Families of Children with Disabilities in Jordan

Although the past two decades have witnessed an increasing interest in the education of children with disabilities in Jordan, special education services are extended to less than 3% of the target population. Accordingly, the overwhelming majority of children with disabilities stay home with very little professional support and help available to them or to their families. The primary purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the present situation of families of children with disabilities in Jordan. Basic information about developments in this area is provided and the results of a survey conducted by the authors are presented.     

Swirling Students: Articulation Between A Major Community College District and a State-Supported Research University

As the country experiences a recession and institutions of higher education increase tuition to compensate for diminishing state support, the transferability of credits among and between institutions is essential to students seeking to earn a baccalaureate degree. Students, parents, and taxpayers cannot afford to pay twice for the same courses or for additional courses. In this environment, articulation becomes a very important issue, particularly when research has shown that a significant number of students enroll in more than one institution on their path to a degree. The focus of this article is the swirling students between the Maricopa Community Colleges and Arizona State University. Swirling students, also a national phenomenon, encounter a number of challenges that institutions need to address. The history of articulation agreements in Arizona was explored to provide insight into the transfer model available to students enrolled at the Maricopa Community Colleges and Arizona State University. The data revealed that the extent of student swirl is greater than initially anticipated and transcends beyond lower division coursework into the senior year. After considering the findings and conclusions based on the data, this article concludes that transparent institutional intentionality is imperative to effective articulation agreements that accommodate student swirl.     

Cognitive style and behaviour in secondary school pupils in Kuwait

The behaviours of 207 (92 male and 115 female) 15-18-year-old Kuwaiti secondary school pupils were assessed, together with a rating of their home educational background and cognitive style. The teachers of Arabic and of mathematics independently rated the behaviour of their pupils on a 31-item pupil behaviour questionnaire, and home educational background was rated by the Social Officer in each school. The position of pupils on the Wholist-Analytic and Verbal-Imagery dimensions of cognitive style was assessed by means of the Arabic version of the computer-presented Cognitive Styles Analysis . A factor analysis of the questionnaire items indicated four factors: conduct behaviour, learning behaviour, stability and physical well-being. With conduct and learning behaviour, the overall level was higher for females than males and also improved as parents' educational level increased. While conduct behaviour did not vary much with style, learning behaviour was significantly lower for the Analytics than the Wholists, and for the Imagers than the Verbalizers. For stability and physical well-being, there was a significant interaction between the educational level of parents and style in their effect on overall rating, with the greatest style effect when the parental educational level was low. The results are discussed in terms of their practical implications and the nature of the educational system within Kuwait.     

Exploring halaqah as research method: a tentative approach to developing Islamic research principles within a critical ‘indigenous’ framework

This paper explores a traditional Islamic pedagogy known as halaqah as a potentially useful authentic research method and contributes to discourses about critical and indigenous research methodologies through an analysis of Islamization of Knowledge and other ‘critical indigenous’ movements amongst Muslims. Islamic research principles are tentatively proposed and then used to assess the effectiveness of halaqah as an authentic Islamic research method through analysis of a small qualitative study. The study involved Muslim mother-teachers participating in halaqah to collaboratively reflect on their work as holistic Islamic educators who are developing a ‘critical indigenous’ education to meet the needs of Muslim children in contemporary Britain. This paper argues that halaqah is a more authentic research method in this study than a group interview or focus group as it enabled participants to articulate themselves within their own epistemological and ontological context and engage in critical reflection within an Islamic paradigm.     

Correction to: The performance status of higher educational institutions: A transfer of knowledge perspective

Education and Information Technologies -     

The Use of Computer Technology in Designing Appropriate Test Accommodations for English Language Learners

Among the several forms of accommodations used in the assessment of English language learners (ELLs), language-based accommodations are the most effective in making assessments linguistically accessible to these students. However, there are significant challenges associated with the implementation of many of these accommodations. This article reviews studies that explain the impact of language factors on the assessment of ELLs, presents major forms of language-based accommodations, and discusses how computers can assist in the proper administration of these accommodations.     

Special Education in Arab Countries: Current challenges

Arab countries have undertaken various measures to develop special education programmes and services over the last three decades; nevertheless, major challenges remain regarding the expansion of these programmes and services and improving their quality. This article provides an update on disability and special education in Arab countries. Reflections on the historical development of special education in Arab societies are briefly presented. Major challenges currently faced by Arab countries in the field of special education are described, and some recommendations for action are offered.     

Class,honour and reputation: gendered school choice practices in a migrant community

In this paper, I draw on a qualitative study of Iraqi-born Muslim mothers in Australia exploring how they navigate choosing secondary schools for their daughters. While the mothers interviewed for this study agreed on the importance of education and its role in facilitating upward social mobility for all their children, they articulated a specific and more complex set of concerns in relation to selecting schools for their daughters. This article suggests that families’ positions in the Australian diasporic Iraqi community are tied to girls’ schooling and, therefore, school choices are heavily gendered and contribute to a gendered structuring of family and community life. By analysing the narratives of Iraqi-born mothers, a deeper understanding emerges of the complex and varied outlooks of migrant Muslim parents on education and gender in their everyday practices of raising and educating their daughters.     

Peace for Kashmir: A Worldview,Psychological Intervention

This paper reviews the current situation in Kashmir, the historical roots of the conflict and considers the possibilities for peace in the region. Given the nuclear arms proliferation in the region, war can have devastating outcomes not just for the people in the region but also for the people and the ecology of our planet. It is imperative that a peaceful solution to the crisis in the region is sought. Further, the situation in Kashmir must be resolved from a human rights perspective and the people of Kashmir must be assisted in achieving peace and safety in their own homeland. It is noted that counselors and psychologists can play a role in bringing about peace using worldview research, and Carl Rogers’ model of conflict resolution.