武术运动在阿联酋

通过在阿联酋国家武术教学，发现中国传统体育项目－－武术运动在立益受到世界上许多国家和地区的重视与喜爱的同时，在阿联酋国家推广却很缓慢，对这一问题加以了分析。     

阿联酋高等教育发展的现状、特色与趋势研究

近年来,位于"一带一路"沿线的阿联酋高等教育发展迅速,形成三种类型的高等学校:联邦政府大学、酋长国政府大学、私立大学.研究显示,阿联酋的高等教育极具特色:以外籍为主的人口结构推动了高等教育的国际化;本土大学深受伊斯兰教影响;私立大学数量众多,外籍教师多于本土教师;英语取代阿拉伯语成为主要教学语言;女性师生多于男性师生.未来,阿联酋将进一步推进高等教育的本土化、私立大学管理的规范化以及受教育人口的性别公平.     

Investigating Relationships Between Learning Environment Perceptions,Motivation and Self-Regulation for Female Science Students in Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates

Research in Science Education - The global lack of student motivation towards learning science and gender imbalance in STEM careers provided the impetus for this study, which had two key aims: (1)...     

阿联酋构建区域高等教育枢纽的路径与挑战

阿联酋通过发布国家创新战略以及制定科学、技术和创新政策等方式为区域高等教育枢纽的建设创造了良好的政策与制度环境.吸引国际分校、打造高等教育发展新引擎、构建知识与创新枢纽以及加大对教育的财政投入等举措成为阿联酋建设区域高等教育枢纽的重要路径.与此同时,阿联酋在建设区域高等教育枢纽的过程中,面临着从知识消费国转变为知识生产国、市场与利益驱动导致供大于需的无序发展、缺乏统一的质量保障机制、高等教育机构研究能力和投入不足等诸多挑战.     

Gender,culture and STEM: Counter-intuitive patterns in Arab society

Using longitudinal administrative data to track student achievement and choice, we show how social conditioning shapes gender differences in the choice of STEM study fields, after controlling for prior achievement and socio-economic background. The male majority in advanced matriculation electives in mathematics, physics, and computer science, observed among students in Hebrew-language schools in Israel as in other Western societies, is reversed among Arab students, a society with markedly less gender equality. This greater representation of Arab female students in STEM study fields is only partially explained by the large gender gap favoring girls in eighth-grade mathematics and science achievement in Arabic-language schools. Much of the remaining difference in gender gaps can be traced to differences in the relationship between prior circumstance and choice between the two groups. This belies the notion of a congenital female aversion to traditionally male STEM subjects, and accords with previous findings that gender differences in preferences are greater in societies with greater gender equality. Following a cohort of eight-grade students to matriculation eliminates the selection bias that attenuates estimates of gender gaps in studies that analyze choices of college-bound students.     

Educating children with Down's syndrome in the United Arab Emirates

It is always instructive to hear about the experiences of those seeking to promote inclusion in a range of cultures and countries around the world. In this article Dr Gaad, Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of the United Arab Emirates, reports on her Government-funded research into the education of children with Down's syndrome in her country. As an Arabic speaker, Dr Gaad was able to gather the views of parents, professionals and policy makers in some depth. As an educator, she brought a critical level of analysis to the lessons she observed.
In the following pages, Dr Gaad reflects on the attitudes, values and beliefs that impact upon the education of children with Down's syndrome in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She discusses the educational services that are currently provided for these children and gives focused consideration to the issue of inclusion. The article closes with Dr Gaad's recommendations for future practice.     

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.     

General Education Teachers in the United Arab Emirates and Their Acceptance of the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities

In this article, Dr Emad M. Alghazo and Dr Eman El. Naggar Gaad, both assistant professors at the Department of Special Education in the United Arab Emirates University, report on their research into the attitudes of mainstream teachers towards the inclusion of students with disabilities. The research took place in the Emirate of Abu-Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and set out to explore the extent to which general education teachers there accept the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. The research process incorporated a questionnaire survey, analysed quantitatively, and a series of interviews with teachers to follow up on a range of issues. The analysis of the results takes account of a number of variables, including the gender of the respondents; number of years' experience as a teacher; and type of learner disability. Emad Alghazo and Eman Naggar Gaad report that there is more work to be done on the development of an 'inclusion culture' among teachers in the United Arab Emirates. They close their article by making a series of recommendations for future practice focusing on initial teacher education, continuing professional development and attitudinal change.     

A Comparative Study of Student Math Skills: Perceptions,Validation, and Recommendations

A study was conducted at a southern university in sophomore level production classes to assess skills such as the order of arithmetic operations, decimal and percent conversion, solving of algebraic expressions, and evaluation of formulas. The study was replicated using business statistics and quantitative analysis classes at a southeastern university. The intent of the study was to determine math deficiencies among college students and to ascertain whether or not these deficiencies impact grades. Data analyses compared students’ test results and grades from the different classes at the two universities and identified surprising patterns across classes, universities, and professors.These results support the need for curriculum modifications to address the identified deficiencies.     

Challenging Appraisal Orthodoxies: Teacher Evaluation and Professional Development in the United Arab Emirates

This paper presents findings from a 4-year study of faculty appraisal at two higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It finds that neither teachers nor academic managers are opposed to evaluative appraisal, and, contrary to much of the literature, most are happy for evaluative and developmental elements to be combined. It then examines the apparent paradox of continuing professional development in a context where federally-funded HEIs have the money to attract more teachers than they need; the legal right to dismiss any of them for any reason; and a strong belief on the part of managers that these particular students need and deserve only the very best teachers. It concludes that these features of the UAE context present a considerable challenge to the popular notion that people are an institution’s most precious resource and need to be developed at every opportunity.     

An Exploratory Study of Student Perceptions of Which Classroom Policies Are Fairest

Fairness is a critical issue in the educational setting, and the research is unified in the view that professors need to be fair in setting course policies and procedures. However, many unanswered questions still remain as to which specific classroom policies and procedures students find fair or unfair. This study explores student perceptions of which course policies provide the fairest treatment for all students in a college class. In addition, we also investigate the presence of a relationship between students' locus of control and their perceptions of the fairest course policies. Data were provided by 254 undergraduate students enrolled in sections of an introductory operations management course or an introductory management information systems course. As an initial, exploratory study in this specific area, eight common classroom policy situations were investigated. Although, not surprisingly, all students did not agree on which policy was the fairest for any given classroom situation, we were able to identify those policies considered fairest by the most students. The results can help professors develop course policies that improve students' perceptions of fairness in the college classroom.     

STEM Pathways: Examining Persistence in Rigorous Math and Science Course Taking

Journal of Science Education and Technology - From 2006 to 2012, Florida Statute §1003.4156 required middle school students to complete electronic personal education planners (ePEPs) before...     

The resilience of the MBA in emerging economies: student motivations for wanting an MBA in China and the United Arab Emirates

In recent years, domestic demand for MBAs has fallen in most major Western markets but has increased or remained stable in emerging economies such as China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which are the two countries globally that host the largest numbers of international branch campuses. Thus, this research aimed to discover why students in China and the UAE still want an MBA. A survey questionnaire was completed by a total of 354 MBA students, at two universities in China and two universities in the UAE. Some of the results were surprising and unexpected. For example, recognition, prestige and networking – all key features in Chinese and Emirati societies – were found not to be key motivators for wanting an MBA. Instead, the desire to acquire knowledge and skills was the strongest motivator among respondents, accounting for 32.4 per cent of variance. This was followed by reasons associated with intrinsic benefits. The findings have implications for institutional strategy, curriculum design, program delivery and the marketing of programs.     

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.     

Counseling Self-Efficacy and its Relationship to Anxiety and Problem-Solving in United Arab Emirates

The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among counseling self-efficacy, problem-solving, and state and trait anxiety. A total sample of one hundred thirteen males and females (females = 105; males = 8) enrolled in the psychology department at the UAE University voluntarily participated in this study. The Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE), Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to collect data from participants. Findings revealed significantly moderate correlations between counseling self-efficacy and both problem-solving and State and trait Anxiety. Findings are discussed within the context of UAE culture and directions for future research are provided.     

Gender representation in the Arabic language textbook for the ninth grade approved by the Ministry of Education for use in schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The aim of the present study was to investigate the gender representation in the Arabic language textbook for the ninth grade in UAE. The criteria examined include the ratio of gender (female to male) appearances, the ratio of gender (female to male) aspects of religious and historical, educational professional, social and family, the traditional, the language used in the evaluation questions, titles of address for women, and order of mention. To examine these factors, the manual method of analysis was adopted. The findings revealed that the bias in favor of males is still prevalent, as the phenomenon of males-first—referring to the secondary status of women—is evident in the textbook examined. However, the findings also reveal the common use of the neutral title Ms to address women. Thus, it is recommended to correct gender representation in the textbooks used in educational settings to ensure fair gender representation in educational materials.     

Classroom interaction in regular and special education middle primary classrooms in the United Arab Emirates

Samir Dukmak is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education in the Faculty of Education at the United Arab Emirates University. The research reported in this article investigated the frequency, types of and reasons for student-initiated interactions in both regular and special education classrooms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These interactions were studied in relation to various variables, including levels of students' academic achievement, their gender, special educational needs and disability. Teacher-initiated interactions were also examined in the study. Eighteen boys and girls from two regular and two special education classrooms were observed. Various types of interaction were identified among students and the results reveal that boys in all groups initiated more interactions than girls, and that high-achieving boys and girls initiated more interactions than their low-achieving counterparts. The findings also reveal that teachers interacted differently with boys versus girls. The reasons prompting students to initiate classroom interaction are highlighted in this research.     

Reflection ‘on’ and ‘in’ teacher education in the United Arab Emirates

This article examines the uptake of reflective practice, as one of a number of educational discourses, by student teachers in a new Bachelor of Education degree in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In a recent article, Pat Richardson [2004. International Journal of Educational Development 24(4), 429–436], argued that reflective practice is incongruent with the values of ‘Arab-Islamic’ culture and is therefore not an appropriate approach to promote in teacher education in the UAE. Here we argue that such a view relies on a limited reading of the concept of culture and reduces individuals to cultural ‘dupes’. We also present evidence from student teachers that, far from endorsing the inappropriateness of reflective practice in the UAE context, shows Emirati women wholeheartedly embracing—and doing—reflective practice.