Teachers’ perceptions of diversity and ‘others’ in United Arab Emirates (UAE) Schools

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal ◽  
Ruanni Tupas ◽  
Najwa Mohamed Alhosani ◽  
Hala Elhoweris
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

The use of Assistive Technology for people with special needs in the UAE

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdurrahman Ghaleb Almekhalfi ◽  
Sana Tibi
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Shed Light

Today, technology has become an essential part of the everyday educational setting. Its use has proven to facilitate learning and communication of many students with and without disabilities. Assuredly, assistive technology (AT) has transformed education and empowered students with disabilities. In spite of the rapid changes taking place in all sectors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the research studies investigating AT for students with special needs in the (UAE) are limited, if any. Quantitative and qualitative data collection methodology were used to explore the AT tools, services, barriers, and professional development available in the UAE special needs centers. Results showed that different types of AT devices existed in the classrooms which were available for students of different of disabilities. In addition, results revealed different types of barriers hindering the use of AT. Results may shed light on the use of AT in the UAE, teachers' perceptions towards this use and barriers impeding such use. Recommendations and suggestions to improve the use of AT wherever and whenever needed in the UAE are discussed.

scholarly journals Exploring Teacher Perceptions of Using E-portfolios in Public Schools in the United Arab Emirates

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Samaa Abdel Ghany ◽  
Khadeegha Alzouebi
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Constructive Feedback ◽  
K 12

This study explores e-portfolio practices among K-12 teachers and investigates their perceptions, attitudes and skills towards the potentials of e-portfolios to enhance the required 21st century competencies. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the use of e-portfolios in both public and private sectors in the seven Emirates of the UAE. In addition, 10 school leaders were interviewed to explore how willing and able they were in supporting a hypothetical change in the practice of documentation by using e-portfolios. A survey was conducted with over 400 teachers responding to 54 questions via an online questionnaire supported by the Survey Monkey web service tool. Data analysis results revealed that a substantial proportion of participants felt positively towards the possibility of using e-portfolios. However, the survey also revealed that the majority of teachers in the field need to acquire knowledge, associated skills, and competencies, through professional developmental training programs to cultivate and improve reflective, selective, organizational, constructive feedback skills, along with familiarity and proficiency in using online collaborative and professional networking tools. The study concludes with implications for policy-makers and stakeholders to consider before introducing requirements and regulations on e-portfolios.

scholarly journals Teachers’ Perceptions and Understanding of Children’s Fluid Intake

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 4050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristy Howells ◽  
Tara Coppinger
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
School Children ◽  
Fluid Intake ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
School Day ◽  
N 93

No public health data exists on elementary teachers’ perceptions of both their own fluid intake and of their elementary school aged children’s fluid intake. A total of 271 (20 males, 251 females) teachers in developed areas of Australia, Belgium, England, Ireland, United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America completed an online questionnaire (Feb–Mar 2019) on: (i) their fluid intake, (ii) their perception and understanding of children’s fluid intake and (iii) barriers in the school day that they felt prevented school children consuming fluids. Overall, the data indicated that teachers consume considerably lower amounts than recommended themselves, but have a good awareness of children’s fluid intake and estimate children drink approximately half (1 litre (34% n = 93)) of what is recommended per day. The results were also similar to those reported by children previously. Yet, the data highlighted a lack of active encouragement of drinking water throughout the school day by teachers, with only 11% (n = 29) suggesting they actively encourage children to drink and 45% (n = 123) reporting no active encouragement at all. It is recommended as a public health measure that all school children consume an extra cup of water during lunch times in those schools where water intake was recognized as sub optimal. Furthermore, depending on weather conditions, a cup of water before, during and after Physical Education lessons should be encouraged by teachers. Water coolers or bottles may be used as a supplementary resource, provided that hygiene is maintained. From an educational perspective, more professional development needs to be provided to teachers on the importance of regular water consumption, and more time dedicated across the elementary curriculum to educational understanding of fluid consumption.

scholarly journals Practices of and Roadblocks to Teacher Leadership in the United Arab Emirates’ Schools

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaikah Al-Taneiji ◽  
Ali Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Professional Groups ◽  
Big City ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions of their leadership practices in United Arab Emirates schools and the contextual and personal factors which support or deter them from becoming teacher leaders. The study used a mixed research design. First, a self-administered questionnaire was completed by 937 teachers in one big city in the UAE. Then, individual interviews with ten teachers were conducted. The study found that while certain leadership roles, as measured by the questionnaire items, are often practiced by teachers, other activities such as leading action research or participating in professional groups, are practiced infrequently. Interview data revealed that teachers perceive that school administrators usually encourage them to take on leading roles, but that administrators also rely heavily on “in-group” teachers to take on leadership activities. Further, school contextual factors such as lack of time, language barriers, and style of leadership; or personal factors such as teachers’ assumptions about and willingness to take on additional leadership duties are roadblocks to a full realization of the potential for teacher leadership and its associated benefits in UAE schools. Recommendations on how to foster teacher leadership on a wider scale in the UAE schools are presented.

The Status of Teaching and Teacher Professional Satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Buckner
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Satisfaction ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Professional Satisfaction ◽  
Tight Coupling ◽  
Southeast Asians ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
The Status ◽  
Using Data

This paper examines teacher satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates. First, it examines the overall level of professional satisfaction among teachers in Abu Dhabi using data from the OECD’s 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). It finds that there is a significant gap in overall teacher satisfaction that is driven by higher rates of satisfaction among expatriate teachers than Emirati teachers. It also finds that the perceived value of the teaching profession is a large and statistically significant predictor of teachers’ professional satisfaction. The second part of the paper investigates the reasons for this satisfaction gap further– it uses new survey data to explore attitudes towards teaching as a career among a cross-section of Emirati residents. It finds that while Emirati residents – nationals and non-nationals alike –generally consider teaching a good job, individuals’ perceptions of both status and salary affect attitudes towards teaching. While the first part of the paper finds that teachers’ perceptions of status affect their job satisfaction, the second part finds that salary is an even more significant predictor of whether Emirati residents believe teaching is a good job, and that there is a tight coupling between expected salary and perceived status. Policy recommendations suggest that attracting Emiratis – particularly male Emiratis – back into teaching would require both more pay and a significant status upgrade. Meanwhile, teaching remains a desirable profession for expatriate Arabs and Southeast Asians, as it provides comparably good pay and benefits. تقوم هذه الورقة بالبحث في مستوى رضا المعلمين في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. أولاً، تقوم الورقة بدراسة مستوى الرضا المهني لدى المعلمين في أبوظبي بشكل عام باستخدام بيانات من استبيان أجرته منظمة التعاون الاقتصادي والتنمية (OECD) في العام ٢٠١٣ تحت مسمى "استبيان الدراسة الدولية للتعليم والتعلم" (TALIS). وأدت نتائج هذا الاستبيان إلى اكتشاف فجوة كبيرة في مستوى الرضا العام بين المعلمين وكون سبب هذه الفجوة يعود إلى ارتفاع مستويات رضا المعلمين المغتربين مقارنةً بمستوى رضا المعلمين الإماراتيين وبالإضافة إلى ذلك، تشير نتائج الاستبيان إلى أن منظور المعلمين حيال مهنة التعليم تمثل مؤشراً كبيراً احصائياً هام للرضا المهني لدى المعلمين. بينما يقوم الجزء الثاني من هذه الورقة بالتحقيق في الأسباب المؤدية إلى هذه الفجوة

K-12 teachers’ perceptions of Web 2.0 applications in the United Arab Emirates?

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdurrahman G. Almekhlafi ◽  
Enas Said Ali Abulibdeh
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web 2.0 Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
K 12

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate 152 pre-service and in-service school teachers’ perceptions toward Web 2.0 applications and their usage in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was used. The data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and independent samplet-tests. The descriptive statistics were used to identify teachers’ perceptions toward Web 2.0 applications and their usage. Thet-test was used to investigate the differences in perceptions between groups due to gender, and experience using computers and the Internet. The results showed that teachers have high perception toward Web 2.0 tools and services, but the extent to which they use Web 2.0 applications is somehow moderate. Moreover, no statistically significant differences in perception toward Web 2.0 were detected due to gender or experience using computers and the internet. Recommendations and suggestions for improving Web 2.0 integration into teaching and learning are proposed.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted the quantitative research approach using a questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire was designed to investigate teachers’ perceptions of using Web 2.0 applications as a method for teaching and learning purposes.FindingsThe results showed high self-perception of teachers toward Web 2.0 and their use for improving students’ performance, which can be attributed to their awareness of Web 2.0 importance and benefit in education. On the other hand, results indicated a low use of most of Web 2.0 tools such as microblogging, audio file sharing, photo sharing and content developing. Again, these findings can be attributed to the lack of professional training on using Web 2.0. In addition, the results did not show significant differences between male and female teachers in using Web 2.0 applications with the exception of two items. Neither did the results show any significant differences between teachers who are beginners in using computers and the internet and teachers who are advanced. This could be because beginner users of computers and the internet have the same motivation as the advances users pertaining to teaching.Originality/valueThere must be an extensive training for teachers on how to use Web 2.0 tools to enhance their teaching. Infrastructure for the internet should be available so that teachers can use Web 2.0 without worrying about the technology infrastructure at their schools. More research studies should be conducted regarding the use of Web 2.0 by teachers and students alike. A qualitative and quantitative method of data collection should be used when investigating different aspects of Web 2.0. A comparison between K-12 teachers and higher education faculty members should be conducted pertaining to the use of Web 2.0 for education. A comparison study between pre-service and in-service teachers should be conducted to investigate Web 2.0 tools for educational and personal purposes.

Technology Integration in UAE Schools

2013 ◽  
pp. 23-38
Author(s):  
Rana Tamim
Keyword(s):  
Technology Integration ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Private School ◽  
Net Generation ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Knowing That ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
The Government ◽  
K 12

Research has supported the assumption that computer technology is beneficial for students’ performance. Nevertheless, knowing that technology is beneficial is not sufficient on its own where teachers remain the key stakeholders in the success of the process. Teachers need to be aware of various issues, challenges, and ethical aspects when using technology for teaching, with such aspects being alleviated further in a young country with a conservative society such as the UAE. The chapter offers an overview of the Net Generation and computer technologies’ impact on student performance. It provides a briefing about the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its educational system while highlighting formal initiatives launched by the government to support the educational reform and introduction of technology into the K-12 classroom. Finally, the chapter presents preliminary findings from a research study that investigates teachers’ perceptions about technology integration and their current practices in a UAE private school.

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