Saudi Students’ Motivation and Attitudes toward Learning English as a Second Language and Their Willingness to Invest in Learning It

The King Abdullah scholarship program has opened the door for a massive number of Saudi students to travel overseas for higher education. The United States has been chosen by the majority of those students as a favorite destination to complete their education. As a result, the number of Saudi Arabian students who study in the United States has increased dramatically. Nearly all-Saudi students who come to the U.S. need to learn English in order to satisfy the English language admission requirement that is needed to obtain admissions to universities and colleges in the U.S. Research shows that language learners’ motivation and attitude are one of the most important factors that can influence the success or failure in second language learning. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine and investigate: (1) Saudi students’ types of motivation for learning English as a second language in the U.S., (2) Saudi students’ attitudes toward learning English and toward the native English speakers in the U.S., and (3) Saudi students’ willingness to invest effort and money in learning English. In addition, the study explores the relation between their motivational and attitudinal behavior and certain selected demographic characteristics, namely gender, length of stay in the U.S., and academic level (ESL, undergraduate, graduate). A questionnaire and an interview were developed and used to collect data from participants. A total of 181 Saudi Arabian students who were studying at different schools and universities in the U.S. participated in the questionnaire, and seven of them were selected to participate in a follow up interview. The results of the questionnaire and the interview showed that the majority of the participants, regardless of their gender, length of stay, and academic level, had high extrinsic motivation to learn English, positive attitudes toward learning English, positive attitudes toward the native English speakers in the U.S., and a high willingness to learn English. In comparison to male students, female students showed higher intrinsic motivation to learn English and a higher positive attitude toward learning English and toward the native English speakers in the U.S. The participants who did not have scholarships were more willing to invest effort and money in learning English than the participants who did have scholarships. Although the interviewees did have a complete positive vision of the U.S. and its people before coming to the U.S., their vision had changed after coming to the U.S., and they had developed some negative attitudes toward the native English speakers in the U.S

Supervisory feedback in the principal evaluation process

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how school principals perceive their supervisors’ feedback in the formative principal evaluation process. It spotlights the benefits of supervisors giving effective feedback to school principals as a key component in formative evaluations. In addition, it uses a qualitative case study design situated within the context of the Al-Ain school district, which is supervised by the Abu Dhabi Education Council in the United Arab Emirates. The data was collected using several data collection methods, namely interviews, documents, and field notes. Six school principals participated in the study, and a thematic analysis of their comments and other information that they provided yielded four themes that reflected the quality of feedback they received: (1) feedback in absentia, (2) superficial or irrelevant feedback, (3) negative or judgmental feedback, and (4) constructive and individualized feedback. The evidence concludes that feedback aimed at improving the leadership practices of principals is limited, and there is no embedded professional learning dialogue wherein such feedback exists. This study adds to the body of leadership literature and sets forth implications for enhancing and redesigning feedback delivery in the formative evaluation process to improve principals’ practices and support their professional growth

Investigation the impact of using the recess air bio-filter (TBAB) with integrated system of a cyclic 2-recess adsorption/desorption unit for treatment of squander gas streams

In the chemical industry, fluctuations in influent concentrations and shifts in the composition of waste air make biofiltration a challenging technique. As a possible solution to the constraints of biofiltration technology, this research designs and implements an integrated system that includes a cyclic 2-bed adsorption/desorption unit and a trickling bed air biofilter (TBAB). The study's major goal was to keep the TBAB volatile organic compound (VOC) degradation performance stable and consistent over time. The studies were conducted on different TBABs with a single VOC exchange and a biomass control of periodic backwashing. Solvents that are routinely used in paint booths were examined as VOCs. Two aromatic chemicals (styrene and toluene) were investigated, as well as two aliphatic chemicals (methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and methyl isobutyl ketone) (MIBK). While the production process rotated, our study duplicated VOC emission rotation in certain chemical sectors. When VOCs were switched to aromatics, the biofilter required an apparent re-acclimation period, according to the results. The second phase looked at two different combinations of these VOCs in two separate TBAB trains with a step change in influent concentration. In the third phase, the buffering performance of a cyclic 2-bed adsorption unit was tested for a feeding composition based on an EPA industrial emission report under a square wave of fluctuating conditions. The VOC mixture was treated in the fourth step with an integrated system that includes two cyclic adsorption/desorption beds as well as TBAB. When compared to the control unit, the integrated system was able to achieve high steady performance, according to the studies' findings. Lastly, researchers looked at the microbial communities of the biofilters employed in the VOC interchange and VOC mixing studies. The interchange of VOCs demonstrated a steady transition in microbial diversity. The community structure of VOC mixes demonstrated a significant degree of independence from the component content

The Impact of the Components and Dimensions of Human Capital on Organizational Relations

Purpose: The aim of this paper was present components and dimensions of human capital terms impact on organizational relation.   Theoretical framework: Many studies have dealt with the impact of human resources on the performance of organizations. In this paper, work has been done to study the dimensions of human capital and the way it affects organizational relations.   Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopted the descriptive / exploratory approach, as an opinion questionnaire was designed specifically to find out the opinions of the scientific competencies of teachers and administrators at Al-Rafidain University College, where (100) opinion questionnaires were distributed.   Findings: The most important conclusions are the evidence of the impact of human capital (components and dimensions) on organizational relations, at Al-Rafidain University College.   Research, practical & Social implications: three dimensions used to human capital and for dimensions to organizational relation.   Originality/value:  the paper an contribution in field of the effects of human capital components on organizational relations in general and in the field of university education organizations, with the clarity of the impact of encouraging the Deanship of the College on the constituent aspects of human capital as well as aspects of dimension

Energy-Aware WiFi Network Selection via Forecasting Energy Consumption

Covering a wide area by a large number of WiFi networks is anticipated to become very popular with Internet-of-things (IoT) and initiatives such as smart cities. Such network configuration is normally realized through deploying a large number of access points (APs) with overlapped coverage. However, the imbalanced traffic load distribution among different APs affects the energy consumption of a WiFi device if it is associated to a loaded AP. This research work aims at predicting the communication-related energy that shall be consumed by a WiFi device if it transferred some amount of data through a certain selected AP. In this paper, a forecast of the energy consumption is proposed to be obtained using an algorithm that is supported by a mathematical model. Consequently, the proposed algorithm can automatically select the best WiFi network (best AP) that the WiFi device can connect to in order to minimize energy consumption. The proposed algorithm is experimentally validated in a realistic lab setting. The observed performance indicates that the algorithm can provide an accurate forecast to the energy that shall be consumed by a WiFi transceiver in sending some amount of data via a specific AP

An Operational Excellence Model for U.A.E Future Energy

Most people have a cynical view on investments made on renewable energy by countries in the Middle East region and regard them as merely a public relations exercise as the Gulf States produce a large proportion of the world's oil and gas reserves (Ford, 2007). Hence, there is a widespread belief that Arabian nations wish the global economy to continue to be dependent upon hydrocarbon fuels rather than cleaner form of energy. However, the setting up of the Masdar project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and growing interest in alternative technologies indicates more substance than mere publicity stunts (Ford, 2007). Set up by the government of Abu Dhabi, the Masdar project aims to promote renewable technologies in the Gulf region. The project comprises a research institute, an industrial development zone, an alternative energy centre of excellence and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), a renewable energy development company. ADFEC has been set up to coordinate the various Masdar schemes (Ford, 2007). The operations management of ADFEC was the focus of this study.The overall aim of this research was to investigate and develop an operational excellence model for U.A.E. Future energy to convert from using oil as a major energy source to alternative energy sources as a way to diversify energy sources and increase the national income. The research question was addressed through a combination of secondary and primary research. Secondary research consisted of the acquisition of relevant information from various sources including academic books, journals, magazines, newspapers and relevant online sources. The primary research aspect of the study involved the design and distribution via email of structured questionnaires to operations managers at the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company in order to find out how they are managing their departments, the strengths and weaknesses of the group and other relevant information. The questionnaire consisted of ten closed ended questions and the survey was emailed to fifteen managers at ADFEC. Ten out of the fifteen managers returned and completed the questionnaire. Overall, the primary and secondary sources in the study served to provide a clearer picture of how operations management was conducted at ADFEC.Conclusions were drawn from the findings of the primary and secondary research. These included firstly, that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were making genuine efforts in setting up as well as promoting renewable energy sources within the Gulf region. Operations management encompasses all the main activities of an organization and therefore the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company should focus on fully utilizing their operational activities in order to improve their financial performance. ADFEC must also deploy relevant operations management activities and develop human resources in their manufacturing segment so that they can enjoy the success experienced by Japanese companies in terms of the ability to develop higher quality products and gain competitive advantage. Furthermore, in the context of increased globalization and greater concerns for the environment, ADFEC should develop a sound safety management system, set up procedures for environmental auditing to successfully perform environmental management (Ortiz, 2001), adopt waste management to reduce waste, improve efficiency in the production process and improve quality. The company should also follow the example of the United States in enhancing its competitive position through transforming waste into useful products (Nersesian, 2000).Secondly, the study demonstrated that despite the comfortable hydrocarbon cushion the United Arab Emirates enjoys, the region is eager to switch to renewable sources of energy in order to protect the environment throughout the Middle East. The Masdar project in this case is supported by reputable research partners such as BP and GE in order to develop new energy solutions (Ford, 2007). Furthermore, the findings showed that the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company uses its funds intelligently and is under able leadership and therefore on the verge of achieving technological breakthroughs. Assistance from industry partners ensure that the solutions created have practical applications and therefore broad market appeal. Nonetheless,in spite of the eagerness of the UAE to develop alternative sources of energy, certain barriers exist in the region including an expensive infrastructure and the existence of cheap electricity.In addition, the study indicated efforts are being made by the UAE to develop wind and solar power for producing electricity. In fact the region expects that 50% of its energy requirements to come from renewable sources (Williams, 2005). Since the study found that people are already using wind and solar power for their energy needs, this goal would appear to be achievable. Thirdly, the findings of the survey on operations managers at ADFEC revealed that they were convinced that converting from using oil as a major energy source to alternative sources of energy was an effective way to diversify energy sources and increase the national income. Although the vast majority of managers demonstrated awareness of both local and global trends in renewable energy sources, very few of them could explain in detail how the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company could reshape their production activities into a more global orientation over the next ten years thus indicating a need for operations managers to take a more globally orientated approach to their strategies. Furthermore, a small percentage of managers still felt that the operations field should be better represented at senior management level. Other problems found by the survey included the failure of functional managers to meet each other regularly or get to hear about each other's problems, and the failure of U.A.E. Future Energy to include all stakeholders in all relevant phases and aspects of the strategy process. The results also indicated that not all managers interacted positively with their employees to get the best results out of them. Based on these conclusions, a series of recommendations were made. These included: the need for ADFEC to organize global promotional strategies in order to positions itself as an environmentally sensitive organization to overcome cynicism; a well planned recruitment campaign to attract the best talent to the operations department; a clear idea of how to globally orientate their production activities through studying the trends among other multinational competitors and new climate legislation; ensure that operations managers get co-operation from managers and employees from non-operations areas such as marketing and finance; place a representative from the operations group at senior management level who can articulate clearly suggestions and problems during the strategy development process; deploy job rotation in the company so that employees can gain an insight into problems faced by workers in each department and have respect for each others work; product managers to take time out to explain their function clearly and effectively to other employees to develop a common understanding of the language and process of manufacturing strategy; involvement of all stakeholders in all phases of the strategy process to foster consensus and commitment; a flexible management style to manage a diverse workforce and finally, an openness to new technology and frequent adoption of new technologies and innovations into their business models and operations so that ADFEC can keep pace with a dynamic and competitive environment, and maintain business continuity and increase organizational efficiency

فاعلية برنامج إثرائي في تعزيز الوعي الأمني لدى طلبة الصف العاشر الأساسي في سلطنة عمان

هدفت الدراسة إلى الكشف عن فاعلية برنامج إثرائي مقترح في ضوء أبعاد الأمن المجتمعي في تعزيز الوعي الأمني لدى طلبة الصف العاشر الأساسي في سلطنة عمان واتجاهاتهم نحوه، وقد استخدم الباحثون المنهج شبه التجريبي، وصمموا البرنامجَ الإثرائي، إضافة إلى مقياس للوعي الأمني، ومقياسًا لاتجاهات الطلبة، وبعد التأكد من صدق أدوات الدراسة وثباتها، طُبقت الأدوات على عينة الدراسة في المجموعتين الضابطة والتجريبية، وبعد ذلك أُجريت المعالجات الإحصائية لاستجابات الطلبة على المقياسَين، وأظهرت النتائج وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في التطبيق البعدي لمقياس الوعي الأمني، لصالح المجموعة التجريبية، وكذلك وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين التطبيقين القبلي والبعدي للمجموعة التجريبية لصالح التطبيق البعدي، مما يعني فاعلية البرنامج الإثرائي في تعزيز الوعي الأمني لدى طلبة المجموعة التجريبية، كما أظهرت النتائج ارتفاع اتجاهات طلبة المجموعة التجريبية نحو البرنامج الإثرائي؛ إذ بلغ المتوسط الحسابي لاستجاباتهم على المقياس (4.48)، وفي ضوء ذلك أوصت الدراسة بالاستفادة مما تضمنه البرنامج الإثرائي في تطوير مناهج التربية الإسلامية، وتعزيزها بأبعاد الأمن المجتمعي، والاستفادة من البرنامج المقترح في تعزيز الوعي الأمني لدى طلبة الصف العاشر

Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, and Sources of Information (KAPS) toward COVID-19 during the second wave pandemic among university population in Qatar: A cross-sectional study

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Many efforts were performed to contain the virus worldwide. People's knowledge and attitude should be directed toward strict preventive practices to halt the spread of the virus. We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, practices, and sources of information (KAPS) used by Qatar University (QU) attendees. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based questionnaire was answered by 500 employees and students in the QU community. It included questions on KAPS toward COVID-19. Information on sociodemographics was collected and analyzed. This study was conducted during the second wave of COVID-18 in the state of Qatar (April–May 2021). Results: A total of 475 participants aged between 18 and 68 years old consented to complete the survey questionnaire. The study involved 279 (58.7%) non-Qatari nationals and 196 (41.3%) natives, with 254 (53.5%) participants pursuing postgraduate studies and 221 (46.5%) undergraduates. Approximately two-thirds of the sample were employed (64.8%), while one-third were unemployed (35.2%). Knowledge scores on average were 66.4% (M = 5.31, SD = 1.45, and range: 0–8), with only significant differences were noted between nationalities (natives and non-natives) Participants' average score in practices was 69.72% (M = 4.18, SD = 1.7, and range 0–6) with a significant difference in safe COVID-19 practice scores based on the educational level. Adherence with COVID-19 policies and rules were 82% (M = 2.46, SD = 0.7, and range: 0–3) with no differences noted between groups. In addition, the population reported relying on governmental press conferences (76.0%) as their primary source of gaining details concerning COVID-19, followed by social media (64.4%). The least popular resources were information gained from family, relatives, friends, and coworkers (47.4%) and the news channels on TV (46.7%). Conclusion: Overall, this study provides insights into Qatar's KAPS toward COVID-19 during the quarantine of the second wave of this pandemic. This study, being the first of its kind to be conducted in the state of Qatar, is expected to help the ministry of public health and the government communication office to establish a suitable measurement of response to the spread of COVID-19 and develop the best practices for any future epidemics that might occur

Blockchain-Based Traceability and Management for Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a major advancement in the digitization of manufacturing and production operations. Additive manufacturing uses three dimensional digital design, software and hardware equipment to precisely deposit layered materials for on-demand product manufacturing. The distinct advantages in enabling additive manufacturing includes cost efficiency, reduced time-to-market, flexibility and precise customization. However, several challenges such as trusted traceability, certification for quality compliance, and protecting intellectual property need to be addressed. Blockchain-based distributed ledgers provide tremendous advantages for product traceability and ensure trust among participating stakeholders. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based solution for product traceability produced using additive manufacturing, guaranteeing secure and trusted traceability, accessibility, and immutability of transactions, and data provenance among supply chain stakeholders. Our proposed solution utilizes Ethereum smart contracts to govern and trace transactions initiated by participants involved in the manufacturing process. Decentralized storage of Inter-Planetary File Systems is used to store and share design files, IoT device records, and additional product specifications. We provide the system architecture, implementation, and detailed algorithms that demonstrate the working principles of our proposed solution for secure AM. Furthermore, we present detailed security and cost analysis of the solution highlighting its efficiency with respect to key security and performance requirements

Healthcare industry challenges and potential opportunities in the Uae. A review paper

The development of the health sector is one of the most important priorities of policy-makers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as it has a direct impact on the citizens’ well-being and productivity. However, it is fraught with challenges due to the overlapping and complexity of operations that require capital and high technology, which may exceed the state's capabilities. Despite the theoretical enrichment about the development of the health system, there is a contradiction in the methods on the one hand, and a discrepancy in the studies, especially in focusing on the developed and western countries on the other hand. Therefore, this paper aims to review and discuss the challenges and opportunities of the health system in developing countries, especially the UAE by through the interaction between leadership and corporate entrepreneurship, which is the key driver for innovation and healthcare sustainability