UAE Teachers’ Awareness & Perceptions of Testing Modifications

The objectives of this study were threefold: (a) to determine whether the Unit-ed Arab Emirates (UAE) general and special education teachers were making any specific testing modifications for students with disabilities; (b) to survey UAE general and special education teachers’ perceptions of testing modifications in terms of their usefulness, easiness, and fairness; and (c) to explore possible differences between general and special education teachers’ aware-ness and perceptions of testing modifications. Two hundred and eleven UAE general and special education teachers participated in this study. Results re-vealed that participants have a moderate level of awareness of testing modifications when assessing students with disabilities. Additionally, UAE teachers as a group perceived testing modifications as easy to make and fair. Statistically significant differences were found between general and special education teachers where special education teachers were found to be more informed than general education teachers

Production of belite calcium sulfoaluminate cement using sulfur as a fuel and as a source of clinker sulfur trioxide : pilot kiln trial

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD), Qatar, through research grant number ENG016RGG11757. The authors would also like to acknowledge Thomas Matschei and Guanshu Li for the stimulating and fruitful discussions concerning the development of this work. The continuous support prior to, during and after the pilot kiln trial from Vadym Kuznietsov and the entire team at IBU-tec is also greatly appreciated.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effect of an Arabic Program of Direct Instruction for Phonological Awareness on Phonological Awareness Abilities

Reading in Arabic is a vital skill for academic success and progress in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) elementary schools and beyond. However, there is substantial evidence to suggest that a significant number of UAE children in lower elementary grades experience difficulties in reading school-related materials. Research in reading has clearly documented that the lack of phonological awareness skills is a major contributor to reading difficulties. The aims of the present study were to (a) identify phonological awareness deficits among UAE’s struggling first-grade readers, (b) provide intervention in the area of phonological awareness deficits through direct training, (c) determine whether phonological awareness direct training significantly increases phonological awareness abilities, and (d) determine the effect of gender on the reading intervention. The results of this study indicate that a direct training intervention program in the UAE positively impacted struggling first-grade readers’ phonological awareness abilities

Examining the Expectations of Early Years Teachers in the UAE Regarding a Successful Start to School for Children With and Without Special Educational Needs

Starting school has been shown to correlate with later school outcomes. The success of the transition of special educational needs (SEN) pupils depends on the child’s adaptation to the new environment and on the teachers and school supports to facilitate learning. Previous research indicates that expectations of teachers toward pupils with SEN have been low. The aim of this study was to examine Early Years teachers’ expectations with respect to the transition experience of children with Downs Syndrome and those without SEN in the U.A.E. Teachers working in the U.A.E. in Early Years’ education completed a questionnaire twice, once thinking about their expectations of a child without any SEN and once thinking about a child with Downs Syndrome. Findings demonstrated a different pattern of expectations depending on whether the child had Downs Syndrome or no SEN, indicating, in general, a lower set of academic expectations for children with Downs Syndrome

Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement Clinkering

Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Advances in clinkering technology of calcium sulfoaluminate cement

Acknowledgement The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD), Qatar, through University of Aberdeen research grant number ENG016RGG11757. Funding Information: Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) (ENG016RGG11757)Peer reviewedPostprin