Student Perceptions of Individual and Social Responsibility Education and Engagement in Higher Education of United Arab Emirates Higher Colleges of Technology – Sharjah Colleges
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Date
2014-03
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The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
Abstract
The need for Individual and Social Responsibility Education has increased in the 21st century (Brennan 2008) due to a number of political and social events which happened around the world, including the recent events associated with the Arab Spring in the Middle East. Educating for social responsibility is a highly debated topic in Higher Education research because of different reasons including forms of delivery, evaluation and community based learning (Williams and Cochrane, 2010). This research is unique as it is being conducted for the first time in the Arab World taking into consideration the Arabic Culture, Emirati traditions and Islamic values. The research approach of social constructivism adopted a theoretical framework of Social Capital and Experiential learning to explore student perceptions on Social Responsibility Education and Engagement at Higher Education in the United Arab Emirates. Using mixed methods approach of an online survey based on Personal and Social Responsibility Institutional Inventory Survey (PSRII) and face to face interviews, the research surveyed 650 male and female Emirati students studying at the Sharjah Colleges- Higher Colleges of Technology. There are several new and important findings in this research related to Curriculum, Extra curriculum and Community projects at Sharjah Colleges. It also identifies the integration of United Arab Emirates Vision 202, United in Responsibility vision in existing programs and College practices. The conclusion of this research provides recommendations including further research and a comprehensive framework on Social Responsibility Education and Engagement program including a reward system.
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Keywords
Education, Higher -- Social aspects., social responsibility, higher education, United Arab Emirates (UAE)