Civic participation and current educational reform in the sultanate of Oman

The main purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the Basic Education system in relation to students’ civic participation in the Sultanate of Oman. The research explores the role of formal curriculum, classroom climate, and co-curriculum activities in developing students’ civic participation. The study also examines students’ disposition towards civic participation and the influence of some demographic factors in the development of students’ civic participation. The data were collected from four schools implementing Basic Education system introduced in Oman in 1998. Using case study methodology, three instruments were used for data collection: semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers, focus groups with students and classroom observation in Grade 10 classes.The results suggest that the new formal curriculum aims and the suggested content creates further spaces in the Basic Education schools to support learners’ civic knowledge and commitment towards participation in public life. The findings also show that the investigated schools do experience some challenges in relation to successfully implementing the new formal curriculum. The findings related to classroom climate identify some positive practices that might develop civic participation in the students along the aspirations of the Basic Education policies. However, the data points out that various challenges remain before classes become more collaborative in their processes and more open to issues and concerns in the wider society. The findings also investigated a set of co-curricular activities as important spaces to develop participatory citizens. Nevertheless, the findings also show that various difficulties remain before the implemented co-curricular activities achieve their expectations as contributors to civic participation development. Finally, the findings show that students in general have a favourable disposition towards community participation. Female students were more knowledgeable about civic issues and were less interested in political participation than were male students. Socioeconomic background and school location were important factors in students’ access and participation in meaningful and varied civic learning opportunities

The experiences of couples undergoing Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) at the Genetic and Developmental Medicine Clinic, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Oman

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an alternative reproductive technology integrated with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). It is a well-established technique offering reproductive options for families at a high risk of transmitting a genetic disorder, allowing them to avoid a termination of pregnancy (TOP). Consanguineous unions are common and encouraged in many Arab communities. This can lead to an increased risk of one or more autosomal recessive disorders that may occur within the family. Traditional prenatal testing involves testing fetal cells with the option of TOP of an affected fetus. In Arab communities where TOP is restricted under Muslim law, such testing is not acceptable. For these couples and their family members, PGD is a feasible option as the fetus is diagnosed before implantation and allows for only healthy embryos to be implanted. However, undergoing PGD is relatively new in the Arabic Muslim countries and Omani patients have only recently had access to the service. This study utilised a phenomenological approach to explore the experience of Omani families who had selected to undergo PGD as a means of reducing the risk of having a child affected with a genetic disorder. Fourteen participants from eight families who underwent PGD were interviewed. Data collected were analysed using thematic analysis. The research identified five main themes; Desire for a Healthy Child; Anxiety "Taraqub"; Unforeseen; Secrecy; Me and My Partner. The PGD experience was reported as physically and emotionally distressing. Some participants felt attached to their embryos regardless of health status, while the majority did not anticipate the loss of intimacy, autonomy and control they experienced, particularly related to the insemination process. The social and religious background of participants played a significant role in the participant's perception of PGD, which has both practical and psychosocial implications. The findings of the research have provided insight into the PGD experiences of Omani families and can be used to improve the services that are currently available to these families

What Positive Impacts Does Peer Tutoring Have Upon The Peer Tutors at SQU?

This paper attempts to provide an answer to the question: What positive impacts does peer tutoring have upon the peer tutors at SQU? It is conducted in the LC Tutorial Centre at Sultan Qaboos University where senior English language students are hired to tutor their peers who are struggling with the language. It sheds light on the peer tutors' academic, social, professional, psychological, and personal gains. Data were gathered from twenty-five currently employed peer tutors through a survey questionnaire and a group discussion. The study results prove the success of the adopted one-on-one peer-tutoring program in contributing to the peer tutors' development. The PTs benefited academically through the resources available in the TC and exchanging knowledge with their peers. They also found peer-tutoring a good chance to practice their language skills. Furthermore, the experience opened a horizon for students to expand their social network by making friendships with different students and staff. The PTs learnt to be more responsible, confident, patient, outgoing, and punctual. Most of all, the peer tutors explored the feelings of fulfillment and achievement through hearing positive feedback from their tutees and believing themselves to be productive members of SQU campus life and a reason for somebody's success in learning the English language. Keywords: Peer learning, Peer Tutoring, Peer Tutor, Tutorial, Tutorial Center, Tutor, SQU, Oman, Positive Impact, SQU, Oman. Abbreviations: PT (Peer tutor), SQU (Sultan Qaboos University), LC (Language Centre), SSU (Student Support Unit), TC (Tutorial Center), GPA (Grade Point Average

Broad-Scale Patterns in CDOM and Total Organic Matter Concentrations of Inland Waters – Insights from Remote Sensing and GIS

The rise in CDOM (coloured dissloved organic matter) is likely to be relatively more pronounced in remote northern regions. However, there is a lack of monitoring to confirm this. For this reason, there is a strong incentive to develop remote sensing-based methods to map CDOM in lakes across broader geographical scales and to include geograghic contex in such analysis. There is a lack of understanding of the mechanisms behind changes in water colour (i.e. CDOM) at large scales. The CDOM variations could be due to varying drivers, such as climate and landscape patterns or catchment features. This means that currently, we do not know the extent to which aquatic ecosystems need conservation efforts, such as management of the surrounding vegetation, to prevent CDOM leakage. Thus, there is need to better understand the drivers behind CDOM changes in inland waters.Over the last few decades, remote sensing technologies and methods have developed dramatically for terrestrial ecosystems. Coupled with the broader availability of remote sensing data, free access to different data sources and the increased resolution of satellite platforms, remote sensing technology now has a significant impact on land monitoring. Due to the increasing demand for high-quality remote sensing data, the technology continues to improve, which makes remote sensing critical for reducing time and funding costs. Similar to these advances in terrestrial remote sensing, there is an increasing potential to provide information about inland waters by using remote sensing. For instance, recent advancements in designing remote sensors, such as the Landsat 8 operational land imager (OLI) and Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument (MSI), have solved past radiometric sensitivity issues and provide high spatial resolution. This thesis explored CDOM patterns on spatial and temporal scales. The overall aim was to investigate the capabilities of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) to extend CDOM patterns from a regional to a broad scale. Different study sites in Europe, mainly Northern Scandinavia, including large numbers of lakes and rivers, were tested on different scales.The results shows how climate changes (from wet to dry) can result in a combination of changes in hydrology, vegetation type and productivity, which can lead to intra-annual variations in the CDOM of recipient waters. It is also shown that drought can temporarily decrease values of CDOM in boreal lakes. In addition, it is demonstrated that combining remote sensing and GIS tools is an effective way to reveal the impact of different catchment parameters and morphometry on lake CDOM concentration. Moreover, the thesis shows that utlizing long-term remote sensing records of CDOM from the last few decades is a successful approach to fill the gaps of the missing lake data from in situ assessments. Finally, the results helped to explore links between water browning and the organic matter degradation rates in temperate European rivers at a continental scale. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates the pogential use of remote sensing for mapping CDOM in a wide range of inland waters that are situated in complex, inaccessible regions that are not well- monitored

Growth, mortality and yield per recruit of the king soldier bream Argyrops spinifer (Sparidae) from the Oman coast of the Arabian Sea

The King soldier bream Argyrops spinifer at Arabian Sea (Omani waters) was assessed using Beverton and Holt yield per recruit model. A total of 5520 specimens were collected during five trawl surveys between September 2007 and August 2008. The maximum life span was 11 years for length range of 11.0 – 62.1 cm TL. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were K = 0.22 year^-1, L∞ = 65.51 cm, to = -0.75 year and W∞ = 5430g. The rates of total mortality Z, natural mortality M and fishing mortality F were 0.85, 0.26 and 0.59 year^-1 respectively. The exploitation ratio E was 0.69 indicating the high level of exploitation. The estimated total length at 50% maturity was 31.8 cm. Yield per recruit analysis revealed over-fished stock conditions particularly because small fish are effectively unprotected by current minimum size regulations. Therefore measures such as closed seasons or changes in fishing patterns would be desirable to safeguard the spawning stock and recruits. Also, the commercial fishery of Arabian Sea, Oman should be subjected to a total allowable catch and a maximum size limit be implemented