Dissertations for International Management and Policy (IMP)
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Item Achievement in Taught Modules as a Predictor of Subsequent Behaviour of Project Management Masters Students in The British University in Dubai(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2012-04) Uchil, NandiniA review of literature demonstrates that there are several studies on different aspects of higher education including progression patterns, achievement, completion and predictors of academic success. In this study, the researcher investigates the influence of student performance in the taught modules in the MSc Project Management (MPM) programme on the second stage of the programme, the dissertation component. Further, the researcher investigates the correlation between the taught modules overall grade and the time taken to complete the dissertation. That is, whether a good overall performance in the taught modules leads to timely completion of the dissertation and thus the programme itself, or vice versa. This study is important as completion rates seem to be an issue in higher education and, specifically in the MPM programme in The British University in Dubai. Quantitative research methods are used for analysis of data collected from the University records/archives, and descriptive and inferential analyses are used to interpret the data. An independent t-test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient tests were used to test the two-tailed hypotheses. Findings show that performance in the first part of the programme (taught modules) is neither a predictor of subsequent behavior in terms of programme completion nor does it have a bearing on the time taken to complete the second stage (dissertation). This indicates that the taught modules do not necessarily add value to the students’ learning and does not prepare them to handle the rigors of dissertation work. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations are made to the policy makers to enhance the structure of the programme which could lead to higher completion rates.Item An Analysis of the relationship between Library Use and Student's Achievement at a Master Level(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2012-05) Leonen, MarisolThis study was conducted on student’s achievement in the use of library resources at a Master’s level. The overall grade point average and the number of books check-out was collected for students who graduated from 2009 to 2010 was the main instrument for identifying the relationship of borrowing of books with their final grade. To supplement the findings, an online library questionnaire was distributed to students currently registered for Semester 1 of Academic year 2011/12 and 135 were returned. This study was carried out to determine how borrowing of books will have an impact to student achievement performance for students at a Master level. In addition, the result will serve as an assessment of library usage to demonstrate effective management and leadership practices that will result in continuous improvement with an increasing use of resources and services.Item Analyzing the Industrial Internship Training Practices at the Institute of Applied Technology: In affiliation with the three stakeholders: students, institute and industries(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2012-04) Rodrigues, Gilda MinnetteThis study aims at giving prominence to the Industrial Internship Program at the Institute of Applied Technology, in the United Arab Emirates, for grade 11 students, who graduate in one of the Engineering Science, Electrical Engineering, Automation & Mechatronics or Information & Computer Technology clusters. There are three stake holders involved in this research: the students undergoing the Internship, the Institute catering to the program and the Industries hosting and providing the internship. This study is centered around the perspectives of these three stakeholders. The research investigates if the following aims of the program are met: a. to gain work experience and work ethics b. to put to practice what they learn at school. c. to foster close and cooperative relationships with the community, industry, commerce, and the government. This research also highlights the role played by potential businesses in making the internship experience a success. The data required for this research was collected from students and all company supervisors during the internship period, through questionnaires and interviews. The data was then analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). This study will help the three stakeholders in enhancing the Industrial Internship Training effectiveness in the near future.Item Application of youth leadership development curriculum in public secondary schools in UAE: an investigative study(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2012-03) Al Hammoudi, Aisha Saeed AliThis research aims to examine the existence or non-existence of a youth leadership development curriculum in the government secondary schools in the UAE, together with the ability or inability of these schools to prepare students for the reality of today's world and the requirements of the workforce in the twenty-first century. Moreover, the research seeks to clarify the skills and competences that should be targeted by the public secondary schools in order to develop the potentials and abilities of the youth. Simultaneously, and at a parallel line, the research focuses on the main foundations in the UAE that specialize in youth leadership development. The aim here is to assess their current role in preparing youth, and the possible role of these foundations in relation to filling the gap as youth leadership development providers to the ministry of education in UAE in any future leadership training. The tools used for gathering information for the research consisted of interviews, questionnaires, and reviews of documents. The findings of the research indicate the absence of youth leadership curriculum applied in the public secondary schools of the UAE; two different perspectives relating to the adequate preparation of students in the UAE public secondary schools for their future roles; and consensus between the participants of all categories on a group of 10 skills to be learned in the public schools due to their importance in preparing students for a fruitful life and successful workforce. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to highlight the benefits and advantages of the application of the youth leadership curriculum in the UAE public secondary schools, together with a suggested set of methods for the actual process of application of this curriculum.Item Applying School-Based Management in UAE Governmental Schools(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2011-04) Hussein, Mohamed FathiThis action research explores the ability of applying SBM in UAE governmental schools. The research also sought to identify the advantages and disadvantages of SBM when implemented in UAE context. A detailed study of the obtainable means of successful implementation, along with identifying the potential causes of failure to be avoided was offer throughout the literature review. The research collected data through questionnaires administered to parents, administrators, and teachers of model and governmental schools of Abu Dhabi main city. Results suggest acceptance from different parties involved in SBM implementation providing that (a) there would be several pre-implementation professional development courses for involved parents, administrators, and teachers participating in the new school governance system. In addition, (b) the implementation process to be segmented over several years under continuous supervision form the central office of the MOE/ ADEC in the preliminary phase of implementation.Item Are They Making A Difference ?(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2008-06) Younes, Basema .M.The focus of this study is about how UAE women could manage to achieve education and occupy leading positions . I started my research looking at early times when unity era commenced and females were able to enroll in schools by support from their families and government. This start was the way for the other generations of girls to continue in higher education and make the difference. The introductory chapter about the history of education in the UAE , shows how females were allowed to get education since the period of “Mutawwa”. At that time, Islamic regulations and teachings that grants females their rights were obeyed ,so older females used to teach the smaller ones the Quran in parallel with male “Mutawa” who taught boys. Later periods , show how education was still an important issue and how supporting this virtue made the country become vastly advanced .The idea of investing in the largest number of population formed of females and granting them higher education allowed the UAE step to the future with a dependent national workforce . Each of the ten case studies in this paper , presented the facts of how UAE women become successful through ten selective personalities talking about their lives in their own words .Case studies were always a reliable way to explore facts and lives .As UAE is known to be a conservative community that may not allow others to seek internal information ,but through this study and interviews , others may learn that the UAE advancement is made by such people who know what can their experiences support and how can talking about their past enhance females achievements . These case studies also support focusing on the importance of education to make the difference. In these case studies readers will find out how women’s success could happen by granting them education with liberal thinking and the help of different relations around 2 them .It can happen if women were also eager to bear any difficult surrounding circumstances and one of them is risking being left alone without The concluding chapter of my study , discusses main and minor variables that enhanced females success . They also focused on how females used equity granted to them in the constitution to seek higher education and look at future as their aim for success and leading positions , although this prevented them from many important social rights .Item A Contribution to Cummin’s Thresholds Theory: The Madaras Al Ghad Program(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2011-01) Layman, Helen M.Since its implementation in 2007, the MAG schools (Madares Al Ghad – Schools of the Future) as a bilingual education program has not been evaluated. This study sought to answer two main questions to evaluate the MAG program: (1) Is there a significant difference in the achievement of MAG students after three years of implementation of the program compared to MOE students in math and English? (2) Is there a significant difference in the achievement of boys and girls within the MAG program and compared to boys and girls in the MOE program? The study utilized a fixed methods approach to gain quantitative data using internal Ministry of Education math and English tests in a quasi-experiment to compare student outcomes on the exams. The results of the study revealed that while the students in the MAG program scored better than their MOE counterparts in English, the outcomes of the math test for the MOE students were greater. The study concludes by recommending future research into the types of bilingual education available in the UAE and their impact on student achievement in addition to studies into student outcomes of the MAG program in Arabic to learn if their mother tongue is developing to such a degree as to support academic success.Item Correlation between Four Variables and University Achievement(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2011-05) Al Barazi, RayyaThe purpose of this study is to investigate if there is a relationship between four independent variables namely: students’ high school curriculum, gender, mother tongue language and nationality, with the dependent variable which is academic achievement measured and limited to grade point average (GPA). The field of study is the American University in Dubai (AUD) at which the author works. This is, hence, a convenience sample whereby data is obtained from the Registrar’s Office and the Admission’s Office. Two freshman cohorts from the academic years 2006- 2007, and 2007- 2008 were studied. Transient students were excluded in order to eliminate the influence of university experience factor. The sample size is 729 students which can be considered numerically meaningful for a correlational study. Results can, therefore, be generalized to the AUD campus level and probably to other UAE universities. The study can also be considered significant as American education has become more common in the Middle East recently. The study aims to answer four research questions: 1) Does students’ high school curricula type influence their academic achievement measured by GPA at the American University in Dubai? 2) Does academic attainment vary with gender? 3) Do English native speakers outperform non- English native speakers? 4) Does achievement vary with the different national groups studied in the AUD sample? Results were obtained by using SPSS for windows. For descriptive analysis means and standard deviations were used to study each variable. Means were computed at 95% confidence interval. Alpha was computed in order to ensure internal validity and significance of findings. For inferential analysis Post Hoc multiple comparisons were used in order to compare the different variables. One- way ANOVAs were used to investigate the differences between these variables in terms of GPA. Results reveal the following findings: 1) Students coming from Indian curriculum high schools have significantly the highest mean GPA, followed by British, then UAE, and finally American curriculum high school students. 2) Females are found to be significantly better academic achievers than males. 3) Hindi/ Urdu mother tongue language speakers outperformed Arabic, English, Farsi and Russian native speakers. English native speakers are not necessarily better achievers than non- English native speakers. 4) There are significant differences in academic performance among the 12 nationalities studied. Indians have significantly the highest mean GPA followed by Pakistani and then Syrians. It was concluded that variations in achievement along the four variables studied are not merely due to curriculum type, gender, student’s nationality or passport per se, or their native language, but rather to the cultural and social factors that include aspects like parental involvement and expectations. For future research of this sort, it is recommended 1) to administer a survey that can further validate the findings, 2) to study gender achievement along the various academic programs offered, 3) to investigate how many female students earn a degree compared to males, and 4) to look at TOEFL scores upon enrollment and compare them with GPA in order to highlight relationships between language proficiency and achievement.Item Data-Driven Decision-Making: How is data used for decision-making in public schools in Dubai?(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2009-02) Yilmaz, OzgeThe word data means factual information such as measurements or statistics that are used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation. Therefore, just as the term implies, data-driven decision making is the process of making data informed decisions. Data is very important in education because statistical data on school programs and student performance provide educators with the only real evidence of the success or failure of educational programs. Data identifies the link between teaching and student performance so that high achievement levels can be obtained (Wade, 2001). This paper seeks to clarify which multiple types of data are being used in the public schools in the Unites Arab Emirates. This paper primarily focuses on the understanding of educators in using multiple types of data in the public schools in the UAE and how much and how well they gather and use data in schools. This paper is divided into three sections. Section 1 describes what data-driven decision making is, including its origins, its implementation in education and an overview of existing literature. Section two draws attention to the answers the research questions by evaluating data-driven decision-making in the two chosen schools. The last section is about recommendations for those schools. This paper addresses four fundamental research questions: • What types of data are administrators and teachers using? • How are administrators and teachers using these data? • What kind of support is available to help with data use? • What factors influence the use of data for decision making?Item Do Private Schools in Abu Dhabi UAE foster critical thinking as one of the main objectives of education?(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2015-02) SAAD, GEORGE JEANCritical thinking is the process of determining the meaningfulness, accuracy, value of information and authenticity which raise the likelihood of reaching desired goals as recognized by the thinker. The aim of the present study is to identify and analyze the teaching methods and strategies used by teachers of private schools in Abu Dhabi UAE to enhance critical thinking skills among students. The current study adopted quantitative and cross sectional study design, where the study population targeted on both teachers and students (4th Graders, 5th Graders and University students) from an Al Najah Private School in Abu Dhabi UAE to identify how training was provided for teachers to foster critical thinking. In previous studies the importance of critical thinking with respect to private schools is lacking, thus the present study fills this gap by exploring the critical thinking among the students and teachers. The findings of this study explore the critical thinking pattern existing among the students and teachers. The teaching strategies followed by the teachers enhancing critical thinking skills among students. In addition, the teacher’s teaching strategies and students learning methods has a positive relationship and teacher’s teaching strategies increases students learning methods would likely to increase. The role of critical thinking skills in schools plays a major role in students learning methods. The study concluded that the teacher’s critical thinking in schools is essential in education institutions.Item Do Public Schools in UAE foster critical thinking as one of the main objectives of education?(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2008-06) Thabet, RoeiaThe goal of incorporating critical thinking process in students is to develop individuals who value knowledge and learning, who can think for themselves, evaluate every piece of information, and to contribute in building a thoughtful society. Modern education has focused on fostering critical thinking and cognitive thinking in students, believing that thinking is the key and the core of education to develop intellectual and insightful people that can contribute positively in their life and their society. Applying critical and cognitive thinking techniques is a complicated process. Students can not acquire them by themselves; on the contrary they should be taught in schools, step by step, in order eventually to become part of their own life style. A study was conducted in one Public Model School. Different types of research methodologies were used such as questionnaires, interviews and observations in order to gather data related to the research question, as to whether Public Schools are applying critical thinking strategies in teaching. Results obtained from the study, concentrated on the teachers actual teaching practices in the classrooms and analyzed students reactions and their point of views in regard to those practices. This dissertation is not intended to criticize teachers and school practices. It is intended to serve the enhancement of intelligent behavior as a legitimate goal of education and to invite critical assessment of existing school practices to the contribution to students’ instinctual growth and to foster critical and cognitive thinking in teaching strategies.Item EdPERF: The development of an instrument to measure perceived service quality in secondary schools(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2007-05) Saayman, CorleaPrivate education has become a profitable business. But, profitability can only be achieved if the perceived service quality is acceptable to customers who, in the case of schools, are students and parents. Service quality in schools emphasizes the need for management to identify and improve service delivery continuously. This study developed a protocol (EdPERF) for determining quality service provision in schools. It drew on best practice from accreditation instruments of leading international school accrediting agencies. EdPERF measures the quality of service delivery in schools by analyzing customer perception in four key areas: School Leadership, Academic Success, Non Academic Aspects and Support Services The purpose of EdPERF is to help school managers identify areas in which customers are not satisfied with the service they currently receive. Establishing methods to improve this quality enables school managers to achieve a competitive advantage and build customer satisfaction. Results obtained from private schools and the conclusions drawn were shared with the Principals. Their subjective opinions on the level of validity were used to assess the effectiveness and reliability of the instrument. The Principals concurred that the protocol had indeed identified areas which they too had observed. The author is proposing an industry specific instrument that identifies areas of satisfaction/dissatisfaction as perceived by parents and students, and validated by school managers.Item The effect of Learner Autonomy on student performance in GCSE Mathematics in a private school in Dubai, U.A.E.(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2012-03) Dundon, PatrickThe teaching, learning and assessment of Mathematics has become a cause of concern from educational stakeholders the world over. One of the main causes of concern is that student’s around the globe are underperforming in Mathematics assessments. According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Mathematics assessment in 2009, just 30.7% of participating countries were above the international benchmark mean expectation. One of the roots of this underperformance in mathematics is based on students’ maths anxiety, which is akin to an unwanted feeling by students towards mathematical problems. A possible method of reducing students’ maths anxiety is for them to become more autonomous with their own learning and have a higher sense of self efficacy. Learner autonomy is a concept mainly found in an ELT context, and at its core were concepts that could be applicable to a mathematics context. The impact of learner autonomy on student’s performance in a GCSE Mathematics exam was investigated in this study. The study took place in a private school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates over a four month period. Students participated in Yellis assessment at the beginning of Grade 10 that predicted their performance in their GCSE examinations. Data collected in this study was a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data, gathered from three questionnaires given to the participants. Additionally a statistical analysis was undertaken comparing Yellis baseline predictions, students own predictions and actual GCSE performance. The findings suggest that improved autonomous learning by students improved their performance in GCSE Mathematics. The students had become more reflective on their own learning, set realistic targets for themselves, could identify different learning strategies and became more responsible for their learning. The findings also showed that students own predictions were closer to actual performance than the Yellis baseline predictions. The study recommends that core aspects of learner autonomy be implemented into a learners’ educational life earlier and the need for a student centred curriculum be implemented, similar to the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) currently in existence. The study also recommends the further investigation into the role of teacher autonomy impacting on learner autonomy.Item Effective Principalship Practice in the United Arab Emirates(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2010-05) Fankhauser, Karin ZaninThe purpose of this study was to examine “effective Principalship practice in the UAE”. There are several factors that influence managerial approaches positively. This study focused on the relationship between Principals and their team members. The aim was to detect aspects that assist successful Principalship and to assess whether or not cultural backgrounds of the Principals have an impact on which elements are relevant for effective leadership. A mixed methodological approach was chosen. Study of literature reviews and statistical data, a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and observation of body language were employed, subsequently analysed and triangulated in order to provide reliable and valid data. The analysis of results indicated that both Principals were perceived as effective managers by their staffs. However, the managerial approaches of the two leaders revealed significant differences. These variations could be directly associated with societal norms of the two individuals. On that basis the study derived seven core Principalship characteristics that should be taken into consideration when hiring Principals for either public local or private international schools in the UAE. In addition, the paper explained its limitations and outlined further research suggestions.Item Emirati Career Conceptualisations: Vision 2021, The Knowledge Economy, And Education in the United Arab Emirates A Perspective(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2010-05) Kotarski, Joseph M.The government of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) has established the Vision 2021 plan. The plan outlines the type of employment that Nationals are expected to engage in, which is knowledge based. The ability of education to ready Nationals for knowledge-based employment is investigated by analysing the current landscape of education in the Emirates. The perceptions of stakeholder attitudes, employment engagement factors and the pressures Emiratis face living in a transnational society are analysed to better understand areas that contribute to the labour market imbalances the country currently is experiencing. The methodology employed for the empirical aspect of the study, creative visual research, uncovers Emirati (aged 17-20) conceptualisations about their future career expectations. The findings suggest that young Emiratis identified success with the amount of effort put into their education and careers, but lack a clear understanding of the difference between the public and private sectors, and government policies such as Emiratisation and Vision 2021. Moreover, their salary expectations are high and a mentality exists among the study’s participants in regards to engaging in the private sector as investors, opposed to job seeking individuals. The findings also suggest that perhaps the media and policy makers pay too much attention to Emiratis who are not in dire needs of employment and there is a need for further investigation into Emirati socio-economic class distinction. The study recommends the implementation of citizenship education, incentives and disincentives for federal education, and further development of alternatives to university such as vocational training.Item Emirati Female Principals and Vice Principals in Public Schools in Dubai: Personality, Leadership Style and Mentorship(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2011-05) Mohammed, Nayela Mohammed Noor TalibThis study was conducted on female Emirati principals and their vice principals. The focus of this study was on the factors that might be associated with leadership of principals and vice principals in Dubai female public schools. A questionnaire was distributed on the sample. After they were collected, the findings were analyzed by using ANOVA, Correlations and Chi square. The ANOVA results showed age and personality was related to the sample's educational leadership. The correlations results exhibited that personality correlated with more than one factor (like experience, leadership style and position). In addition, this research also focused on leadership styles and concluded that Transformational leadership style was dominant among the participants. Moreover, the participants of this study exhibited both masculine and feminine traits, and most of them spent little time in their offices. This study also explored the difficulties faced by the sample; it discussed also the characteristics of effective leaders. Finally, the recommendations focused on the suggestion of implementing mentorship for the participants, due to the fact that the sample lacked mentorship, and this could affect the way they do their jobs positively.Item Emirati Student Voice: An Exploration(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2006-09) Kenaid, Kaltham SalemThis study set out to explore student voice. The aim of this study was to capture student voice and identify how students contributed to school decision making. Research was conducted in three Dubai secondary government schools for girls. The research questions that guided the study are: 1) How do students express their views and opinions in school? 2) How do students perceive their role in school decision making? Qualitative research methods were used to answer the research questions which included focus group of students, individual interviews of school staff, and visual images. A school as community model formulated provided the theoretical framework for interpreting the data. This conceptual framework helped in examining student voice and the relationship between the students and the adults in school. The findings of the present study reveal that student do not contribute to school decision making. They also depicted how the participants view their relationship with each other. Three areas were identified that influence the student voice: governance, culture of care and agency. Recommendations, which were built on the findings, are addressed to educators to consider students as partners in their own education and not the object of it. Additional areas are suggested for future researchItem English Proficiency as a Predictor of Academic Performance of Project Management Postgraduate Students in UAE(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2009-06) Maamoun, Ghada SamiThis research investigated the correlation between English language proficiency and academic performance of postgraduate project management students. Data were collected from the electronic students’ record, students' questionnaire and professors' interviews. Results showed a significant positive correlation between English proficiency and academic performance for all participants, female participants and for non-native participants. Other significant positive correlations were for Iranian students and another group of other languages but these to results must be dealt with cautious as the population samples were very small to be considered. The interview and questionnaire confirmed the direct relation between English and academic performance. They also identified other factors that may have a relation with the academic performance such as attendance and attitude toward learning. Other areas were also explored through the interview such as academic support program. The study provided recommendations. The significant one was regarding reprocessing the academic support program. Further studies were also suggested to have an insight to the areas of need for future investigations from the point of view of the researcher.Item 'Eternobee' developing the twofold purpose of education; Curriculum analysis(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2012-02) Kamali, LewaThis paper introduces the purpose of education in an innovated form, it explains that education should focus on twofold purpose, and to develop that purpose a textbook named 'Eternobee' has been proposed initiatively in this study. But to understand what the twofold purpose means, the paper first outlines the meaning of spirituality and the importance of spiritual development in students. Then it moves to explain the purpose of education as a purpose with two folds; one fold is the personal spiritual and intellectual development, and the other fold is the social transforming, which both folds should be developed parallel if we aim to bring change and build a better world or as it has been called in this paper the 'new world civilization'. To show the importance of working on the two folds, the paper briefly reviews the approaches of two places – England and Dubai - that has been taken positive movements towards personal and social development of students at schools. In addition, a curriculum analysis has been applied in this paper, comparing the contents of Eternobee with the objectives of 'the schools' inspection handbook' of Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) for the academic year 2011-2012, and with 'the evaluation schedule for the inspection of maintained schools and academies' of Office for Standards in Education, Student's Services and Skills (Ofsted) for January 2012, to assess the three components in terms of personal and social development, and to evaluate how Eternobee has the potential to enhance the twofold purpose of education in students.Item Evaluating Textbook Questions and Classroom Instructional Questionsfor Grade 6 Science in a Private School in Dubai based on the Revised Bloom‟s Taxonomy(The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2014-07) Khreibi, Rima AbouThis study attempted to analyse Grade 6 Science textbook and classroom instruction questions. The textbook and instructional questions were analysed using the Revised Bloom‟s Taxonomy to ascertain the type of cognitive process and knowledge that is being taught in a Grade 6 Sciencecurriculum in a private international school in Dubai, U.A.E. Since questions play an important role in critical and creative thinking it is important to investigate the levels of questions used in the textbook and during instruction to determine the level of higher order thinking and critical thinking being taught in schools. The research used a qualitative approach of textbook analysis using the Revised Bloom‟s Taxonomy where questions were tallied and analysed according to the appropriate cognitive dimension and knowledge dimension. Based on the results, it was found that lower order thinking questions are more commonly found both in the textbook and during instructions than higher order thinking questions. Furthermore, questions in the textbook emphasized “Remember” process, while instructional questions emphasized the “Understand” cognitive process. The most common knowledge dimension in both textbook and instructional process is the “Conceptual” knowledge. Based on this study‟s findings it is recommended that textbook writers and educators include more higher order questions within curriculum and pedagogy to help improve critical thinking among learners.