Perceptions of the school self-evaluation process: the case of Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) has initiated educational change and school improvements. As part of the school reform agenda, ADEC has introduced school self-evaluation-Irtiqaa (SSE-Irtiqaa). This research probes the effectiveness of school administrators (SAs), including principals, vice principals, academic principals, and heads of faculty, and their perceptions of the implications and implementation of SSE-Irtiqaa. The study also intends to improve school quality and help benchmark Abu Dhabi public schools with international academic standards, by tracing challenges faced during the SSE-Irtiqaa process. Public SAs are the participants of this study. This research is an exploratory case study that employed a qualitative research tool. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 14 administrators representing 6 public schools in Abu Dhabi. Findings and recommendations shed light on the areas and paths of development required to facilitate and improve the SSE-Irtiqaa process.     

Toward a Theory of Simulated Atonement: A Case Study of President George W. Bush's Response to the Abu Ghraib Torture Scandal

In response to the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, President Bush delivered an apology that was widely criticized by domestic and international audiences. Nevertheless, the apology succeeded in allowing the President to stop the momentum of negative public opinion following news of the crimes, and to avoid accountability for his role in the crisis. In this essay, I argue that Bush's success stemmed partly from his use of a special subgenre of apologia, simulated atonement. After explaining the strategy in detail, I describe some of the conditions in which it will likely be effective and apply the theory to Bush's statements.     

The effects of classroom and school environments on student engagement: the case of high school students in Abu Dhabi public schools

Drawing on data from a merged data set from a student survey and a parent survey that were conducted in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in 2013, this article uses a multilevel framework to investigate the effects of individual characteristics and the classroom and school environments on high school students’ school engagement in a modernising education system that is different from Western ones. The results of the three-level model revealed that while students’ attributes remained strong predictors of their school engagement, the social and organisational environment of classrooms and school also greatly shaped the extent to which students emotionally and cognitively engaged with their school and learning. This study provided evidence to support the interactive nature of the impact of multilevel environments on student engagement. The policy and research implications were also discussed in the empirical context of Abu Dhabi.     

Assessment of OpenStreetMap (OSM) Data: The Case of Abu Dhabi City,United Arab Emirates

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data are crucial for many applications such as disaster response, damage assessment, and recovery efforts. The 2010 Haiti earthquake destroyed buildings where GIS data were stored and many of the relief organizations ultimately depended on data retrieved from outside the country to do their work. The lesson learnt from this experience is that open access data is necessary in assisting tasks in such situations and therefore the evaluation of such data for its quality is important. This research evaluates OpenStreetMap (OSM) data that can be and is used by various organizations. The methodology followed is based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Geographic Information-Quality Principles (ISO19113). According to the ISO19113 standard, the data quality elements are: completeness, logical consistency, positional accuracy, thematic accuracy, and temporal accuracy. The first four elements noted above were tested in this study. OSM data was compared with official data from Abu Dhabi city. Results show that the positional accuracy of OSM data meets the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) standards for 1:20,000-scale maps. This indicates that OSM data could be used for many applications, taking into account the hurdles in GIS data acquisition, cost, availability, licensing, distribution policies, and documentation. The article concludes with a call for incorporation of geospatial data services and data quality initiatives in libraries.     

The Enigmatic Lynndie England: Gendered Explanations for the Crisis at Abu Ghraib

This essay examines the gendered explanations for the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib. Specifically, I examine how mainstream news media's selective focus on Lynndie England encouraged the public to read Abu Ghraib primarily as a gender crisis rather than as a crisis in US military culture. This framing not only deflected attention away from the other soldiers involved in the scandal (particularly the men who were involved) but also diverted criticism away from more comprehensive discussions regarding the US military's use of abuse and torture, the unlawful detainment of suspected terrorists, and the erosion of civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. Moreover, these representations of Abu Ghraib as a gender crisis prompted new criticism regarding gender integration in the military and constructed feminism as the new villain in the American melodrama.     

Predicting teacher commitment as a multi-foci construct in a multi-cultural context: the effects of individual,school, and district level factors

ABSTRACT

A multilevel framework was applied to investigate the effects of teacher characteristics, school environment, and district level HRM practices on teacher commitment. Drawing on the results from a public school teacher survey conducted in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in 2014, four forms of teacher commitment (commitment to school, to students, to teaching, and to community) were tested, which provided empirical evidence to further the development of teacher commitment as a multi-foci construct. The results of the three-level model revealed differentiating effects of some individual and organisational variables on different forms of teacher commitment and highlighted that nationality, multiple interpersonal support, and collegial relationships were the most consistent and strong variables to predict teacher commitment. This study suggested that the social and interpersonal environment of school played a significant role in influencing teacher commitment. Results were discussed in relation to improving the commitment of teachers in the empirical context of Abu Dhabi public schools.     

From traditional to formal education in the lower Arabian Gulf, 1820–1971

This article charts the development of education in the lower Arabian Gulf from its traditional beginnings in the nineteenth century to the provision of more formal schooling and eventually a ministry of education following Britain's withdrawal from the region in 1971. In order to provide a better understanding of the complexities and relative advances and setbacks to this development, special emphasis is placed on the social, economic and political context of education's trajectory; including the lower Gulf's dependent relations with its Imperial protector and its reliance on foreign educational aid from Kuwait.     

Start-Up Library: My Experience at NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), as a relatively new campus of New York University, embodies the vision of the Global Network University (GNU). In my three years as instruction and public services librarian at NYUAD, I have experienced many of the challenges and rewards that creating a new library in the Middle East and within the GNU can provide. Above all, I have learned that collaboration, innovation, and awareness of local culture are critical skills necessary for start-up libraries in new environments. It is my hope that staff members in branch campus libraries, libraries with small user populations, new libraries, and international libraries can identify with and learn from my experiences as an original staff member of the NYUAD Library.     

Challenges presented to personal theories,beliefs and practices of play in Abu Dhabi kindergartens: the English Medium teacher perspective

Abu Dhabi Education Council’s new school model recognizes the value of play, although anecdotal evidence suggests that there are challenges to play in the preschool context. This article reports on challenges from the English Medium teacher perspective. Findings show that challenges are related to: (a) children meeting teacher expectations for play which may be limited by: real-life exposure, the nanny’s role, a desert climate for outdoor play, overuse of technology; and English as an additional language; (b) acquiring adequate resources for play, including open-access to Internet sites, meaning teachers have to use their own money to provide resources for play; (c) establishing boundaries and managing behaviour, especially for boys; (d) working with conflicting time pressures caused by academic performance benchmarking, accountability and workload; and (e) working with diversity, including meeting parental expectations, collaborating with colleagues and understanding the cultural and linguistic background of children. Recommendations to lessen the challenges of nurturing appropriate play experiences are made within the context of the findings.