(2015). Quality Education Improvement: Yemen and the Problem of the "Brain Drain". Policy Futures in Education, v13 n1 p141-148 Jan
This paper presents an overview of the problems that hinder improvement of the quality of education in Yemen, with a particular focus on higher education institutions. It discusses in particular the problem of the brain drain and why this phenomenon is occurring in Yemen. Semi-structured interviews with three professors at higher education institutions were conducted. Analysis identified two main factors that compel many Yemeni professors to leave the country. The first is associated with lack of fairness and respect among instructors in Yemeni universities; the second is concerned with the instructors' deep dissatisfaction with their financial income. It is argued that unless the university administrators and the government as a whole reconsider the salaries of those in both secondary and higher education institutions, and provide and impose rigorous rules for regulating academic life inside and outside the institutions, many other instructors will leave Yemen, their country of… [Direct]
(2021). Preparation of an Observation Card to Measure the Developmental Learning Difficulties among Primary School Students in Sana'a City, Yemen. South African Journal of Education, v41 n2 Article 1720 May
Developmental learning difficulties are among the prevalent exceptionalities school learners have today. In this regard, identification and placement are among the facilitators of later successful intervention for these groups of learners (WestOlatunji, Shure, Pringle, Adams, Lewis & Cholewa, 2010). However, there are not enough resources such as tools to measure the learners' difficulties (Alim, Abdallah, Ramaroson, Sidikou & Van de Wiel, 2007) available. The tools, which objectively help a professional to identify a learner's level of difficulty is an essential resource, however, they are scarce. With this study we aimed to develop an observation card to determine the prevalence of developmental learning difficulties among primary school students in Sana'a City, Yemen. A 24-item tool was used and analysed to test its psychometric properties. A total of 238 students with ages ranging from 6 to 13 years participated in the study. The findings of the study suggest the final… [PDF]
(2022). Higher Teacher Education: Raising Awareness toward Constructing Teaching Philosophy Statements. Athens Journal of Education, v9 n2 p225-236 May
This article focuses on exploring whether teacher educators and teacher students at higher teacher education programs have constructed their teaching philosophy statements, how they implement such philosophy statements, and how they develop and evaluate the contents of the teaching materials related to the courses they are instructing. By following the qualitative case study methodology, the author employed semi-structured interviews with twenty teacher educators and fifteen teacher students from one state higher education institution in Yemen. With the employment of thematic network analysis techniques, the findings report on the lack of awareness concerning the teaching philosophy statements construction, the random process of designing and evaluating teaching materials, and the lack of teaching aids for realizing the teaching philosophies of those with developed teaching statements. For practical implementation, university leaders and administrators are recommended to establish a… [PDF]
(2022). Evaluating Quality of Arab Journals of Special Education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, v17 n1 p31-43
The quality of the research can be measured by a set of standards and indicators that focus on the idea of research originality, the depth of discussion, the literature analysis techniques, and the quality of research instruments. This research aims to evaluate the quality of Arab journals of special education (AJSEs). Five AJSEs were evaluated, all specializing in special education in the Arab world. The AJSEs were issued in Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. A checklist of 20 indicators was developed and applied to these journals. Results revealed that 5 indicators were highly met, 11 indicators were moderately met, and 4 indicators were low met in AJSEs. The results also indicated a difference in the quality indicators achievability (QIA) according to the journal's name. The QIA in International Journal for Talent Development, and Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation was considerable. While, the QIA of the Saudi Journal of Special Education and Arab Journal… [PDF]
(2017). Studying English in Yemen: Situated Unwillingness to Communicate in Sociohistorical Time. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, v11 n3 p230-240
Unwillingness to communicate (UWTC) was initially conceptualized as a trait-like predisposition in L1 studies, but later research shifted the focus to willingness to communicate (WTC). In second language acquisition, WTC was introduced as a situational construct where time is highlighted by the immediate context of decision to communicate. However, some previous studies on UWTC have pointed to enduring cultural factors shaping decisions in the immediate context. Using Vygotskian sociocultural theory, this study proposes heterochronic mediation as the means through which factors in the sociohistorical timescale influence situated decisions of UWTC in experiential time. It considers 12 high-school learners of English in a rural area in the Republic of Yemen using classroom observations, interviews, and journals collected over one semester in 2015. Coding of UWTC actions and stated influences was both deductive and inductive. Actions and statements were compared with field notes and… [Direct]
(2019). The Relationship between Language Learning Strategies and Achievement among EFL University Students in Yemen. Online Submission, Applied Linguistics Research Journal v3 n3 p64-83
This study investigated the relationship between language learning strategies and achievement among Yemeni EFL university students. It also identified the differences between high and low achievers in using language learning strategies. Seventy students were randomly selected from the fourth level on the basis of their university scores as high and low achievers. The study adopted the SILL questionnaire developed by Oxford (1990) to collect the data of the study. The obtained data were statistically analyzed through SPSS software. The results of the study showed that the most frequently used strategies of high achievers were meta-cognitive, compensation and cognitive strategies while the least frequently used strategies were affective, memory and social Strategies. On the other hand, the most frequently used strategies of low achievers were meta-cognitive strategies, the strategies entitled "Others" and affective strategies whereas the least frequently used strategies were… [PDF]
(2018). Towards Humanizing ELT: Revisiting the Need for English in the Medical Context in Yemen. Online Submission, Language Teaching and Educational Research (LATER) v1 n2 p121-138
This paper delved into medical English in Yemen with intent to update the profile of needs of ESP (English for specific purposes). It departed from the humanistic approach to language teaching in the post-method era. 120 informants in the academic (present) and occupational (target) situations were sampled. Data were collected from this cohort via questionnaires and structured interviews and were analyzed quantitatively. The results showed a variety of needs for English in the present situation (PS) and target situation (TS). However, these needs were tackled inadequately in the local context. Besides suggesting another approach to teaching English instead of the traditional ESP, the study concludes with some insights into maximizing chances of humanism in ELT. It accounts for allowing learners to have a say in what they learn and empowering teachers to shape their teaching. This would compensate for the shortcomings of formal instruction which has failed to accommodate the… [PDF]
(2020). Scientific Research Hypotheses Understanding of the Pre-Service Science Teachers at Faculty of Education, Amran University, Yemen. Educational Research and Reviews, v15 n9 p544-553 Sep
Preparing pre-service science teachers (PSSTs) with the scientific research skills (SRSs) is an ultimate aim of PSSTs' programs. This study aimed to explore PSSTs' understanding level of SRHs (SRHUL). To this end, an action research (AR) was adopted using a pre-post-test design. In doing so, a multiple choice test which consists of 15 items was developed and conducted on a random sample comprising 120 subjects. Results of the study revealed that participants showed insufficient performance on the test of understanding scientific research hypotheses (SRHUT) for both pre and post-test. Besides, results of t-test showed a significant difference between mean scores of pre-test and post-test. The difference was in favor of post-test. Also, results of one-way ANOVA revealed a non-significant difference between or within mean scores of compared groups. Based on the results of the study, some recommendations were made…. [PDF]
(2020). Reflections on Kumaravadivelu's Post-Method Pedagogy: Juxtaposing Perceptions and Practices. MEXTESOL Journal, v44 n4
Departing from Kumaravadivelu's (2006) post-method principles (PMPs), this study set out to explore the relationships between teachers' beliefs about PMPs and their teaching practices at the collegiate level in Yemen. Data were collected through a survey of perceptions of 57 university teachers during the academic year 2019-2020. Out of this initial sample, nine informants who claimed to be post-method teachers were singled out for classroom observations. Results show that the majority were less sanguine about the post-method practices, regardless of the magnitude of their teaching experiences. Besides questioning the existing practices, this paper brings to the fore some suggestions to liberate teachers from restrictions of conventional method-based teaching. Teachers are encouraged to shape and reshape their teaching relying on their own experiences to develop useful teaching ideas for their contexts. Instead of searching for a 'best' method to follow, they should find effective… [PDF]
(2020). The Effects of Religious Orientations on Malevolent Creativity: Role of Positive Emotions and Spiritual Intelligence. Creativity Research Journal, v32 n4 p421-430
Creativity has long been touted as one of the aspects of human behavior that truly delineates mankind from all other species. However, sometimes people use creativity in negative ways, whereby it is used to reach goals through harming others. Often these malevolent acts are sensationalized in the media. Previous research found that there is a relationship between malevolent creativity and religious beliefs. This research evaluates the effect of two dimensions of religious orientation, intrinsic and extrinsic, on malevolent creativity through the mediating roles of positive emotions and spiritual intelligence. Data were collected from 862 Muslim students from the countries of Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria. In this research, intrinsic religious orientation was found to reduce students' malevolent creativity while extrinsic religious orientation increased the malevolent creativity. Furthermore, the effect of intrinsic religious orientation on malevolent creativity through… [Direct]
(2020). The Effectiveness of Flipped Classroom Approach on Students' Achievement in English Language in Saudi Arabian Southern Border Schools. International Education Studies, v13 n9 p66-74
The multi-shift schooling system was adopted in Saudi Arabian southern borders schools as a result of the Arab coalition efforts to end the coup and restore the state institutions in Yemen. This has left the education community with the perception of inadequate learning time and the possible of creation of learning deficits for all students involved. Using the flipped classroom approach, this study explores this perception of learning and educational gaps resulting from the reduction of the class time and the school day. This study was executed in 2018 and used a quasi-experimental approach to explore the impact of the flipped classroom approach on students' academic achievement in English language. A pre and post test was utilized to obtain the data. The result revealed that students taught in a flipped classroom approach achieved higher than their counterpart peers taught in the traditional approach. The study recommended the use of the flipped classrooms approach in hazardous… [PDF]
(2014). Are Student Protests in Arab States Caused by Economic and Political Grievances? Empirical Evidence from the 2006-07 "Arab Barometer". Peabody Journal of Education, v89 n1 p141-158
We investigate the nature of protests by students (age 18 and older) in Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, and Yemen by using subsamples of students from nationally representative and acclaimed public opinion data (the 2006-07 "Arab Barometer"). We find between 22.1% (Jordan) and 54.7% (Yemen) participated in either the signing of petitions, or marching in street protests, or both between the years 2003-07. To explain student protest participation, we draw from the political economy literature to test four grievance-based hypotheses that link protest to student perceptions on the performance of the economy, personal family socioeconomic status, political exclusion, and preference for democracy. Ordered probit regression analyses indicate that students protest for different reasons in the four countries. We find statistical evidence that student protests are associated with grievances about the economy (Algeria and Morocco) and lack of democracy (Algeria only). Joint hypothesis tests… [Direct]
(2021). Teacher Management in Refugee Settings: Public Schools in Jordan. UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning
Jordan has a longstanding history of providing the refugees it hosts with protection and essential support, including education. Today, the country is home to the tenth-largest population of Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)-registered refugees in the world, hosting around 750,000 refugees originating from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Sudan as well as a further half million unregistered Syrians. In addition, Jordan hosts 2.2 million Palestine refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), most of whom have Jordanian citizenship. Ongoing conflicts, political unrest, droughts and famines in the region have meant that the influx of refugees into the country continues. Using a collaborative, two-phased, mixed-methods approach, the research examines how teachers are managed in policy and practice, focusing on schools catering to Syrian refugees outside refugee camps in Jordan. The case… [Direct]
(2018). GPE's Work in Countries Affected by Fragility and Conflict. Policy Brief. Global Partnership for Education
In 2015, one in every two primary aged refugee child was missing out on primary education, and three in every four had no access to secondary education. The five least developed countries in the list of top 10 refugee hosting countries in the world in 2016 were all Global Partnership for Education (GPE) partners: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Pakistan, and Uganda. The GPE is strongly committed to addressing this crisis. GPE 2020, the partnership's new strategic plan, makes support for countries affected by fragility and conflict a focus over the next five years. GPE's support to these countries continues to increase. GPE's approach to countries affected by fragility and conflict begins with the allocation of GPE financing, using an eligibility and allocation framework that places an emphasis on low- and lower-middle-income countries with high levels of out-of-school children. It specifically weights allocations toward countries affected by fragility and… [PDF]
(2017). Internet Usage, User Satisfaction, Task-Technology Fit, and Performance Impact among Public Sector Employees in Yemen. International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, v34 n3 p210-241
Purpose: The internet technology becomes an essential tool for individuals, organizations, and nations for growth and prosperity. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the DeLone and McLean IS success model with task-technology fit (TTF) to explain the performance impact of Yemeni Government employees. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaire survey method was used to collect primary data from 530 internet users among employees within all 30 government ministries-institutions in Yemen. The four constructs in the proposed model were measured using existing scales. The data analysis starts with initial exploratory factor analysis, then confirmatory factor analysis and lastly structural equation modeling via AMOS. Findings: The results showed that the proposed integrated model fits the data well. Findings of the multivariate analysis demonstrate four main results. First, actual usage has a strong positive impact on user satisfaction, TTF, and performance impact. Second, user… [Direct]