Near and Middle Eastern Journal of Research in Education - Current Issue

Scientific research is facing a critical situation in Arab nations. While international rankings have become the first priority of universities engaged in research across the world, most universities undertaking scientific research in the Arab region are occupied with other matters more vital to their survival. Given the current crisis in some universities in the Arab region, this study seeks to understand the factors responsible for the falling standards in scientific research and the lack of global recognition of these universities. Through interviews with university rectors or their designates along with three international experts on higher education policy, this investigation considers the social, economic, and political factors responsible for the crisis in some Arab universities that undertake scientific research. The investigation also probes the effect that political instability has on the Arab universities, particularly in light of the “Arab Spring” and how top administrators propose to improve research capabilities in their institutions. Thematic analysis of the interviews suggests lack of research infrastructure, funding and resources, and English publications, in addition to unmotivated faculty, as primary causes for the dilemma of Arab universities. The findings also indicate that in countries that are mired in political crises, lack of security is preventing higher education institutions from functioning and preserving their role in society as institutions of intellectual rigor and research. Although these Arab universities cannot control the political destiny of the country, international experts who were interviewed emphasized the importance of building a research infrastructure and an environment that motivates researchers. Furthermore, using English as the language of research and the emphasis of basic science are crucial elements to developing a sound research university.

This study attempts to address the challenges of students in higher education in Qatar. The study draws on student perceptions, beliefs, outlook, and context; we approach the study through grounded means by posing leading interview questions with the aim of exploring and probing. The approach is grounded in that no specific theory drives the questions; rather, the responses from the interview often require interpretation through theory to justify the findings. The sample comprised 35 students who were interviewed through probing and questioning techniques. The questions led to converging responses, which were segregated into themes. A large majority of students felt advising was absent or mismanaged, while some also were of the view that schools did not prepare them to enjoy the benefits of extracurricular activities; many students further viewed English or the Foundation Program (preparatory year's program) a barrier to their continuation in higher education. The most striking result was the apparent relationship between advising and student preparation in secondary school. Schools in Qatar and particularly independent schools (public schools) assign only a small role to advising and inducing strategies that reflect independence and any future anticipatory approaches to link expectations of higher education with support and guidance systems in secondary school.

Public schools at all levels in Kuwait are gender-segregated due to conservative traditional values, but such segregation is not practiced in private schools. In the past decade, a series of laws were passed to impose gender segregation in private universities as well. A concern about the psychological and social impact of gender segregation on students is a topic of ongoing debate in Kuwait. Research into the effects of gender segregation on social aspects such as peer relations remains an area to be explored. The purpose of this study is to assess whether there is a difference in peer relations with the opposite or same gender among individuals who have attended Kuwaiti schools across different school settings, and to explore which factors such as physical appearance, general esteem, parental relations, and spiritual values/religion might influence this difference. Seventy-six participants (57% female; 43% male) in Kuwait aged between 18 and 39 years filled out an online questionnaire incorporating scales related to the variables of interest taken from Marsh's Self-Description Questionnaire III. The results showed that participants who attended a mixed-gender school, as opposed to a segregated school, in Kuwait scored significantly higher on the peer relations with the opposite gender criteria, meaning that they believed they had good relationships with peers of the opposite gender (M = 44.1; P < 0.05). The results showed that school setting was a significant predictor of peer relations with the opposite gender (β = 0.251, P < 0.05); however, when additional factors such as self-esteem, parental relations, physical appearance, and spiritual values/religion were controlled for, schooling was not found to be a significant predictor of peer relations, and self-esteem had the highest significant relationship with peer relations of the same and opposite gender as well (β = 0.461, P < 0.01; β = 0.623, P < 0.001). Spiritual values/religion had a significant relationship with peer relations of the same gender only and not the opposite gender, meaning the more religious the individuals believed they were, the less they thought that they had good relationships with peers of the same gender (β = − 0.295, P < 0.01). Self-esteem scores were highly significantly correlated with parental relations scores and physical appearance scores (r = 0.605; r = 0.577; P < 0.01). The implications of the data on educational policy as well as the importance of spreading awareness about the significant relationship that self-esteem and spiritual values/religion can have with peer relations in Kuwait are discussed.