Browsing by Author "David, Solomon Arulraj"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Editorials: Expanding research into niche fields
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2019-10) David, Solomon Arulraj
    Research in education is tremendously expanding with range of niche fields and innovative approaches. With the continuous edge to break through into innovative ways in education practice, education research is vying through uncharted territories. Many new journals along with the established ones are keen on capturing research works in rare focuses. Journal for Researching Education Practice and Theory (JREPT), since its inception, has showcased some of such research works with rare focuses. This issue in particular present few applied research on such infrequent areas. We are witnessing education in an increasingly competitive and technological world, where the focus of research is heavily technology and management oriented. And not many researchers work on research areas that are seldom visited. The four research papers in this issue seem to explore such rare topics in four different areas. The work on giftedness attempts to offer a critical evaluation of the special provisions for gifted students in an elementary school in Dubai. Such analytical examination with evidence based arguments and discussion could lead to possible transition in a positive direction. The study on moral education aims to account the experiences and perceptions of teachers and parents about the impact of the implementation of moral education at schools in Dubai. Parents’ and teachers’ experiences and perceptions on moral education is essential as UAE recently introduced the moral education in schools. The research that explores behavior management strategies used by teachers at primary schools in Thailand recommends professional training to teachers and the implementation of positive behavior support in schools. The paper that explores on the role of values in educational research offers a critique of two research studies, arguing that research can never be value-free. I am sure the readers my find these works interesting and special. JREPT would continue to present studies with such rare specialisation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Editorials: Leading Education in Times of Crisis: Perils or Opportunities?
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2021-11) Abukari, Abdulai; David, Solomon Arulraj
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Implications on Educational Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2021-11) Alfalasi, Khulood; David, Solomon Arulraj; Tamim, Rana M.
    Education sector faced a significant transition recently, shifting from face-to-face classes to online classes due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic's consequences affected teaching and learning and negatively influenced students' psychological well-being. This study aimed to explore the pandemic's impact on undergraduate students' academic stress, especially as related to their academic performance. Furthermore, the students' coping strategies during the pandemic, if any, were investigated. The researcher used a mixed-method approach, and surveyed 191 participants from the College of Education (COE) and students from other colleges enrolled in elective courses in the COE in one selected university in the UAE. The qualitative data was collected through a focus group discussion with seven COE undergraduate students doing their internship. The key findings showed that the xenophobia factor (the fear of strangers) causes the highest stress levels, and students reported that workload and time constraint factors were top stressors. Also, A-range students (students with a GPA of 3.7 and above) were significantly less stressed than B-range students (GPA of 2.7–3.3). First-year students were significantly more stressed than second-year, third-year, and fourth-year students. It was found that internship students expressed their stress and anxiety due to the change to online education caused by the pandemic. Single site focus was a key limitation of the study and it was recommended to increase the number of sites and samples. In conclusion, this study helped educational leadership and psychologists to better understand students' needs and create innovative educational platforms.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Impact of School Leaders’ Feedback in Enhancing Teachers’ Performance towards School Improvement: A Single Case Study among Teachers in a Private School in Dubai
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-12) Zrien, Zeina; David, Solomon Arulraj
    The constructive feedback provided by school leaders is considered a powerful tool that enhances teachers’ motivation, engagement, and performance towards school improvement. This study aims to understand the influence of feedback provided by school leaders on teachers' professional growth and overall performance within the context of school improvement. The research is a single case study allowing an in-depth understanding of the participants' perspectives and experiences. It involved two sets of qualitative questionnaires to collect data from school leaders and subject teachers respectively. The data was then analysed to identify the influence of school leaders’ feedback on teachers’ performance towards school improvement. The main addressed research question is ‘What is the influence of school leaders’ feedback in shaping teachers’ job towards school improvement?’. The findings of the current study prove that school leaders' feedback improves the quality of teaching instructions, fosters a loyal culture among staff members, develops teachers as leaders in their positions, and enhances school performance through better students’ academic achievements. The implications of this study would offer educational leaders’ and practitioners’ valuable insights for improving feedback practices and promoting continuous professional growth among teachers. The foremost limitation of the current study is the inability to generalize the research outcomes being a single case study with a limited sample size and research time framework. Therefore, for future studies it is recommended that the investigation could be implemented in different settings to compare findings and generalize suggestions. It has been concluded that effective feedback imparted by school leaders upon teachers’ observation is a critical factor in school improvement process.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Role and Impact of Educational Leadership in Change Management to Improve the Quality of Education in a Private School in Dubai
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-12) Abusenenh, Mohammad Abdallah; David, Solomon Arulraj
    The fast-paced nature of the world calls for constant change to evolve, especially in education, which leads to the crucial role of educational leadership in identifying aspects that need to be changed and developing concrete plans for them. This study aims to discover the role and impact of educational leadership and change management to improve the quality of education in a private school in Dubai using qualitative and quantitative data collection methods in addition to analysing six school inspection reports from two authorities. Results showed that educational leadership's role in change management drives outstanding academic performance according to the BSO and DSIB inspection reports, with the need to improve the theoretical aspect, and this role reached a high degree from teachers’ perspectives with no apparent differences in the averages of their responses according to the question variables. Furthermore, leaders’ perspectives on how to overcome change management challenges were effective, and the previous studies used have revealed some success factors for change management and uncovered certain gaps. This study provides theoretical and educational implications by demonstrating the positive impact of employing change management models in schools and specifying the role of educational leadership in change management to improve the quality of education. Furthermore, the research provides a social implication as it demonstrates the effectiveness of teamwork in improving education quality. This study enriches the theoretical growth of change management and its practice by Dubai’s school leaders, serving as a valuable resource for those seeking speedy growth through effective change management, where research in this area is limited. Additionally, this research combines three change management models, including Kotter, Lewin, and the ADKAR models.