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Higher Education Stakeholders’ Perceptions and Applications of Education for Sustainable Development Towards STEM Education in the UAE
No full textIn recent years, the UAE has emerged as a thriving hub for higher education, attracting global students and academics. Recognizing the importance of sustainability and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in shaping its future, UAE universities actively promote ESD within STEM education. Understanding perceptions and applications of ESD in UAE higher education is crucial in the rapidly evolving 21st-century landscape. Accordingly, this study investigates how UAE higher education stakeholders, including instructors and students, perceive and implement ESD with a focus on STEM education through: (1) Investigating stakeholders' perceptions of ESD in UAE universities' STEM education, (2) Investigating demographic differences in stakeholders' perceptions of ESD in UAE universities' STEM education, (3) Exploring stakeholders' applications of ESD in UAE universities' STEM education, and (4) Explaining the contextual factors influencing stakeholders' engagement in ESD-STEM activities in UAE universities. Various educational theories such as Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory, cognitive constructivist theory, theory of change, transformative learning theory, education for sustainable human development theory, and competency-based education model were considered. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed method design, including questionnaires for 200 higher education instructors and 501 students, interviews with both instructors and students, and document analysis of nine participating HEIs. The findings indicate that UAE HEI stakeholders possess knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to ESD in STEM education, with perceptions increasing with experience and involvement in STEM subjects. Several applications and initiatives within HEIs were identified to promote ESD in STEM education, along with contextual factors suggested for enhancing engagement and guiding policymakers toward a unified ESD-STEM education policy in UAE HEIs
Key words: Higher Education Stakeholders, STEM education, ESD, Sustainability, Contextual Factor
Critically Describing the Effectiveness of Antibullying Interventions Used at Schools
No full textThis open access book presents contributions on a wide range of scientific areas originating from the BUiD Doctoral Research Conference (BDRC 2023)Bullying at schools has been among the public concerns that prevailed as it causes many negative consequences, including poor academic performance, poor physical and mental health, in addition to suicidal or criminal acts.
Purpose- To critically describe the effectiveness of the antibullying interventions at schools.
Methodology- A descriptive qualitative study that was conducted utilizing a critical review of literature. The study has utilized the available electronic database. References were mainly chosen among the ones published in the last five years; special consideration was given to studies conducted in UAE.
Findings- Several programs were developed and implemented to manage bullying. Interventions entailed constructing strict anti-bullying school policies, and utilized various involvement levels; being whole school, or one group such as parents, teachers or students. Many interventions were rooted in sociocultural theories to enhance resilience and positive behaviour development among students. Antibullying interventions in the UAE were mostly targeting awareness with compromised measurement of effectiveness.
Implications- Identifying the best antibullying interventions may contribute to increasing awareness among stakeholders, and thus facilitate decisions that may inform the policy making pertinent to managing bullying at schools in the UAE.
Originality/ value- Limited number of studies were conducted in the UAE
Strategic Alignment to Net-zero Green Building Construction: Evaluating UAE Laws and Proposing International Benchmarks
No full textThis dissertation explored the legal frameworks, regulations, and standards governing net-zero green building construction with a particular emphasis on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Employing a comparative analysis, the study encompassed both international and regional laws, regulations, and standards from the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) where relevant. In the UAE, attention is directed towards the Federal Environmental Law, Federal Civil Transactions Law, Administrative Resolutions, governmental policies, the Al Sa'fat regulations, and the Estidama rating system. In the UK, the exploration encompassed the Building Act 1984, Building Regulations 2010, Code for Sustainable Homes, and the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). On the other hand, the US search included the California Green Building Standard Code, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), International Green Construction Code (IgCC), and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The research findings highlighted the importance of the enforcement mechanism including issuing green construction-related laws and standards, and defining the non-compliance criteria and consequences. Moreover, the technical aspects addressed in this research within the fields of engineering and environment revealed limitations in existing standards, particularly in CO2 emission compliance urging the need for more robust and comprehensive guidelines. Recommendations include strengthening regulations, revising environmental laws, and adding provisions to the Civil Transactions Law. Further, the importance of a dedicated budget and employing green development strategies are stressed, proposing the enhancement of financial incentives and training programmes to encourage compliance with green construction standards. Overall, the dissertation advocates for a more integrated approach to enhance the legal framework to reach net-zero emissions in the construction sector in the UAE
The Role of Technology in Shaping Education Leadership and Policy-Making For Abu Dhabi Private Schools
No full textThe study 'The Role of Technology in Shaping Education Leadership and Policy-Making for Abu Dhabi Private School' reveals that with the increasing incorporation of digital tools in education, technology is revolutionizing the way leaders make well-versed decisions, involve stakeholders, and allocate resources. The study explores the way emerging technologies that include data analytics, e-learning tools, and digital communication platforms contribute to the development of education policies, policymakers, stakeholders, and nurture cooperation between stakeholders, policymakers, and educators. The research employed a mixed method that combines quantitative data from a survey session and qualitative viewpoints from in-depth interviews. It is obtained that the study sample involves 30 survey respondents along with four interview participants (Two educational leaders and two policymakers). The statistical tools that include SPSS were utilized to evaluate the quantitative data, and at the same time, thematic evaluation was implemented for the purpose of interpreting qualitative outcomes. The study also addressed noteworthy issues that include infrastructure limitations, the requirement for constant professional development and the digital divide to make sure policymakers and educators can completely leverage the potential of technology. At the same time, most of the respondents address the advantages of technology, and some express concerns based on the adequacy and accessibility of training offered to education leaders. The study concludes that technology noteworthily enhances decision-making, shareholder cooperation, and policy formulation; its accomplishment relies on identifying the associated issues. This dissertation contributes to understanding the changing role of technology in education and provides suggestions for its efficient incorporation
A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Currency on Socio-cultural Identity
No full textThis open access book presents contributions on a wide range of scientific areas originating from the BUiD Doctoral Research Conference (BDRC 2023)The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between currency and the socio-cultural identity of a people. The research sought to investigate the phenomenon by examining how a particular community considers currency as an important tenet of their identity.
The methodology of the research was qualitative in nature considering its ethnographic premise – culture. To this extent, the research developed an interview schedule and used this to collect data from targeted participants on their perceptions regarding the impact of currency on their culture.
The findings of the research were that currency is directly related to culture and strongly impacts the cultural identity of a people. The respondents to the interview agreed that the currency they use is a depiction of their culture and strength and they shared a lot of confidence on the currency as a cultural facet.
The implications of the research including fostering the deeper understanding of the role of money in the socio-cultural setting as a multiplier of cultural identity and enthusiasm apart from the common attributes of money.
The current study is original in nature in the sense that, while there are numerous researches already conducted about money and the society, the impact of the same in the socio-cultural domain remains unstudied. This qualitative research will highlight the gap and seek to cover it in a step to open up a new dimension of study of the subject of money and society
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Sustainability: The Case of UAE Smart Cities
No full textThis open access book presents contributions on a wide range of scientific areas originating from the BUiD Doctoral Research Conference (BDRC 2023)The purpose of this research was to study the case of the UAE smart cities with specific focus on how artificial intelligence (AI) was used in enhancing the achievement of sustainability in the UAE. The research narrowed down to investigate sustainability from the lens of the socio-economic sustainable development goals of the UAE as per the UN sustainable goals objectives 2015.
The research adopted a quantitative methodological framework to rigorously examine the subject matter above. A survey was developed and distributed to 300 practitioners in AI, smart cities, and sustainable development programs across the UAE (mainly, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah). The research noted that environmental factors of AI application in UAE smart cities such as infrastructure readiness, stakeholder readiness and regulatory environment, strongly impacted the smart cities development in the UAE which in turn led to the attainment of socio-economic sustainable development goals. Implicatively, the research suggests the need for the development of a strategic roadmap for the adoption, usage, and implementation of AI in UAE smart cities to facilitate socio-economic sustainability through achievement of socio-economic sustainable development goals. The research novelty lies in bridging the paucity in literature regarding the use of AI in smart cities and its role in promoting sustainability; by establishing the connection between AI, smart cities and socio-economic sustainable development goals
The Integration of Agile Methodology in the Development of Software Project
No full textThroughout the last century, agile methodologies approaches have developed as a key fresh perspective of planning and implementing project activities. Agile proponents have produced a number of assertions regarding the advantages of agile approaches, such as increased group productivity and effectiveness, improved software reliability, and business effectiveness. Although latest evidence on the usage of agile methods has yielded promising findings, a variety of other agile process proponents' prescriptive assertions have yet to be validated.
It has long been believed that software development processes are influenced by ecological and other variables. This implies that the effectiveness of a software production methodology is determined by relationships among the atmosphere's characteristics and the production product's characteristics. Conventional software techniques have been impossible to generate high standard of quality of implementation, especially with a relatively large starting expenditure, according to agile proponents, since the software development life cycle is fundamentally unpredictable and experimental. However, agile proponents say that the software creation methodology is much closer like to that of a fresh technology design approach than it is to that of a design phase. Agile approaches, as a result, have incorporated methods, approaches, and accompanying technology that are supposed to improve production performance. Nevertheless, as discussed in Chapter 2, a large number of agile methodologies' prescriptive claims have not yet been analyzed, and the approaches themselves depict only partially homogeneous results.
The findings reveal that the amount to which agile methods are used has a beneficial impact on project performance. Project management measures, product attributes, and anticipated economic implications all had substantial implications on expected successful project views. On the other side, the influence of the amount to which the agile technique is used on project management success characteristics was demonstrated to be nonlinear. Whereas the benefits of agile usage were typically favorable, the gradient of the impact had previously been significantly reduced at the average. drastically growing once more The use of the agile technique has proven to be beneficial in the development of a software project. The findings revealed that, in most models, the implementation of agile methods has a positive influence on project success; nevertheless, the benefits were diverse. The use of agile impact has a regular favorable direct influence on the Quality element. In many scenarios, greater quality was associated to higher levels of agile approach adoption, however the effects were not linear. While the use of agile methodologies was consistently high, the consequences were complex, with some good and negative effects happening within each paradigm. In the architectural difficulty assessments, all impacts were significant and in the predicted pattern. In the methodological difficulties scenarios, the impact on expenditure was non-significant, the impact on schedule was varied in orientation, and the result on breadth was as expected. Eventually, the dynamic analysis is shown, had a considerable, but reversed, impact on the budget outcome, while the implication on time and scope results was as anticipated
UAE Parents’ Awareness of the Importance of Programming to Primary Students, and Their Perspectives Towards It: A Quantitative Study
No full textThis open access book presents contributions on a wide range of scientific areas originating from the BUiD Doctoral Research Conference (BDRC 2023)Purpose: Highlight programming's importance and explore parental views on its inclusion in UAE primary schools.
Methodology: Employing a quantitative approach, the study surveyed 499 UAE parents with primary school children. Their perspectives on programming and their children's attitudes towards it were gauged.
Findings: UAE's primary school programming education needs reform, necessitating enhanced parental and student awareness.
Implications: Educational policymakers should prioritize programming as a core subject, backed by this study. It adds to the literature on programming's value, highlighting parental awareness's impact on student attitudes.
Originality/Value: This research contributes practical and academic insights, guiding potential expansion. Educational leaders, especially in primary schools, can use these findings to improve programming education
Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing Implementation in the Automotive After-Sales Service Sector Using the Six Sigma DMAIC Approach
No full textThis research explores how Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) is applied in the automotive after-sales services operating within a service centre located in Dubai, UAE. It also aims to solve the inefficiencies of allocation using conventional costing methods which do not reflect true service, as well as the general overhead costs in this industry. Through a Six Sigma Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) methodology, this study offers a structured way of dealing with TDABC implementation. The research design entailed collecting detailed information on service activities and time and resource consumption, thereby devising an enhanced costing model. The major results show that TDABC has significant improvements insofar as the accuracy of costs is concerned when compared to conventional methods. As such, pricing strategies have become more precise due to the introduction of TDABC, while there has been better management of resources, leading to increased profitability. In summary, this research illustrates that TDABC can be integrated into Six Sigma's DMAIC process to not only enhance cost transparency but also to improve the operational effectiveness. This study offers valuable knowledge for car service shops looking to maximise their management of costs and profits from service delivery
An Assessment of the Implementation of Forest Curriculum in a Private School in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
No full textThis study determines the effectiveness of the implementation of the forest curriculum in a private pre-school in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This dissertation aims to evaluate the positive impact of nature-based learning in private pre-schools, to determine the challenges of implementation, and to propose effective implementation strategies with regard to the forest curriculum. Employing a mixed-methods approach, quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire distributed to a cohort of 42 teachers. Additionally, qualitative data were gathered through an interview with the principal of the school to provide insights into the lived experiences of the participants. This study contributes valuable insights to the field of curriculum evaluation, offering a holistic understanding of the impact of the forest curriculum on students. In addition, with the UAE moving towards sustainability, there has come a need to support nature curricula, which are represented by forest schools. Forest schools can have a positive impact on the environment and on sustainability by fostering a deep connection with nature, promoting environmental awareness, instilling sustainable practices, and contributing to the overall well-being of individuals and communities. The research findings underscore the importance of curriculum alignment with 21st-century skills and the need for ongoing professional development to support educators in navigating integrated forest school approaches. Further research involving a larger and more diverse sample is recommended to confirm and extend these initial results. The implications with regard to integrating the forest curriculum in government schools should be discussed