Technology integration in UAE schools: Current status and way forward

Research has supported the assumption that computer technology is beneficial for students\u27 performance. Nevertheless, knowing that technology is beneficial is not sufficient on its own where teachers remain the key stakeholders in the success of the process. Teachers need to be aware of various issues, challenges, and ethical aspects when using technology for teaching, with such aspects being alleviated further in a young country with a conservative society such as the UAE. The chapter offers an overview of the Net Generation and computer technologies\u27 impact on student performance. It provides a briefing about the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its educational system while highlighting formal initiatives launched by the government to support the educational reform and introduction of technology into the K-12 classroom. Finally, the chapter presents preliminary findings from a research study that investigates teachers\u27 perceptions about technology integration and their current practices in a UAE private school

Technology integration in UAE schools: Current status and way forward

Research has supported the assumption that computer technology is beneficial for students\u27 performance. Nevertheless, knowing that technology is beneficial is not sufficient on its own where teachers remain the key stakeholders in the success of the process. Teachers need to be aware of various issues, challenges, and ethical aspects when using technology for teaching, with such aspects being alleviated further in a young country with a conservative society such as the UAE. The chapter offers an overview of the Net Generation and computer technologies\u27 impact on student performance. It provides a briefing about the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its educational system while highlighting formal initiatives launched by the government to support the educational reform and introduction of technology into the K-12 classroom. Finally, the chapter presents preliminary findings from a research study that investigates teachers\u27 perceptions about technology integration and their current practices in a UAE private school

Blended Learning for Learner Empowerment: Voices from the Middle East

© 2017 ISTE. Blended learning (BL) is still in its infancy in the United Arab Emirates, but is gaining growing attention and acceptance. The particular university under investigation offers its nationally accredited graduate programs with a BL format that makes use of synchronous virtual classrooms, asynchronous self-study, and face-to-face sessions. The current qualitative research study investigates students\u27 perceptions about their experience with the BL model within their relatively conservative cultural context. In addition, the project aimed at gauging their suggestions for course design considerations that would meet their needs as adult learners and enhance their learning experience. Twenty-one graduate students participated in the study, with findings indicating an overall positive perception about the BL experience with a strong positive impact on female empowerment. The most salient themes for successful instructional strategies indicated the importance of student-centered practices, particularly collaborative projects and student-led activities

Enhancing education in the UAE through blended learning

The advent of technology has changed the landscape in post-secondary academic institutions and technology-enhanced university courses are becoming the norm. While Distance Education was previously restricted to traditional correspondence having limited options for student interaction with the instructor and no interaction with other learners, technology\u27s progression changed the context drastically. One of the emerging delivery modes is blended learning which combines the advantages of technology enhanced face-to-face instruction and electronic supported learning. The chapter offers a general overview of the influence of technological development on the post-secondary Distance Education sector and presents the advantages of the blended learning approach. Insights are offered from a UAE e-learning University case study while discussing implications for university professors and faculty members pertinent to instructional design and course delivery. © 2013, IGI Global

Determinants of student satisfaction in higher education: an empirical study in Dubai

We develop and empirically validate a student satisfaction modelling technology-enabled university environments. We use focus groups at a university in Dubai and an intensive literature review to propose a theoretical model that involves different types of student interactions; perceptions of infrastructure; and university branding as independent variables influencing student satisfaction as outcome variable. Using data collected from a random sample of 99 students, we empirically test the model using linear regression analysis. Two variables, branding and interactions of students with administrative staff are found to significantly influence student satisfaction, accounting for 61% of variance. Implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are given. With its specific context, the study requires replication in other countries to determine whether the findings are generalisable. This study is one of the rare occasions when a structural model of student satisfaction in technology-enabled environments in the Middle East has been subjected to empirical scrutiny. © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

A Quantitative Investigation of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Influencing Teachers’ Job Satisfaction IN Lebanon

© 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Job satisfaction remains until this date a prominent factor that managers seek in their employees to ensure the organization’s productivity and success. It has extensively drawn the attention of researchers in the educational field to inform policymakers and school leaders of its impact on teachers’ motivation, commitment, stress, retention, and burnout levels. The aim of this study is twofold. First, it will investigate teachers’ job satisfaction level in Lebanon, and second, it will look at their perceptions of their principals’ self-efficacy levels. A total of 133 Teachers Job Satisfaction Questionnaires (TJSQ) were collected from 6 private and 6 public K-12 schools to measure teachers’ perceptions about the factors that are mostly correlated with their job satisfaction levels. Despite that, overall means of intrinsic factors were higher than extrinsic factors, correlation analysis revealed that extrinsic factors (i.e., working conditions and professional development) were more associated with teachers’ job fulfillment. Findings from this study support the literature indicating that when teachers’ extrinsic needs are fulfilled in less developed countries, they will uplift their job satisfaction level. Further implications for research and practice are also discussed

Effects of technology on students' achievement : a second-order meta-analysis

Numerous meta-analyses addressing the effect of technology on student achievement differ by focus, scope, content, sample, and methodological quality, making the interpretation of the overall effect challenging. To overcome this problem, this dissertation implemented a systematic quantitative synthesis procedure (second-order meta-analysis) to answer the question: does technology use enhance student achievement in formal face-to-face classroom settings as compared to traditional (no/low technology) settings, while taking methodological quality into consideration. Literature searches and review processes resulted in 37 relevant meta-analyses involving 1253 different primary-studies (approximately 130,300 participants). After examining the lists of primary studies, 25 meta-analyses incorporating 1055 primary studies (approximately 109,700 participants) were found to have greatest coverage of the overall set of primary-studies while minimizing the problem of overlap in primary literature. Analyses revealed a variety of weaknesses in the implementation of the meta-analytic procedures. To synthesize the 25 effect-sizes from the unique meta-analyses, two standard error approaches were used, one based on sample sizes in the primary studies, and one based on number of studies included in individual meta-analyses. The weighted mean effect-sizes from the two approaches, 0.315 and 0.333 respectively, were significantly different from zero. Results from the first approach revealed a high level of heterogeneity while those from the second one were homogeneous. Moderator analysis for results from the first approach revealed that higher methodological quality meta-analyses and higher inclusivity regarding the covered literature and incorporated research designs in a meta-analysis were associated with lower average effect-sizes. To validate these findings, 574 individual effect-sizes (60,853 participants) were extracted from 13 meta-analyses that provided sufficient information. The weighted mean effect-size of 0.304 was significantly different from zero and highly heterogeneous thus supporting the findings of the second-order meta-analysis with both approaches. The results consistently represent a medium strength effect-size, favouring the utilization of technology. Guidelines for conducting a second-order meta-analysis with advantages and disadvantages of the used approaches are presented and discussed with suggestions for applicability in different settings. Implications for technology use are offered and recommendations for future meta-analyses are suggested, including the need for greater systematicity, rigour and transparency in implementation and reporting