scholarly journals Do years of teaching experience make a difference for teachers working in Abu Dhabi government schools?

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-481
Author(s):  
Martina Dickson ◽  
Melissa McMinn ◽  
Hanadi Kadbey
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Education System ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience

In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, subject teachers of English medium in government schools are recruited from overseas and have a wide range of years of teaching experience. Research is divided into whether or not years of experience necessarily translates into a positive correlation with student-centred classroom practice such as the use of hands-on learning and inquiry-based approaches to learning in science. Abu Dhabi is in the process of dramatically overturning its education system, resulting in at times challenging teaching environments. Teachers working here are in the unique situation of being part of a rapidly developing education system and face similar challenges regardless of their years of experiences. This study surveys 249 expatriate English medium teachers to explore how their number of years of experience varies with their classroom practice, teaching beliefs and confidence levels. Although teachers with more experience were far more likely to express confidence in their own abilities (self-efficacies), we found the classroom practices of those between five and ten years of experience aligned most closely with inquiry-based, student-centred learning approaches applied in Abu Dhabi classrooms. Keywords: Years’ teaching experience, classroom practice, reform.  

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

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill M Aldridge ◽  
Kate Rowntree
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Science Classroom ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Psychosocial Learning Environment ◽  
And Gender

AbstractThe 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) to examine the influence of female students’ perceptions of the psychosocial learning environment on their motivation towards and self-regulation in science learning,; and (2) to investigate the influence of their reported motivation on their self-regulation of effort. Data were collected from 338 female students in grades 6 to 9 science classes across 16 government schools in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the hypothesised relationships, which indicated that there were statistically significant relationships between learning environment perceptions, motivation and self-regulation. The results provide exigent information to both teachers, policy-makers and researchers with regard to the influences of the psychosocial learning environment on female students’ motivation towards science, as well as the influence of motivation towards science on their self-regulatory behaviour within science classroom settings.

scholarly journals An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Barriers to the Use of Humour in the Teaching of Childhood Studies

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-120
Author(s):  
Edward John Noon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Childhood Studies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience

This is a revised article First published: Noon, J. E. (2017). An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Barriers to the Use of Humour in the Teaching of Childhood Studies, Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 5(3), pp. 45-52. doi: https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v5i3.255 The above article was first published online on May 10, 2017. The methodology section has been corrected to accurately reflect the sampling technique employed in this study. The revised version is published in this issue. In the original publication, it was noted that the sample was determined by certain criteria, including gender, years of teaching experience, and previous professional career.  However, having reflected back on the process, this was not the case. Whilst it was ensured that participants had at least six years of teaching experience in higher education, the fact that the sample was dominated by female academics from a wide range of backgrounds was inevitable given the ‘make-up’ of the population under investigation, and was not something that was specifically planned for. Abstract Whilst pedagogical humour is a common teaching strategy employed by educators across compulsory education systems, a review of the extant literature expounds that it is a tool largely neglected by instructors throughout higher education. As such, this study sought to discern the perspectives of educators concerning the barriers to the use of humour in the teaching of Childhood Studies. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five educators on the BA (Hons) Childhood Studies programme at a Yorkshire-based post-1992 university. Verbatim transcripts of the interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Respondents believed that an academic’s personality held a significant bearing upon their pedagogy, and therefore their use of classroom jocularity. Educators claimed that whilst pedagogical humour did have its benefits, it was also capable of causing offence, distracting from course content, and making students feel uncomfortable. Consequently, educators generated situated understandings of when and where they were permitted to employ pedagogical humour, and what form said humour should take; they were cautious not to overuse humour, and were also less likely to draw upon it when teaching emotive or distressing content, and when teaching groups of students they were less familiar with. Educators also noted that they were less likely to draw upon pedagogical humour in the lecture theatre, despite university-wide pressure for instructors to produce more interactive lectures.

scholarly journals The Role Perceptions of Newly Appointed Senior School Leaders in the Western Cape, South Africa and Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates: A Comparative Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Nelius Jansen Van Vuuren
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
School Leader ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Role Perceptions ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities

The role of the senior school leader, in school leadership teams, has been intensely deliberated over the years. Professional learning and leadership approaches and experiences for newly appointed senior school leaders have been extensively linked to the role perceptions of new school leaders. The importance of appropriate recommendations for policy and practice highlight the need for complex developmental support ingenuities to support their perceived development needs. Extensive teaching experience may be the only requirement for being appointed as a senior school leader, as also suggested by the Western Cape Education system (WCED). A developing system such as the Abu Dhabi Education  Council (ADEC) system, highly qualified individuals make up for a lack of experience. Both these perceptions support the notion that no further professional development is required for newly appointed school leaders, the problem addressed in this paper. This article report and compare the main findings of the perceived roles and responsibilities of newly appointed senior school leaders in the Western Cape, South Africa, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The perceived roles and responsibilities of newly appointed school leaders, suggest a unique and specialist development approach to support effective leadership. The outcomes of this study further suggest a need for contextualised, individualised training and support in their individualised roles and responsibilities. The paper, therefore, employs a mixed-method approach to gather data to understand the perceived roles and responsibilities of newly appointed senior school leaders in the Western Cape, South Africa and Abu Dhabi, UAE.

scholarly journals Postpartum Maternal Health at a Time of Rapid Societal Change in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazel Gardner ◽  
Katherine Green ◽  
Andrew Somerville Gardner ◽  
Donna Geddes
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Health ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Behavioural Aspects ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Background. Abu Dhabi has undergone a rapid transition from a subsistence economy to a wealthy modern state over the last 50 years. This paper presents an insight into the health status of Emirati mothers during this transition through a prospective longitudinal study of mothers who gave birth in a government maternity hospital in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.Methods. 125 women were interviewed within the first week after birth, as part of a larger study encompassing a wide range of cultural, social, and behavioural aspects of health. They were then re-interviewed at three, six and 15 months postpartum. A food frequency questionnaire was also administered to the mothers at birth. Data were analysed using univariate statistics.Results. Over 70% of the mothers had BMI in the overweight and obese categories, and approximately half of the women were dissatisfied with their weight. Contributing factors were likely to be diets high in fats and sugar, low levels of exercise and women’s limited involvement in household food purchasing and preparation. Iron deficiency anaemia, diabetes, asthma and fertility problems were found to be the most common concerns amongst the participants prior to conception. Anaemia rates were high during pregnancy, with 35% having haemoglobin < 11 g/dL, and were positively associated with parity. Belief in traditional and herbal medicines was strong, with 43% of women using a variety of remedies during pregnancy.Conclusions. Policies and support mechanisms to encourage women to make better dietary choices and to provide more opportunities for exercising are required to improve the health of mothers in the UAE. The development of good quality health care has resulted in the better maternal health outcomes, although traditional practices in relation to herbal medicines are still common. 

A Professional Agency Perspective on Novice Teachers' Development of a Teacher Leadership Stance

2020 ◽  
pp. 105268462098035
Author(s):  
Youmen Chaaban ◽  
Rania Sawalhi
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Novice Teachers ◽  
School Context ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
University Preparation ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience

The purpose of this study was to explore novice teachers’ perceptions of professional agency in facilitating their development of a teacher leadership stance during the initial years of their work. Participants were thirteen novice teachers who had less than three years of teaching experience in Qatari government schools. Analysis of interview data revealed that novice teachers perceived professional agency in their reflections on university preparation; their commitment to students’ social and emotional well-being; and their “becoming” a teacher. They further practiced agency in their relationships with other teachers, and in their contributions to the wider school context. Accordingly, a total of six novice teachers reported a clear teacher leadership stance. By contrast, enacting professional agency was restricted according to seven novice teachers due to the presence of contextual factors which hindered their development of a teacher leadership stance. Implications of these findings to teacher education and school administration are discussed.

Teachers' Implicit “Theories” of Children's Intelligence

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1195-1201
Author(s):  
Jeanne Murrone ◽  
Malcolm D. Gynther
Keyword(s):  
Student Teachers ◽  
Implicit Theories ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Implicit Theories Of Intelligence ◽  
Theories Of Intelligence ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience ◽  
Interpersonal Competencies

Information about teachers' implicit notions of children's intelligence was obtained by having 50 student-teachers and 79 teachers with 1 to 4 years of experience rate 150 descriptors on applicability to an hypothetical child described as above average, average, or below average in intellectual functioning. Each teacher-subject was classified by dogmatism score and by years of teaching experience. A factor analysis disclosed that Academic Skills and Interpersonal Competencies summarize the implicit notions. Analysis of variance showed that all levels of hypothesized intelligence only affected teachers' expectations of academic skills and that the effect of intelligence was dependent upon the teachers' dogmatism. There were no clear-cut findings associated with years of experience. Results supported previous observations that people have implicit “theories” of intelligence; however, the specific composition of their ideas varies according to the context within which the rater and the person observed are placed.

Educating Ms. Fatima

1970 ◽  
pp. 56-63
Author(s):  
Tim Walters ◽  
Susan Swan ◽  
Ron Wolfe ◽  
John Whiteoak ◽  
Jack Barwind
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
High Technology ◽  
Emerging Technology ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Free Trade Zones ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
K 12

The United Arab Emirates is a smallish Arabic/Islamic country about the size of Maine located at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Though currently oil dependent, the country is moving rapidly from a petrocarbon to a people-based economy. As that economy modernizes and diversifies, the country’s underlying social ecology is being buffeted. The most significant of the winds of change that are blowing include a compulsory, free K-12 education system; an economy shifting from extractive to knowledge-based resources; and movement from the almost mythic Bedouin-inspired lifestyle to that of a sedentary highly urbanized society. Led by resource-rich Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the federal government has invested heavily in tourism, aviation, re-export commerce, free trade zones, and telecommunications. The Emirate of Dubai, in particular, also has invested billions of dirhams in high technology. The great dream is that educated and trained Emiratis will replace the thousands of foreign professionals now running the newly emerging technology and knowledge-driven economy.

Biostratigraphic Constraints on the Shuaiba Formation, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Gombos ◽  
Christian J. Strohmenger ◽  
T.C. Huang
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Abu Dhabi

History Teacher Readiness in Applying Historical Thinking Skills in Secondary School

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Khairunnajwa Binti Samsudin ◽  
Mohd Mahzan Bin Awang ◽  
Anuar Bin Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Procedural Knowledge ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Historical Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Pedagogical Knowledge ◽  
History Teachers ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience

This article aims to study on the readiness of history teachers to inculcate historical thinking skills among students. This study focused on four aspects which includes 1) Procedural Knowledge, and 2) Pedagogical Knowledge. Thus, to achieve the purpose of the study, quantitative methods are used. Questionnaires were distributed to 30 history teachers in a secondary school in Batu Pahat district. The results showed that there were no significant differences between teachers who were trained to teach History and those who are not. However, there was a significant difference between teachers with ten years of teaching experience with the readiness of history teachers.

Science Teachers’ Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Implementing Inquiery-based Learning - A Case in Qatar Government Primary Schools

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alshaima Saleh Alyafei
Keyword(s):  
Science Teachers ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching ◽  
Voluntary Basis

The current study investigates the beliefs held by science teachers on constructivism and a traditional approach in Qatar government primary schools. More specifically, it aims to investigate the challenges that science teachers experience during inquiry-based learning implementation. A web-based survey was conducted in order to collect data from grades 4 to 6 science teachers. A total of 112 science teachers responded and completed the survey on a voluntary basis. The results indicate that science teachers hold a higher beliefs in constructivism than traditional approach. A T-test and ANOVA analysis have showed that there is no significant differences between the beliefs of science teachers’ and their gender, level of education, and years of teaching experience. In addition, science teachers faced challenges in lesson planning, assessment, and teacher support.

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