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Exploring the Development of Reflective Practice for School-Based Improvement in the Context of the Arab Region: The Case of the TAMAM Project in Light of Korthagen’s Model
No full textProject. M.A. American University of Beirut. Department of Education, 2025.Reflective practice is essential to teachers at every stage of their career. The search
conducted for this study revealed that there is an abundance of reflection models in the
literature. The majority of the reflection models focus on the cognitive aspects of
reflection and on learning from experience, and this is considered insufficient according
to research ( Campbell & Ceau, 2023). The search also uncovered the uniqueness of the
Korthagen’s core reflection model and its effect on teacher development after this
study reviewed five major reflection models by Dewey ( 1933), Van Manen (1977),
Kolb (1984), Schon (1985) Larrivee (2008) and compared them to Korthagen’s model.
Unlike the other models, Korthagen argues that reflection is not only a cognitive matter
and goes to a meta-cognitive level by taking the teacher’s core qualities as a starting
point for reflection. Based on the search and the comparison, this study adopted
Korthagen’s model as a framework. The focus of the study is on strategies that enhance
the transformative impact of reflective practice within the context of school
improvement in the Arab region. This study is situated in the TAMAM project that is
a research and development lab housed in AUB and works with a wide network of
schools in the Arab region. TAMAM adopts reflective practice as a research-based
program for building leadership capacity to implement school-based
improvement. Guided by Korthagen’s core reflection model, this study sought to
examine TAMAM’s capacity building model while focusing on the strategies followed
to build reflective practice as a basic competency for school-based improvement. It also
sought to expand the capacity building pertaining to reflective practice to encompass the
additional dimensions brought forth by Korthagen core reflection model. This study
followed an action research methodology. This study recognized the broader scope of
employing reflection in TAMAM’s CBP than that in Korthagen’s model since reflective
practice in the CBP does not only deepen the team members’ understanding of their
journey but also contributes to the broader goal of the TAMAM Capacity Building
Program (CBP) which is building their leadership capacity. The analyzed data in this
study highlighted that the only aspect that is not addressed in the TAMAM CBP is taking
the core qualities into consideration in the practice of reflection, an approach highly
supported by the literature. A suggested module that will enable to identify teachers’ core
qualities and to align them with their actions and practices is presented in this study
Modeling Teenagers’ Choice of Walking as a Mode of Transport to School: A Case Study in Beirut
No full textActive transport and walking have recently witnessed a decreasing trend in teenagers due to reasons including technological advancements, sedentary lifestyles, and increased screen time. This necessitates implementing new policies and built environment walkability improvements to encourage students to choose walking and become physically active again. This is especially needed in a context like Beirut where the walking infrastructure is inadequate and there is a strong cultural norm supporting car use. This thesis studies the walking behavior of teenagers to school with an application to Beirut, accounting for explanatory variables such as age and gender and latent/subjective variables such as safety perceptions and parents’ influence on teenagers’ choices.
A survey is designed and administered online with teenagers as well as through in-person household visits; students participating in the study are from 59 public and private schools. An integrated choice and latent variable model is estimated based on a sample of 283 students. The results highlight that more favorable safety perceptions towards the walking environment and greater parent encouragement increase the likelihood to walk to school. Female students are less likely to choose motorcycle over car, school bus, and walk, while students whose parents have a university degree are less likely to walk to school reflecting the cultural and social norms in the Beirut context. Younger teenagers have lower safety perceptions, and so do female teenagers especially with increasing distance to school.
Three policies are tested using the model to study the changes in the share of walking as a mode of transport to school. Increasing fuel price or requiring students to attend nearby schools have minimal effects on increasing walking mode shares in the range of 2- 3% increase. On the other hand, it is found that improving the safety perceptions among teenagers is the most effective way to make them shift from motorized modes towards walking, resulting in an increase of up to 17%. These perceptions can be improved through Safe Routes to School Program with improved sidewalks and pedestrian crossings along the route from the place of residence of the student to the school as well as through designating school zones with reduced speed limits and increased police enforcement. The study enriches the literature on teenagers’ walking behavior with findings from a new context. The results can be used by city officials and school administrators to support active transport in teenagers
The Design of Piezoelectric Sensor Networks for Integration in Structural Health Monitoring Systems
No full textStructural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems play a vital role in maintaining the safety
and reliability of engineering structures by enabling the early detection and localization
of damage. Central to the effectiveness of these systems is the strategic placement and
design of sensor networks, which must not only provide comprehensive coverage, but
also ensure robustness in the presence of sensor faults. The objective of this dissertation
is to advance the design of piezoelectric sensor networks for integration into SHM
systems by addressing key challenges related to sensor placement, network resilience,
and the incorporation of physical wave propagation characteristics.
Sensor placement is a fundamental aspect of SHM as it directly influences the system's
ability to detect and localize damage. Inadequate placement can lead to insufficient
coverage, poor sensitivity to damage, or redundancy that does not contribute to detection
performance. Effective sensor deployment ensures that critical regions of the structure
are monitored and that damage-induced wave interactions can be reliably captured. To
that end, a sensor network—defined as a set of sensors working collaboratively through
configurations such as pulse-echo and pitch-catch—is designed to achieve optimal spatial
coverage and high-fidelity monitoring.
This dissertation addresses three core research objectives. The first is to develop an
optimal sensor placement methodology tailored to structures with closed and curved
geometries. The second objective is to design multiple, robust sensor networks that are
resilient to sensor failures while maintaining performance under such conditions. The
third objective is to incorporate the physics of guided wave (GW) propagation into the
placement model, ensuring that sensor deployment aligns with the fundamental behaviors
of wave-material and wave-damage interactions.
The first major contribution of this work focuses on the challenge of sensor placement on
closed sections, such as fuselage structures or pipelines, which present geometric and
topological complexities. A transformation technique is introduced to map any closed or
arbitrarily shaped surface into an equivalent flat plate domain. This transformation is
accompanied by a carefully defined set of boundary conditions to replicate the original
wave propagation characteristics in the transformed space. By doing so, the problem
becomes tractable using planar optimization techniques while still preserving the physical
accuracy required for effective SHM. This approach enables sensor placement on
geometrically complex structures without compromising the fidelity of wave-based
damage detection.
The second contribution advances the concept of robustness in SHM systems by
introducing a novel model for the design of multiple, independent yet interacting sensor
networks. These networks are configured to work synergistically, increasing the system’s
resilience and maintaining performance under fault scenarios. Each sensor network is
capable of operating autonomously, yet they are designed to collectively maximize
detection reliability through shared coverage. Both pulse-echo and pitch-catch modes are
incorporated to enhance spatial reach and signal diversity. The optimization framework
developed in this work seeks to maximize a weighted objective function consisting of
two interdependent components: coverage, defined as the percentage of control points
monitored by at least three sensing paths in a network, and robustness, quantified as the
average number of networks covering each monitored point. This dual-objective
formulation ensures that the resulting sensor configurations not only provide widespread
monitoring but also offer redundancy to mitigate the effects of potential sensor failures.
The third and final contribution integrates the underlying physics of wave propagation
into the sensor placement process using a machine learning (ML) approach informed by
simulation data. Numerical simulations are conducted using ABAQUS on an aluminum
plate to capture wave propagation under both undamaged and damaged conditions. The
simulations model various scenarios involving actuator-sensor pairs and localized
damage events to generate a comprehensive dataset. This dataset is then used to train a
five-layer Artificial Neural Network (ANN), which learns the complex relationships
between damage, wave attenuation, and signal characteristics. The trained ANN is
employed to predict whether damage at a given location would significantly affect the
communication between a specific actuator-sensor pair. This prediction is binary and
reflects whether the induced damage would be detectable based on wave interaction
characteristics. By incorporating this physics-based information into the placement
algorithm, sensors are only placed where they are physically capable of detecting damage, resulting in more meaningful and efficient sensor configurations.
Each of the three contributions culminates in the proposal of a new sensor placement
model that has been validated through both simulation and experimental testing. The
models demonstrate strong performance in terms of detection capability, spatial coverage,
and robustness, confirming their applicability in practical SHM settings. Experimental
results align closely with simulation outcomes, further supporting the validity of the
proposed methodologies.
In summary, this dissertation presents a comprehensive framework for the design of
piezoelectric sensor networks in SHM systems, emphasizing optimal placement on
complex structures, robustness through redundant yet cooperative network
architectures, and the integration of wave physics through machine learning. These
contributions collectively address key limitations in current SHM practices and offer
scalable, resilient, and physically informed solutions for the next generation of
intelligent structural monitoring systems
Novel Energy Efficient Integration of Chimney Ventilation, Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification, and Evaporative Cooling for Humid Climates: Performance Optimization and Economic Feasibility
No full textThis study introduces and optimizes a novel, energy-efficient ventilation and cooling system designed specifically for hot and humid climates. Conventional chimney-driven ventilation systems are ineffective in such environments due to the high latent load of outdoor air. To overcome this, the proposed system integrates a chimney-driven ventilation with a membrane-based liquid desiccant dehumidification loop and an indirect evaporative cooler to decouple latent and sensible loads and enhance indoor air quality while significantly reducing energy consumption.
Mathematical models were developed to simulate the coupled heat and mass transfer in the desiccant channels, chimney, and IDEC units. These models were validated through laboratory-scale experiments. An XGBoost–Genetic Algorithm hybrid optimization framework was used to size and optimize the integrated system for a typical office in Beirut, Lebanon. In summer, the system maintained airflow between 45 L/s to 48 L/s, with supply air at 24℃ and 40%-60% RH, meeting ventilation needs for July and August while slightly underperforming in months with lower ambient temperatures. Sensitivity analyses identified ambient conditions and desiccant flow rate as key performance drivers.
The CDL-IDEC system demonstrated annual energy savings of approximately 480 kWh, covering 92% of the ventilation cooling load, equivalent to 1,159 USD. The system achieved a Simple Payback Period of 7 years and a Discounted Payback Period of 12 years at a 12% discount rate. The NPV over a 20-year period was $246 USD, and the ROI was calculated at 21%, confirming fair economic viability.
Environmental benefits include 0.2 tons annual CO2 reduction and a 73% HVAC-related energy use, significantly supporting compliance with Net Zero Energy Building targets. This research establishes the CDL-IDEC system as a novel, technically robust, and environmentally transformative solution for ventilation and cooling in hot and humid climates. Its cost-effectiveness, scalability, and significant energy savings position it as a promising candidate for widespread adoption, with strong potential for future enhancements to broaden its applicability across diverse climatic conditions
A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Therapist-Client Differences in the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder: A Case Study
No full textThis case study explores the assessment, formulation and treatment of a male client in his 20s presenting with late-onset Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) comorbid with Childhood-Onset Fluency disorder. The client took part in nine sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) delivered by a Clinical Psychologist in Training (i.e., the author of this thesis) differing from him in gender, religious background, and socio-economic status. Using the Clark and Wells (1995) model as a theoretical framework, treatment adaptations to CBT for SAD were made to integrate cultural and contextual factors unique to the Lebanese post-conflict setting. The study addressed two main research questions: 1) how the client experienced psychotherapy with a therapist differing from him in key identity domains, and 2) what adaptations to standard CBT emerged in the Lebanese post-war context. Data sources included session progress notes, two transcribed sessions, psychometric assessments (e.g., the LSAS-SR for SAD, the PHQ-9 for depression, the GAD-7 for anxiety, and the WHO-5 for well-being), and a reflective diary including personal reflections on the therapeutic process as well as documented supervision feedback. This allowed for triangulation across therapist self-reflection, session progress notes, and supervisory insights. A reflexive thematic analysis of the session transcripts, progress notes and reflective diary, in line with the Braun and Clarke (2021) model, revealed that therapist-client differences, when navigated with sensitivity, acted as experiential exposures facilitating corrective experiences and promoting “sudden gains” in SAD treatment (i.e., significant symptom reductions observed between therapy sessions). The adaptations made to CBT involved addressing the client’s reactance toward authority by encouraging greater directiveness on his part, whilst also increasing my own flexibility as a Clinical Psychologist in Training both within sessions and in the delivery of certain CBT components to better fit the client’s needs. The client demonstrated a positive response to treatment, with significant reductions in SAD symptoms and improvements in social engagement. The findings underscore the therapeutic potential of client-therapist difference in SAD treatment as a form of implicit exposure, and highlight the importance of therapist reflexivity and cultural awareness when delivering CBT for SAD in conflict-affected and diverse settings such as Lebanon
The State as Investor: GCC Sovereign Wealth Funds Between Profit and Policy
No full textThe role of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) in global markets has witnessed continued growth since the outset of the current century. This growth has been driven in large part by commodity SWFs exemplified by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries’ SWFs whose influence has also increased, significantly contributing to the growth of their domestic economies. However, the opacity surrounding their activities has raised questions about their true motivations. This thesis explores the motivations behind the investment strategies and decision-making processes of the SWFs in GCC countries. Using a multifaceted approach that focuses on international portfolios and utilizes panel regressions, investment allocation analyses, and case studies, the drivers of cross-border GCC sovereign wealth fund investments are explored. I find that Gulf SWFs prioritize savings by seeking long-term value creation and maximizing returns which overshadows their role in economic buffering through international portfolio diversification. The study also shows that the funds pursue strategic investments driven by political factors and local capacity building. The results emphasize the multifaceted objectives of GCC SWFs, indicating a focus on long-term strategies rather than short-term financial optimization
A Factual and Child Centric LLM Based Chatbot for STEAM and Empathetic Conversations Architected in an Agentic FSM Inspired Framework
No full textThis work aims to develop a chatbot tailored to teach kids STEAM concepts and engage in empathetic conversations. Historically, chatbots have relied on scripted traditional natural language processing (NLP) techniques. Lately, large language models (LLMs) have been shown to engage in more natural dialogue, but propitiatory models may pose privacy concerns, and the computational requirements of large open-source models are prohibitive. Moreover, small open-source LLMs are not trained to have empathetic and domain-specific conversations tailored for children and may produce false or harmful content. While retrieval augmented generation (RAG) has become popular for augmenting general-purpose LLMs with new knowledge, LLMs may still ignore the provided content and hallucinate misinformation. Furthermore, studies show that LLMs may non-consensually nudge the child from a factual topic towards an empathetic one.
To address this gap, we propose an agentic finite state machine (FSM) inspired data generation workflow that uses existing factual datasets and empathetic conversations, search queries, and transition statements distilled from large LLM to produce conversations that separate factual RAG-based Q\&A from empathetic exchanges, while allowing for child-initiated transitions. Fine-tuning a LLAMA 3.2 1b model on the dataset, shows that the fine-tuned model can adhere to the defined flow, while the base model fails. We also apply quantization to reduce computational overhead, and the results show minimal performance degradation (<4\%) for 4 bit quantized models. Additionally, to assess the factuality of the model's content, this research proposes COSMIC, a novel metric, which captures semantic similarity and detects contradictions, overcoming limitations of popular lexical overlap metrics like BLEU, ROUGE that overlook semantics, and embedding-based similarity metrics that ignore contradictions. The results show that, unlike other metrics, COSMIC correlates well with both semantic similarity (82\%) and consistency (88\%). Finally, we compare document retrieval methods, and determine that contextualized embeddings is the most reliable method
Investigating the Impact of Cultivar and Altitude on Volatile Compound Profiles and Related Gene Expression in Common Avocado Cultivars Grown in Lebanon
No full textFruit aroma is shaped by a complex blend of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In climacteric fruits like avocado, VOC production increases during ripening after harvest, ultimately influencing the fruit’s final flavor and aroma quality. Both genetic and environmental factors have been shown to influence the composition and concentration of these aroma compounds. This study investigated the effects of cultivar and altitude on the volatile profiles of seven avocado cultivars (Fuerte, Hass, Horshim, Pinkerton, LambHass, Ettinger and Reed) grown at four different altitudes in Lebanon: Abbasiyeh (158m), Ansar (302m), Nmeiriyeh (320m), and Marwaniyeh (340m). Volatile compounds were extracted and analyzed using Solid Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to examine variations in volatile profiles across cultivars and locations. Additionally, gene expression analysis was conducted on key genes involved in the biosynthesis of volatile compounds. PCA results revealed that the seven avocado varieties clustered into four distinct groups: Fuerte, Hass, and Horshim grouped together; Pinkerton and LambHass formed a second cluster; while Reed and Ettinger each constituted separate groups. This grouping suggests that Fuerte, Hass, and Horshim shared similar volatile profiles, as did Pinkerton and LambHass, whereas Reed and Ettinger exhibited distinct volatile compositions. These findings align with gene expression analysis, where cultivars with similar profiles also shared comparable gene expression patterns. Regarding altitude, variations in volatile profiles were less pronounced than those observed across cultivars. Notably, samples from Abbasiyeh, the lowest-altitude location, exhibited the greatest variation in volatile composition compared to other locations. At the genetic level, samples from Abbasiyeh and Ansar shower the most significant variation. These results highlight the biochemical diversity of avocado cultivars and altitude-induced variations, which could influence flavor profiles, consumer preferences, and breeding strategies
Assessing Cooling Effect Dynamics of Ficus nitida Under Different Irrigation Regimes in a Mediterranean City
No full textUrbanization and climate change have exacerbated the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect,
particularly in semi-arid cities, posing significant challenges to urban livability. Using
urban trees is one approach to cool cities. In semi-arid contexts and also due to climate
change, water availability for wide spread irrigation to increase urban trees is currently
low and will be exasperated in the future effecting the cooling capacity of urban tree
canopies. Therefore, finding a balance between irrigation demand and effective cooling
capacity of urban trees is key.
This thesis explores the cooling dynamics of Ficus nitida, a resilient and widely used tree
species in Mediterranean cities, under varying irrigation regimes. The study aims to
identify an irrigation threshold that balances optimal cooling performance with water
conservation by analyzing temperature variations at three levels: near the leaf, at human
height, and near the soil.
The research was conducted as a controlled experiment using 16 Ficus nitida trees
divided into four replications of each irrigation treatment: 100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% of
optimal water needs. Temperature data were collected over three summer months (July,
August, and September) in 2024, using sensors placed at the three levels. This approach
enabled a detailed assessment of the trees' cooling effects under deficit irrigation
conditions.
The findings revealed that the best cooling effects at the leaf and human height levels
were achieved with 40% irrigation, demonstrating that significant microclimatic
amelioration can occur with reduced water use. Conversely, the most substantial cooling
effect at the soil level was observed with 100% irrigation. However, this soil-level cooling
did not significantly influence human-perceived cooling at higher levels. Daily analyses
showed that cooling effects were most pronounced during the hottest periods of the day,
with temperature reductions of up to 7.0°C under the 100% regime and 3.5°C under the
40% regime. Nighttime cooling effects were less pronounced but still evident, with
temperature reductions of 2.5°C and 1.0°C for the 100% and 40% regimes, respectively.
Seasonal analysis indicated that cooling peaked during the hottest month, with reductions
compared to unshaded conditions reaching 3.79°C in July, 4.07°C in August, and 3.61°C
in September. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring irrigation schedules to
maximize cooling during critical periods, thereby enhancing urban comfort while
conserving water resources.
This research underscores the value of Ficus nitida as a nature-based solution for
mitigating urban heat and improving climate resilience. Future studies could investigate
the effects of lower irrigation levels, include larger sample sizes, and examine other tree
species to provide further insights into sustainable urban landscaping practices
Lettering Narratives of Love and Resistance: Palestinian Life Writing and the Art of the Letter in Ghassan Kanafani’s Fiction
Full text linkGhassan Kanafani, a multifaceted writer known as a Palestinian poet, playwright, novelist, and political activist, is associated with myriad labels, yet the notion of letter writing remains neglected as part of his legacy, despite its prominence. Kanafani's love letters to the writer and colleague Ghada Al Samman, published by her two decades after his assassination, have revealed a previously unknown aspect of his life and stirred controversy. While Kanafani’s personal letters came to the forefront posthumously, his fictional works, including Ma Tabakka Lakum (1966), translated by May Jayyusi and Jeremy Reed (2004) and the poignant Waraqa Min Gaza (1956), translated by the Tricontinental Society of London (1980), become solid proofs to his deliberate use of letters as integral components of both fiction and reality. Unlike other literary genres, letters enter into the “private” domain, addressing sensitivities concealed from public scrutiny. Kanafani, however, employs letters, which are personal and sentimental in his fictional works, to stress the enduring Israeli-Palestinian war – an ongoing Nakba – by expressing themes related to identity, displacement, exile, estrangement, and resistance. By incorporating letters into his fictional works, Kanafani crosses the borders of this private discourse, transforming these exchanges into potent instruments of resistance, steadfastness (Sumud), and survival in the face of exile, while preserving their inherent personal entity and transporting/translating it into his fictional works. This thesis aims to introduce Kanafani as a “man of letters” amongst the many other labels the world ascribes him to. The Dictionary of Merriam Webster defines the term “men of letters” as “a person who creates a written work”, usually associating these persons as white male writers' part of the literary cannon whether in English or American literature. However, I also draw on the Arabic word adab and its history in relation to resistance literature to take this rigid definition and try to modify it entirely in the context of Arabic and Palestinian literature in the case of Ghassan Kanafani. I use the term “man of letters” to serve a double meaning not only to show that Kanafani was a person who created numerous literary works, but who implemented the art of letter writing not only as a means of communication to stay in touch with friends and fellow writers in his life but also in most of his fictional works. That is to emphasize the significance of letter writing in his literary oeuvre. The second chapter will explore letters in his life, particularly the correspondences with Al-Samman, his son Fayez, and his niece Lamis. The third chapter will examine the role of letters in his fictional works, elucidating their thematic and narrative significance. This thesis concludes by underscoring the overlooked yet indispensable role of letter writing within resistance literature (Adab al-Muqawama), a term Kanafani coined, revealing how letters, even after Kanafani’s death, write back as is evident in the letters that his family and friends addressed to him after his passing