at the meeting of the Thirteenth International Round Table for the Advancement of Counseling, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, August 14–18, 1988.     

The learning needs of beginning teachers in the United Arab Emirates

Beginning teachers have legitimate learning needs that cannot be grasped in advance or outside the school context. These needs are documented in Western literature, but the skills required by beginning teachers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have not been investigated. The present study responds to this research gap. Data were collected through a self-administered survey with multiple-choice and open-ended questions completed by beginning teachers. Then focus group meetings with selected participants were conducted. Classroom management, creating attractive learning environments, motivating pupils to learn and using different teaching strategies are the most critical learning needs of beginning teachers in the UAE. Interestingly, being responsive to the diverse cultural and social backgrounds of pupils, creating extra-curricular activities and teaching in overpopulated classrooms were considered less crucial. These findings are significant for improving pre-service teacher education programmes and in-service teacher training and mentoring programmes in the country.     

Governing public universities in Arab countries

Traditionally in Arab public universities, presidents are appointed by government authorities. Recently, in uprising Arab countries universities' presidents have been elected by universities' faculty members. Neither traditional nor self-governance pattern succeeded to modernise Arab universities. Reforming patterns of governance is critical for improved productivity and accountability in Arab universities. Applying the modern pattern of university governance depends on the country's political system and extent of democracy. Arab countries need to establish an improved process of searching for leadership candidates. Improving patterns of universities' governance in Arab countries can lead to improving higher education and research and enhancing competitiveness among faculty members.     

Meeting the counseling needs of children with diabetes

Juvenile diabetes mellitus is a major health problem which may present various physical, psychological, social and educational difficulties. This article illustrates the nature of this condition. Definition, incidence, etiology, clinical symptoms, and major later complications are briefly described. Psychological, social, and educational aspects of diabetes are discussed with recommendations for counselors.     

Arab youth involvement in violence: A socio-ecological gendered perspective

BackgroundPrevious research has extensively used a socio-ecological perspective to find the correlates of youth involvement in violence. However, little is known about the extent to which ecological factors correlated with youth violence are affected by gender, especially in non-Western cultures.ObjectiveThe role of gender in the association between individual, family, and contextual factors and Arab youth involvement in several types of violence (severe physical, moderate physical, and verbal and indirect violence) was explored using a socio-ecological perspective.Participants and Setting: The study was based on a large random sample of 3,178 Arab students, aged 11–18, from Israel.MethodsInformation was collected from the adolescents through a structured, anonymous self-report questionnaire which they completed in the classroom under the guidance of a research assistant. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured for all participants.ResultsGender was found to moderate the association between impulsivity and parental support and all types of violence except verbal violence. No interaction effect was found in the association between affiliation with delinquent peers and exposure to community violence and Arab youth involvement in violence.ConclusionsThe results emphasize the importance of exploring gender differences with respect to risk and protective factors for violence. This knowledge is an important step in the design and implementation of gender-specific intervention strategies to deal with youth violence.     

A comparative assessment of higher education financing in six Arab countries

This study analyses the policies for financing higher education in six Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia. It assesses the adequacy of spending on higher education, the efficiency with which resources are utilized, and the equity implications of resource allocations. Based on six detailed case studies, this comparative study is intended to highlight the common features and similarities, as well as the differences among countries in the region, in addition to best practices and success stories. It also addresses the future challenges that are likely to exert pressure on higher education finance and assesses the reform efforts undertaken by the governments in the region. Finally, it proposes alternative strategies for dealing with problems of finance in the Arab region, in light of international experiences and the region’s unique characteristics.     

Political upheaval,cultural assimilation and the origin of counseling needs

At the front lines of counseling services may appear new ethnic groups whose background and view of the world contrast markedly with ours. Where actual disorders or manifestations of maladjustment are evidenced, there probably lies evidence of universal principles, that if recognized by the trans-multicultural counselor, can help the client even in difficult circumstances. In the present case, the dysfunctional behavior pattern that led to referral was understood as a signal of desperation by a confused, frustrated individual with a prior history of social maladjustment. The stress induced by political upheaval, and the uncertainty of Miguel's life situation seem to have triggered the observed maladjustment.Paper presented at the 1985 International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling, Utrecht, The Netherlands.     

Special needs education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): a systems perspective

In order to obtain maximum benefits from the educational system, it is imperative that the system should work as a unified coherent unit. Gaad, Arif and Scott (2006) conducted the systems analysis of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) general education system. They analysed three components of the system in order to assess the development, delivery and evaluation. This paper utilises the same framework to analyse the special needs education (SEN) system in the UAE. Data for the research were collected through observations and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data identifies some possibilities for improvement. In the area of development, more teaching and supplemental material specific to special needs education needs to be developed. Currently, teachers are working with what is known as the 'para curriculum'. It is based on the regular textbook; with chapters that are difficult being simplified or removed. In the area of delivery, more training would be beneficial to teachers. The monitoring and evaluation component's analysis points out that the evaluation instrument used currently needs to be modified for special needs education monitoring and additional resources in the area of special needs education would required.     

Confidence in Mathematics and its Consequences: Gender differences among Israeli Jewish and Arab youth

Gender differences in mathematics learning in the high school serve as a basis for achievement in mathematical disciplines in higher education, as well as in social mobility in Western society. The main findings reported here are that, in the Jewish sector in Israel, even when the level of mathematics is held constant, so that the perceived degree of achievement in mathematics of boys and girls is similar, girls are nevertheless found to report a lower degree of self-confidence in mathematics than boys on a number of different measures. Paradoxically, the educational system in the Arab sector, despite its gender conservatism relative to the general Jewish sector, has succeeded in generating amongst its female students a high degree of perceived achievement and self-confidence in mathematics, which in turn increases their willingness to consider mathematically-based studies and professions in the future.     

Family background, school enrollments and wastage: evidence from Arab countries

Applying single and recursive bivariate probit models that utilize micro data sets of five countries, this paper examines the concatenation between school enrollments and family background. The empirical analysis captures considerable variations in the pattern of school enrollments and school wastage according to rural–urban locations and family background variables. Income gaps are powerful and interact with gender gap to produce differential school enrollment and wastage patterns. Access to credit partially redresses the adverse effects on school enrollments of negative household economic shocks. The findings call for more concerted government efforts to increase school enrollments and retention and to improve rural education particularly for females and the underprivileged.