Conceptualizing and Reimagining the Future of Inclusive Education in the UAE

The current study explored how students in various universities across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) conceptualized inclusive education and views of the future with participation from twenty-one pre-service teachers from different universities within the UAE. Data collection consisted of an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews analyzed using a qualitative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Results indicated that students unanimously conceptualized inclusion from a holistic point of view and projected the future to be associated with a higher level of differentiated instruction. However, the conditions of the Education Act and the results were not in agreement with the premise of liberation pedagogy, as students with special needs reverted to a passive state and adopted a dependent relationship with the teacher. In conclusion, teachers\u27 motivation was faith in humanity, the rejection of fatalism, and the belief that all learners can actively participate in the transformation of the world by participating in liberation pedagogy, which caters to the diverse needs of students in present and future environments

Students’ attitudes of the Postgraduate Diploma in teaching program towards teaching profession

AbstractThe study aims to investigate the attitude of students with postgraduate diplomas in teaching towards the teaching profession and its relationship with specialization, cumulative average, school quality, and school grade variables. The study sample consisted of 300 second-semester students enrolled in the educational training program for the academic year 2021–2022. Students Attitudes Scale towards the teaching profession was applied to identify the attitudes of the students. The results showed statistically significant differences in the attitudes of the students of the educational training program towards the teaching profession on account of the specialization and cumulative average variables. There were no statistically significant differences in the student’s attitudes towards the teaching profession on account of the school grade variable in which the student was trained. The study concluded that various programs, training and activities are required to develop positive attitudes in students towards the teaching profession and to encourage them to adopt the teaching profession

Education in the knowledge society : EKS

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónTítulo, resumen y palabras clave en español y en inglésLas universidades varían en el apoyo logístico que proporcionan a los estudiantes discapacitados. Al mismo tiempo, pueden ser un modelo para la sociedad en general en la forma en que emprenden e involucran a esta categoría. Se trata de explorar cómo perciben los estudiantes discapacitados su vida universitaria en la Universidad de Birzeit, que se reflejará en su relación más amplia con su sociedad. También trata de identificar los diversos desafíos a los que se enfrentan los estudiantes discapacitados durante su vida universitaria.ES

Utility and Professional Attitudes toward Assistive Technology in UAE Special Needs Centers

The attitude of teachers about the use of technology is critical. As a result, when teachers have a constructive outlook toward a new type of assistive technology, they are more likely to make meaningful efforts to successfully integrate it into the teaching-learning process. The way assistive technology is used in the teaching and learning environment is heavily influenced by a special education teacher\u27s attitude. Therefore, the study explored the availability of assistive technology and explored the attitudes of professional of special education towards the use of assistive technologies in special needs centers of United Arab Emirates (UAE). Questionnaires were distributed and 100 responses were received from special education professionals. No statistically significant differences were observed in the attitudes of special education teachers and therapists with respect to their experiences, profession, gender, academic qualification, or locality. Assistive technologies were mostly used in different areas of special education including computer access, spelling, learning, recreation, environmental control, vision and hearing, writing, communication, mathematics, mobility, and positioning and seating. There is a constructive impact on the learning process of the children with special needs considering the expertise of specialist teachers and therapists on assistive technology linked to positive educational outcomes of students with special needs

Elevated lactate/albumin ratio as a novel predictor of in-hospital mortality in hospitalized cirrhotics

Introduction and Objectives: Novel predictors of prognosis in cirrhotic patients have been emerging in recent years and studies show that the lactate/albumin ratio can serve as an early prognostic marker in different patient groups. We aimed to uncover the clinical significance of the lactate/albumin ratio in hospitalized patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis. Materials and Methods: A retrospective single-center cohort study was conducted in a tertiary medical center. Subjects included had an established diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and were admitted to the ICU or the Internal Medicine department with a clinical picture of acute-on-chronic liver failure between the years 2010 and 2021. The primary outcome was to assess the utility of the lactate/albumin ratio as a prognostic marker to predict mortality in hospitalized cirrhotic patients with acute-on-chronic hepatic failure. Results: Two hundred seventy-nine patients were included in this study. Univariate analysis revealed that mean WBC count, platelet/creatinine ratio, aspartate transaminase (AST), lactate, and MELD score were all significantly associated with the primary outcome. Multivariate analysis showed that the lactate/albumin ratio was the strongest statistically significant (p < 0.001) predictor of death during hospitalization - OR 13.196 (95% CI 3.6–48.3), followed by mean WBC count, MELD score, and serum lactate levels. A ROC curve was constructed, which resulted in an area under the curve (AUC) equal to 0.77. Crosstabs from the ROC showed a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 76.2% when the lactate/albumin ratio chosen as a cutoff was 0.9061 Conclusions: Elevated lactate/albumin ratio predicts in-hospital mortality in hospitalized cirrhotics with acute-on-chronic hepatic failure