Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2012 Issue 1

Inequities in learning motivation among school students have been attributed to many factors, among which school environment and family support are important and well documented. Most of these studies have been in culturally different societies, which do not share much commonality with schools and societies of Arab world. Diversity within Arab world countries, with respect to their socioeconomic status, further thins down the possibility of establishing any grounded theories on these aspects, based on relevant literature available from studies conducted in Arab world countries. Schools with sufficient resources and infrastructures, and families without any economic constraints do influence the learners' motivation differently in some Arab countries, and lead to inequity, contrary to other findings elsewhere. A qualitative study was conducted in a boys' boarding school over a period of six years, with an initial pilot study with 12 selectively sampled students to establish the issues to be used for further interviews. The final interviews were conducted with the same 12 students and 54 other selectively sampled students of age ranging between 13 to 18 years. Information was gathered through records of students' academic performance, observation of students' classroom and out of class academic attitudes and interviews with open ended questions about their perception of school and family support. Common themes of perception of lack of belonging and support, from school and family, were prominent reasons for decreasing motivation for learning among these students. Negative perception of school environment induced by isolation emerged as a factor for reduced motivation. A new role of private tutors emerged to be influencing the motivation to learn. Private tutors, parents with less contact time, and disturbed family structure, did negatively affect the students' motivation to learn. Learners who were able to merge themselves with the school system were able to get self motivated. Such merger was influenced by the students' cultural adaptability, involvement of students' family member in the day to day affairs of the student in school and involvement of parents in school affairs and activities. The findings warrant, revision of curriculum and school policies, and social awareness, for affecting student learning motivation.

Energy consumption can be attributed to many factors; technology, energy prices, general economic conditions, attitude and behavior towards energy use. Studies indicate that although people are often aware of the benefits of using energy more efficiently, a variety of social, cultural, and economic factors often prevent them from doing so. This paper presents the findings of a research project funded by Qatar Foundation to understand the behaviors, attitudes, and levels of understanding among faculty, staff, and students related to energy use in Qatar University buildings. A multi-method approach was used in five buildings including web surveys, behavioral observations, environmental measures and focused interviews. The analyses considered differences between the three population groups. Among the findings, QU staff is most concerned about conserving energy in QU buildings while students are the least concerned. A significant proportion of survey respondents are not aware of the university's efforts to conserve energy and many felt that university efforts are inadequate. The observations and self-reports indicated an abundance of energy-consuming equipment in offices, and lights and computers are often left on when work spaces and conference rooms are unoccupied. Furthermore, occupants tend to wear heavy clothing during warm weather months, requiring excessively low building temperatures. Finally, most occupants are willing to accept higher building temperatures during warm weather months and lower temperatures during cold weather months. This research attempted to understand the psychological, cultural, and institutional context within which energy-related decisions are made in educational facilities and how these factors influence energy consumption. Understanding these factors helps public agencies design and implement more effective energy-saving policies and programs. Methods and tools developed by this study can be duplicated in other building types and facilities.

Objective: We dedicated our work to study the socio-demographic aspect of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients seeking psychiatry treatment in outpatient clinic of Hamad General Hospital for a duration of approximately 5 years of continuous follow-up. Methods: Out of 8878 individual patients who attended the psychiatric outpatient clinic from August 1996 to December 2001, we reviewed a total number of 348 patients with a diagnosis of OCD (according to International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnostic criteria). We divided them according to age, sex, nationality, duration of illness, occupation and marital status. Each patient was interviewed using a structured interview technique and evaluated by a psychiatrist in one session at the psychiatric outpatient clinic. Results: We found that the disorder is more prevalent among non-Qatari people (52%) (Arabs 26.2%, non-Arabs 15.8%) than Qatari people (48%); more common at the age groups of 31-45 years (44.8%); more frequent in the category that visited the outpatient clinic for a period of 1-4 years (60%). We found that the married females (34.5%) are affected more than the married males patient (24.7%). It was also found that in the diagnosis of OCD predominantly obsessional thoughts were 54.9%; more frequent in the sample than the other diagnosis. Conclusion: In the state of Qatar, where expatriates usually outnumber Qatari patients, we discovered that non-Qatari patients are affected more with OCD than the natives. Sex, marital status and occupation also proved to be important factors. From our study, in the female married group, being a housewife seems to pose a greater risk in developing OCD. Predominantly obsessional thought was the most common sub-type of OCD affecting the patients in Qatar.

Background & Rationale: The national vision of Qatar 2030 seeks to advance human development, social development, economic development and environmental development in the region, allowing it to modernize and stay relevant to 21st century global interactions while maintaining its morals, traditions, and culture. The Qatari government has already devoted significant resources toward providing services that strengthen families in Qatar. As in many countries, various social campaigns are promoted through public service announcements in print media, billboards, and via radio and TV. However, technology and society are changing and these traditional approaches may not be the only way (or the best way) to reach all intended audiences especially in the field of developmental and charity work. Purpose: The study tested and evaluated the effectiveness of public service announcement campaigns and determineed if utilization of newer communication technologies (SMS, social media, etc.) can positively supplement more traditional methods of distributing public service announcements (e.g. billboard, radio, TV) and how this would be reflected on shaping public awareness and response to these campaigns in developmental and charity work. The project enlisted the support of local organizations (such as Qatar Foundation, Supreme Council of Education, Supreme Council of Family Affairs, Supreme Council of Communication) and non-governmental organizations, regional and international agencies to assess the effectiveness of various public service announcement campaigns. In particular we were interested in how well messages reach target audiences via traditional means and what is the impact of these messages on public awareness and response. The project also investigated the effectiveness of new alternative messaging strategies to see if alternative messaging techniques such as SMS and social networking pages could enhance and improve the effectiveness of these campaigns. Methodology: The study depended on comparative methodology using content analysis, focus group discussions and surveying target audience. The study will compare and assess different campaigns locally, regionally and internationally so as to set a new model of designing and better use new media tools and techniques. The results of this research provided useful data to help agencies determine the best ways to reach communities for which they can provide services.

In order to meet the customers' requirements, firms need to design a product line rather than a single product because customers belong to different segments and each segment has its own specific product requirement which usually does not meet by a single product. The two major objectives of Product Line Design (PLD) are: (i) customers' satisfaction and (ii) the firm's profit maximization. Existing works consider customer preferences for a product selection based on an attraction choice model using a different combination of attribute levels and the firm's own pricing strategy. The existing models utilize Bratley-Terry-Luce (BTL), Multinomial Logit (MNL), Multiplicative Competitive Interaction (MCI) techniques for computing customer choice, which suffers the limitation imposed by Independence of Irrelevant Alternative property. However, these models do not consider the impact of customer leakage and impact of competitor pricing on product offering for the same customer segment. In this research work we model the PLD problem which considers both customer leakage and competitor pricing strategy. It also use Mixed Logit (MXL) to fix the limitation imposed by IIA property. The resulting model is NP-hard, which computationally intractable for realist problems using an exact solution approach. Thus, this research discussed the use of meta-heuristics to solve the problem. In addition, the utilization of Radial Basis function (RBS) in neural networks is demonstrated to estimate customer preferences and other model related parameters.

أثر استخدام ذوي الإعاقة لوسائل الإعلام الاجتماعي علي تفاعلهم الاجتماعي في اطار نموذج الحوكمة الاعلامية مشكلة الدراسة: شهد العالم اهتماما متزايدا بقضايا الإعاقة علي المستويين الرسمي والشعبي مما أثمر عن صدور اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لحقوق الأشخاص ذوي الإعاقة التي أكدت حقوق المعاقين في ان يعيشوا حياة كريمة ويتمتعوا بكافة حقوقهم مثل أقرانهم الآخرين ، غير ان الممارسة الفعلية لهذه الحقوق تثبت عدم التطبيق الكامل لهذه الاتفاقية -علي الاقل فيما يخص الجانب الاعلامي - فما زالت الصور النمطية التي تقدم عن المعاقين في الاعلام وخاصة الدراما العربية بشقيها الافلام والمسلسلات سلبية ومن بينها تكريس صور للعجز والشفقة والانحراف والفساد ومهادنة السلطة والمهن التقليدية وهو أمر لا يتناسب تماما مع الواقع الفعلي للمعاقين في العالم عامة وفي قطر خاصة ، ومن هنا تتحدد مشكلة الدراسة في الإجابة علي السؤال البحثي التالي :ما طبيعة الصور الحالية التي يقدم بها المعاقين في الدراما العربية - بشقيها الأفلام والمسلسلات- وما هي الأسس العلمية التي ينبغي مراعاتها عند إعادة تقديم هذه الفئة في ضوء نموذج الحوكمة الاعلامية ؟ هدف الدراسة: ترشيد استخدام الدراما كأداة جذابة ومشوقة لتكوين صور ذهنية لدي المعاقين من خلال التقديم الواقعي لهذه الفئة بما يعكس دورها ومكانتها في المجتمع لتكوين صورة ذهنية طيبة عنها لدي الافراد. الأهداف الفرعية : 1- التعرف علي طبيعة وحجم الصور الايجابية والسلبية التي قدم بها المعاقين في الدراما العربية. 2- قياس الي أي مدي تقترب الدراما العربية من تطبيق نموذج الحوكمة الاعلامية عند تقديمها لصور المعاقين. أهم النتائج 1- ثبت ان الصورة التي يقدم بها المعاقين سلبية جدا في مجملها وتعكس معاني العجز والشفقة والخضوع ومحدودية الفكر وتولي المناصب التقليدية او البطالة والاعتماد علي الآخرين والانحراف الأخلاقي والسلوكي والفساد ، كما ان هناك اعاقات معينة تبرز للاثارة اكثر من غيرها. 2- تعاني الدراما العربية عند تقديمها لصورة المعاقين نقصا شديد في فهم طبيعة ونفسية المعاق وما زالت تقدمه في اطار يكرس معاني الانفصال والتبعية . 3- الدراما العربية تهتم فقط بالاثارة عند تقديم صور المعاقين ولا تراعي مباديء المسؤولية الاجتماعية او الحوكمة الاعلامية. 4- هناك العديد من الاسس الواجب مراعاتها عند التقديم الدرامي للمعاقين سواء في الافلام او المسلسلات.

In consideration of the many challenges associated with Qatar's continued growth and demographic changes, the government of Qatar is interested in updating its school transportation system (STS). This work assesses the perspectives of parents and school administrators on Qatar's STS, identifies a vision and goals for the STS, reviews international norms for school transportation, and discusses strategies to achieve the vision and better align Qatar's STS with international norms. The authors articulate four elements of a vision for Qatar's STS: 1 - provide safe, efficient, and high-quality transportation for Qatar's students 2 - support educational options by enabling mobility and access 3 - provide a transportation experience that is supportive of Qatari values and culture 4 - minimize the impact on traffic congestion and the environment. The authors recommend 13 strategies to help achieve this vision, such as establishing clearly marked schools zones with standardized safety features and establishing standards for licensing and training bus drivers. The authors also provide a preliminary evaluation of several other strategies with less certain costs and benefits, such as changing the composition of the school bus fleet, implementing bus stops, and staggering school start times.

Today, in the globalized world in which we are living, with a full diversity of beliefs, thoughts and cultures, it has become essential for us all to focus on common ground and areas of cooperation, as well as challenges that face us regardless of our faith or belief systems. Our mutual coexistence is facing numerous challenges, starting with the acute ignorance of one another, the increase of mistrust amongst followers of different religions, through to the more extreme trends and symptoms of discrimination, hatred and violence. In the light of all of the above, it is clear that interreligious dialogue has become a necessity, rather than a luxury, and that one cannot build agreement and cooperation without first building trust and understanding. It is vital that interfaith dialogues continue to build more trust and clearer understanding of one another's faith, but it is similarly vital that now what is needed is to move from the 'interfaith dialogue' phase to 'interfaith collaboration'. This paper attempts to explore such challenges that face the interfaith encounters and the prospects to establish a more solid interfaith collaboration.

Background/Objectives: Qatar's entry to the global elite sporting scene, most obviously through its stunning coup to win the hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has been accompanied by pressure to increase participation of female athletes. In response, Qatar has dedicated considerable resources to women's sports and Qatari women have been prominently featured in the 2011 Arab Games and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Qatar officials have publicly voiced their hope that these women will serve as role models who encourage women and girls to engage in physical activity and sports. At the same time, lifestyle changes linked to globalization have wreaked havoc on the health of all Qataris, with rampant diabetes and obesity rates that are among the highest in the world. Women in Qatar may face particular constraints that make it potentially more challenging for them to engage in regular physical activity to combat these diseases. The particular question this study aims to answer is "are Qatari elite female athletes influencing women in Qatar to engage in physical activity/sports?" Method: We have utilized an 84-item survey to investigate what influences the physical activity of women in Qatar. The survey was open before, during and after the summer 2012 Olympics in English and Arabic. Results: The data reported here are based on one set of questions from the larger survey. We found that while personal role models such as friends and family play an important role in physical activity, public figure role models, such as those cited by Qatari officials, are far less frequently cited as influences and in fact, only one Arab public figure of any kind (celebrity, athlete, etc.) was mentioned as a role model for sports or physical activity participation. Conclusion: While the Qatari elite female athletes are smashing gender barriers, they have not yet started to function as significant role models for women in Qatar. Strategies to increase their effectiveness are identified. At this historic point in the development of elite female athletics in Qatar, the research provides data Qatari health officials can utilize in their attempts to combat diabetes/obesity and increase all women's activity levels.

Based on the idea that museums are non-formal education places and therefore play an important role in the collective memory of their respective societies, this paper aims to examine the Olympic Education Program realized in the 'Olympics through Media Exhibition' organized by the Qatar Museums Authority departments in Doha, Qatar in 2012. The phrase 'olympic education' (OE) was first used by Norbert Muller in 1975. Muller based his studies on Pierre de Coubertin's (founder of the modern Olympics) writings. Naul explains that the writings of Coubertin were interpreted by several authors and all these studies were included in the framework of an OE. Thus, the OE became a complex topic used in a multidisciplinary field connecting different areas of knowledge and having the main focus on the Olympic sport, the multiculturalism and the fair play. Based on that, formal and non-formal educational institutions develop programs of OE. Olympic and sport museums can be considered non-formal educational institutions where OE can be developed through exhibitions. Education in museums can be defined "as a set of values, concepts, knowledge and practices aimed at ensuring the visitor's development; it is connected with the notion of awakening, which aims to arouse curiosity, to lead to questioning and develop the capacity to think". Following this approach, the educational program of the 'Olympics through Media Exhibition' was planned. The program was based on the values of Qatari society and the Olympic values. The staff was trained to promote interactivity in a dedicated area for children. There the activities included drawing, painting, video-gaming, quizzes, puzzles, guided tours, etc. The exhibition took place during school vacation; therefore an exclusive Holyday Program was organized with more than seventy children of different ages. The formal teaching of OE is still under development in Qatar. However the non-formal initiatives, such as cultural exhibitions, are already contributing to this process. The places of non-formal education, once they are connected with the local culture, are able to transmit important values from sport to society.

Qatar aims to transition to a knowledge-based economy by 2030. This vision requires labor forces with high skills. On the other hand, high school students are reluctant to enroll in disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering and technology. This fact raises questions about the society capacity to provide the appropriate labor force to achieve such a vision. Therefore there is a need to search for ways to raise the high school students' confidence to study those scientific disciplines. This research aimed to identify the learning possibilities offered by integrating secondary schools students within an advanced learning environment which offered research expertise. The method depends on using research as an activity for self-learning to understand basic science laws and unique applications. Twenty five high school students (18 male and 7 female) were randomly selected from the participants in Al-Biraq learning program in Qatar University, spring 2011. All the demographic characteristics of the participants in the experiment were unified such as; age, educational level (secondary), grades (12), academic background (independent schools), cultural background (speak the same language). The research team assessed the impact of the program by testing the students' performance. Pre-post-test was the assessment tool. Teachers and parents were also surveyed to provide indications of changes in student behavior in classes and at home. The results showed an improvement in student attitudes towards research and invention. The percentage of the students who agreed that they are capable of invention increased from 52% to 84%. The students who strongly agreed that their skills has increased after participating in scientific experiments from 48% to 72%. The study also, showed that there is significant change in attitude after attending this program as the confidence increased from 35% to be 75%. Findings did not reveal any differences based in gender. The overall outcome of the research is to emphasize the importance of non-traditional teaching methods based on research activities to improve students' attitudes and knowledge about science. Acknowledgement: The authors would like to thank the following companies for their sponsorship of the program: RasGas, Shell, Msheireb, Qatar Petroleum

Background and Objectives: This study examines the production of urbanism by focusing on the collective spatial practice and inhabitants' perceptions of the urban environment in emerging cities, with Doha as a case study. While the built environment is necessarily an important and obvious aspect of cities, this study attempts to apply a holistic approach to the understanding of what the reality of the space of a city is - beyond the face value of its concrete, urban reality. Therefore, the notion of the lived space is introduced to illustrate how it can be utilized to identify factors necessary for understanding the process of space production. In this respect, it is vital to understand the role of inhabitants and how they comprehend, appreciate, and appropriate urban environments with a focus on two main factors: urban identity and urban diversity. Methods: A set of various methodologies is applied to investigate the complex interrelationship between urban environments and human behavior. The two main categories of selected methodologies are observation studies focusing on mapping urban spaces and movements and, secondly, a survey questionnaire that aims integrating the individual views of inhabitants. After conducting a typo-morphological analysis of key urban spaces in Doha, behavioral mapping was applied to survey the use of these spaces by inhabitants according to days of the week and various times of day. The questionnaire was distributed to 350 employees working in high-service sectors in order to assess their perception of certain urban environments and their general experience of living in Doha. Results and Conclusions: The analysis and combination of these two types of empirical studies led to various recognitions relevant to the complex relationships between physical urban developments and Doha's inhabitants. Since the urban environment of the city has been undergoing major transformations finding answers to the question of how inhabitants are part of this kind of urbanism and how they may contribute to the diversification process and the establishment of a vibrant hub is essential.

Background: Sleep deprivation is associated with a reduction in sustained alertness and increased risk of road traffic crashes. Sleep deprivation has been reported in Muslims who observe daily intermittent fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. Epidemiological studies from Muslim countries, UAE and Saudi Arabia, show an increase in road traffic crashes during Ramadan. Aim: To determine the effect of Ramadan fasting on sleep and sustained attention levels in order to understand driving hazard during daylight hours. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental design in which sleep and sustained attention were compared between fasting Muslims (n=9) and non-fasting (n=9) subjects. Each subject maintained a sleep diary and completed the computerized rapid visual processing (RVP) task to evaluate sustained attention. The RVP was conducted at 4:00 PM on three different occasions (before Ramadan, 1st week of Ramadan and 3rd week of Ramadan). Results: In fasting subjects total sleep time before Ramadan (7.2±0.5h) was not different during Ramadan (7.4±0.3h, p=0.708); this was the same for non-fasting subjects (7.8±0.3h vs. 7.5±0.4h respectively, p=0.291). The mean latency to correct response on the RVP task before Ramadan (417.3±23.7 ms) was reduced at the end of Ramadan (368.7±23.7 ms, p=0.002) in fasting subjects only. Total misses were insignificantly greater in fasting subjects (4.3±1.2) than non-fasting subjects (2.8±1.2 p=0.348) at the end of Ramadan. False alarms remained unchanged in both groups. Conclusion: In this study, Ramadan fasting had no adverse impact on sleep or sustained attention. These results suggest that habitual sleep quantity is necessary to maintain daytime sustained attention levels in those fasting during Ramadan.

يعتبر السلوك العدواني في المدارس أحد المظاهر السلوكية المنتشرة بين الطلاب على اختلاف أعمارهم ومستوياتهم الدراسية. وتعاني المدارس في قطر مثل بقية المدارس في العالم من هذه الظاهرة، وإن كانت لم تبلغ هنا تلك الحدود القصوى التي عرفتها بعض البلدان حيث يقع فيها اللجوء لاستعمال الأسلحة بكل أنواعها. تكمن أهمية هذا الموضوع في الآثار السلبية الناتجة عنه التي تطال الطلبة، وتهدد تماسك الأسرة، والعلاقات بين الجماعات في المدرسة، بين الطلبة أنفسهم، وبينهم وبين المعلمين. من هذا المنطلق تبرز أهمية إجراء دراسة مسحية تساعد على تحقيق معرفة أدق بهذا السلوك العدواني المتمثل في التنمر "Bullying". وقد هدفت الدراسة إلى الإجابة على عدد من التساؤلات الأساسية المتعلقة بطبيعة هذا السلوك والعوامل التي تقف وراءه، وكذا الآثار التي تقع على الطالب نفسه، وعلى من حوله سواء في محيط المدرسة أو في الأسرة. وقد اعتمدت الدراسة على أسلوب المسح بالعينة لمجموعة من طلاب المدارس في دولة قطر في المراحل الثلاث الابتدائية، الإعدادية والثانوية من البنين والبنات، بلغت 2400 مفردة. كما تضمن البحث إجراء مقابلات معمقة مع عينة مستهدفة من الطلاب الذين يمارسون سلوك التنمر ومن الطلبة ضحايا التنمر، وكذلك مقابلات مع عينة من الأخصائيين الاجتماعيين العاملين في تلك المدارس. وقد سمحت الدراسة سواء في شقها الكمي أو النوعي بالتوصل إلى مجموعة من النتائج المهمة التي تسلط الضوء على التنمر في المدارس القطرية. من أهم النتائج التي حققتها الدراسة، معرفة الخصائص العامة للعينة المدروسة، ورسم صورة واضحة المعالم للطلبة، سواء كانوا من المتنمرين أومن ضحايا سلوك التنمر، حسب النوع والعمر والجنسية ومستوى التعليم والوضعية الاجتماعية لأسرهم. وكشفت الدراسة عن مدى انتشار هذا السلوك بين طلاب المدارس حسب عدد من المتغيرات الأساسية مثل النوع والعمر والجنسية والمرحلة التعليمية، وعضوية الجماعات المدرسية...الخ. كما سمحت الدراسة بمعرفة أنواع المضايقات التي يمارسها الطلبة المتنمرون، وتلك التي يتعرض لها الطلبة الضحايا، كما سمحت بتحديد الأماكن والأوقات التي ينتشر فيها هذا السلوك بقوة. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى التعرف على بعض العوامل المساعدة على انتشار سلوك التنمر بين طلبة المدارس في قطر، وتحديد عدد من التأثيرات السلبية الناتجة عن ممارسة سلوك التنمر أو الوقوع ضحية له، سواء كان ذلك على الصحة النفسية للطلبة، أو على العلاقات الاجتماعية ضمن الأسرة، وفي محيط المدرسة، وعلى الأداء المدرسي للطلبة.

فاعلية قانون المرور رقم (19) في الحد من الحوادث المرورية وأثره على سلامة الأسرة والمجتمع كان صدور قانون المرور رقم (19) لسنة 2007 تعبيراً عن اهتمام دولة قطر في مشكلة الحوادث المرورية وأهمية السيطرة عليها حفاظاً على الثروات البشرية والاقتصادية وعلى الأسرة والمجتمع. وهدف هذه الدراسة قياس اثر القانون المذكور على الحوادث المرورية وذلك بعد مرور سنة على تطبيقه واقتراح الإجراءات التي من شأنها المساهمة في زيادة السيطرة على الحوادث المرورية وتقليلها والحد من اثارها. وقد اعتمدت الدراسة على تصميم استبيان مفصل تم تطبيقه على عينة عشوائية من 2000 شخص ممن يقودون المركبات المختلفة من جنسيات وأعمار ومستويات دراسية وعملية مختلفة وفي مختلف مناطق الدولة. توصلت إلى مجموعة من النتائج كان من اهمها ان مستوى الوعي بخطورة الحوادث المرورية ياتي بالمقام الثاني بعد قضية المخدرات والمسكرات من بين قضايا الأمن والصحة في المجتمع، وإن مستوى الوعي بخطورة الحوادث المرورية بالمقارنة مع أهم القضايا الأخرى التي تهدد الصحة والأمان لازال دون المستوى المطلوب، بالرغم من الوعي العالي بمسببات الحوادث المرورية. وجود تأثير إيجابي لقانون المرور الجديد في تخفيض معدل الوفيات ومعدل الإصابات نتيجة للحوادث المرورية، لكن لم يكن كذلك من حيث شدة الحوادث. زيادة نسبة مخالفات تجاوز الحد الأقصى للسرعة، تجاوز الإشارات المرورية، التجاوز بصورة خاطئة. انخفاض نسبة مخالفات عدم استخدام حزام الأمان، الوقوف الخطأ، وجلوس الأطفال دون سن العاشرة بالمقاعد الأمامية للمركبة,الرغبة بزيادة الغرامات المالية لمخالفات عدم الالتزام بالإشارة المرورية، تجاوز السرعة المحددة، التجاوز من اليمين، القيادة بدون رخصة، قيادة المركبة عكس اتجاه السير،و قيادة المركبة تحت تأثير المسكرات والمخدرات. أن مستوى وعي السائقين بقانون المرورضعيف. أن للأسرة الدور الأكبر في مجال التوعية بأخطار الحوادث المرورية تليها المؤسسة الإعلامية ثم المؤسسة التربوية. أن أكثر من نصف الأسر تتأثر بالحوادث المرورية من حيث الخسائر البشرية والإصابات. ومعظم الأسر تتأثر اقتصادياً نتيجة للحوادث المرورية. يمكن إيجاز توصيات الدراسة في وضع خطة واضحة وقابلة للتنفيذ للتوعية المرورية، زيادة غرامة تجاوز السرعة ومضاعفتها عند تكرارها. زيادة مبلغ الغرامات المالية لبعض المخالفات و زيادة عدد كاميرات المراقبة على مختلف الطرق. ايجاد تنظيم قانوني وفني يربط بين الحوادث المرورية و التآمين. زيادة عدد دوريات المرور واللوحات الارشادية وكذلك تطوير صيغ التدريب في مدارس السياقة, كما تم التعرض لدور المؤسسة التربوية في تعزيز الثقافة المرورية.

Background & Objectives: Our research investigates the social implications of genetic knowledge in Qatar. Specifically, a social and cultural context for the specific interface between consanguinity and genetic risk is the focus. Genetic disorders are particularly significant in the Gulf region and the Middle East because of marriage among close relatives, which is a risk factor for genetic disorders. We are focusing on the way in which genetic knowledge is being negotiated and communicated in the region and on popular understandings of genetics and risk. Thus, this research will aim to map the perception of risk in Qatar. Medical anthropology has shown the way illness and illness beliefs are shaped by culture. We consider the way that new medical information is interpreted along the backdrop of previously held cultural notions. New medical technologies are not transferred into cultural "voids" when they reach disparate societies. Prior ideas about kinship, reproduction and the causes of illness are likely to influence the way people interpret and negotiate genetic information. We investigate the meanings that are attached to the practice of genetic technologies and practice. Methods: This research uses the approach and methods of medical anthropology. Ethnographic methods provide an in-depth understanding of how genetic information is being developed and understood in Qatar. Our main method is semi-structured interviews. Anthropological methods are particularly appropriate for providing insight into the issue of perceptions of genetics as they will provide a means to developed a nuanced and layered understanding of the issue. Results: As the project is ongoing, we can only comment on preliminary findings. Qataris interviewed are aware of the discourse of genetics, but are actively involved in negotiating different arenas of risk. They are weighing up and engaging with risks such as those arising from environment: i.e. pollution, dust, nutrition. Our participants were aware of potential risks of consanguinity, but were balancing these with other concerns: such as the social risks of not marrying in the family. Conclusions: At this stage it is too early to comment on firm conclusions, but we are confident that our research is producing some nuanced and interesting data.

This study explores the secular increase of national intelligence in Qatar (Flynn effect) between the periods 2000-2011 by using the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) that was standardized on a representative sample of 1135 participants from Doha area, to age group 6-11.6 year olds (males N=517, females N=618). The SPM was administered in 2011 to a representative sample of 1003 (males, N=469; females N=534) of the same age and in the same region. The 2011 study showed that IQ is normally distributed in Qatar. The percentage of children with high ability (1.6%), the intelligent participants (8%), above average (20.4%), average (46.5%), below average (15%), borderline (6.4%) and mentally handicapped (2.1%). Furthermore, the study showed that younger children (6 to 9.6 year olds) obtained very high IQ (104.37 points), however, older children (10 to 11.6 year olds) obtained lower levels (95.73 points). With adjustment to Flynn effect, the smart fraction in Qatar at 95% obtained an IQ of 117.8, while the non smart fraction at 5% obtained an IQ of 58.3 points. The most remarkable finding of the study is that the national intelligence has been increasing in Qatar by 11.25 points in 11 years from 2000 to 2011. The rate of increase per decade and generation was 10.22 and 30.66 points, respectively. Children in Qatar were responsible for one of the largest levels of increase of IQ in the world. The increase in rate of intelligence per decade in some economically developed countries like Britain was 2 points, USA and most European countries 3 points, Israel 6.2 points, Korea, 7.7 points and Japan 7.7 points. Additionally, Qatari children obtained the highest scores of intelligence in the Arab world without adjustment (101 points) and with adjustment (90 points) to Flynn effect. This result showed that the calculation of Lynn and Vanhanen for the IQ scores in Qatar is incorrect. Finally, 10 assumptions as possible causes for the increase of national intelligence need to be investigated by scientists and intelligence tests such as WPPSI, WISC and SPM+ need to be adapted in Qatar.

This is a sociocultural linguistic study on the ways whereby language is used by residents, both natives and expats, of Qatar, a highly globalized country in the Gulf area. The motivation for this study is Arabic sociolinguist Reem Bassiouney's observation that issues of social stratification and how the latter is reflected on language in the Arab world, and most prominently in the Gulf countries, are under-researched. Against this backdrop and trying to fill in this gap, the described methodology combines linguistic ethnography with research on archives and books describing issues of social organization relevant to contemporary Qatari society. Linguistic ethnography is seen as 'a method of social research, [which] seeks to capture and understand the meanings and dynamics in particular cultural settings'. My study includes data from ethnographic interviews with 3 people, one Qatari, one Italian and one Indian, who have been working in Qatar for at least six months (in this way, they are familiar with the (working) context of the country). The questions used in the interviews focus on the participants' (socio)linguistic choices, lifestyle choices, ideologies, beliefs, and values. It is argued that social class, at the level of people's self-reflections is constructed via sociolinguistic upscaling, namely by alluding to higher-order scales, which create social norms and are thus associated with power. Such an upscaling is further argued to index upward mobility. What this means is that higher orders tend to be more abstract, hence more powerful, exactly because they are associated with rules and norms of the society. In a nutshell, the basic finding in this study is that upward mobility in class consciousness takes place sociolinguistically by alluding to power via upscaling. Finally, the overarching argument put forward is that globalization tends to metamorphose the very essence of social class, as it renders it mobile, in constant flux, and eventually a new system consisting of resemiotized identity units. The findings will appeal to both linguists and sociologists working in and on Qatar.

In recent decades, scholars of the Middle East have observed the activism of the Middle Eastern poor in response to conditions of increasing economic deprivation and social marginalization. Much of the work has exclusively focused on the poor's reactive acts of political agency. Surprisingly little is understood, with any empirical leverage, about the mechanisms involved in leading poor individuals to adopt the decisions and strategies that they do. A large part of the puzzle is the role of culture, which some have touched upon, but few have studied systematically. Poor people in the Middle East, so these researchers infer, are aware that they have become increasingly excluded under the new global market economy and so resist its effects by reasserting their power within extended family and community networks or maximizing their economic interests by engaging in petty unlawful practices. However, current approaches can neither show patterned differences in the ways that poor people in the region think and react to their social worlds nor can they provide explanations of how culturally-based motivators inform how the poor move in their pursuits. This article addresses these shortcomings by systematically examining the role that cultural factors play in shaping poor young people's particular choices and decisions. It relies on two years of ethnographic fieldwork among poor young men and women in two urban capitals in Iran in order to show how poor youth manage their everyday lives and attempt to move forward. In so doing, it is shown that in order to understand poor young people's preferences for undertaking certain actions over others, we must place their choices within a larger moral universe that is guided by their conceptions of good and bad. In this moral universe, the moral codes of honor and work provide both guidelines and an evaluative code for individual initiative and conduct. It is suggested that current perspectives should incorporate the role of moral systems and reassess the relationship between poverty and behavior in the region.

إثبات حكمة الله تعالى وتعليل أفعاله وأحكامه بالمصالح من أجلّ المسائل العقدية المتعلقة بالتوحيد إذ بها تظهر حكمة الله تعالى وعظمته ورحمته بعباده. كما أنها ضرورة ملحة لفهم الكتاب والسنة واستلهام هديهما، إذ لا يتأتي ذلك إلا بإدراك أن لكل فعل من أفعاله وحكم من أحكامه غاية يحققها وحكمة يعمل لإيجادها ومقصداً وهدفاً يقصده ويستهدفه لتحقيق مصلحة الإنسان أو دفع مفسدة عنه ، ومن هنا كان ارتباط الحكمة والتعليل بالبعد المقاصدي للشريعة ارتباط الروح بالجسد والأصل بالفرع ولعل هذا ما حدا الإمام الشاطبي أن يستفتح القسم الذي خصصه للمقاصد بالبحث في مسألة التعليل والإنكار على الإمام الفخر الرازي قوله بأن أفعال الله تعالى وأحكامه ليست معللة . والقول بتعليل أفعال الله وأحكامه لازم لإثبات محاسن الشريعة المطهرة وتنزيهها ودعوة الناس إليها كما أنه أيضا ضروري لقطع الملحدين ورد شبههم عن الإسلام ،وفي هذا يقول العلامة صدر الشريعة: ( وما أبعد عن الحق قول من قال : إنها غير معللة ؛ فإن بعثة الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام لاهتداء الخلق ، وإظهار المعجزات لتصديقهم ، فمن أنكر التعليل فقد أنكر النبوة ..) ، وللأسف قد وقع خلاف كبير بين علماء الأمة في إثبات الحكمة والتعليل ، ولزم من ذلك إنكار مقاصدية الشريعة في حق من نفى الحكمة والتعليل ، لأجل هذا أحببت أن أدلي بدلوي في كتابة هذا البحث المتواضع في هذا الموضوع الهام، قاصداً إثبات الحكمة والتعليل في أفعال الله وأحكامه كقضية عقدية وما يلزم من ذلك من وجوب الإيمان بمقاصدية الشريعة المطهرة مع بيان طرق ومسالك استنباط المقاصد من الحِكَم والعلل االجزئية . خطة البحث : قد قسمت هذا البحث إلى مباحث : المبحث الأول : الحكمة والتعليل ومقاصد التشريع بين اللغة والاصطلاح . المبحث الثاني : الخلاف في تعليل أحكام الله تعالى وأفعاله ويتضمن خمسة مطالب : المطلب الأول : أثر التحسين والتقبيح العقلي في الاختلاف في الحكمة والتعليل. المطلب الثاني : الأقوال في الحكمة والتعليل . المطلب الثالث : أدلة الأقوال . المطلب الرابع : الترجيح . المطلب الخامس : ثمرة الخلاف . المبحث الثالث : الحكمة والتعليل والبعد المقاصدي ويتضمن مطلبين : المطلب الأول : الإيمان بمقاصدية الشريعة . المطلب الثاني : طرق ومسالك إثبات مقاصد الشريعة من الحكم والعلل . خاتمة: وسجلت فيها أهم نتائج البحث.

بحث ادارة استراتيجيات التفوق البشري لأطفال الربيع العربي المقدمة تعد قطر من الدول الرائدة في مجال إعانة شعوب الرَبيع العربي مادياً وسياسياً ، وكون الطفل العربي المحور الأساسي لربيع يزهر علماً ،فكراً ، سلاماً ، ارتأينا أن ندعم الطفل العربي ذهنيًا بإقامة مركز خاص يشرف على تطبيق مشروع الاتساق الذهنيَ ، نعمل من خلاله على ادارة استراتيجيات التفوق البشري لبناء شخصيتهم المتوازنة ومساعدتهم على تجاوز الصَعوبات ، فبناء الفكر البشريَ السَليم في ظل هذه المتغيرات يساهم في خلق آفاق عربية سليمة. الأهداف : 1)فتح المقر الإداريَ لأول مركز تنمويَ ثقافيَ فكريَ تدريبيَ متخصَص للفئات العمرية من 6-14 في العالم العربي . 2)تنفيذ 30 برنامج تدريبيَ للأطفال عبر الجمعيات المشرفة ،يعتمد منهج تدريبيَ نفسيَ ،اجتماعيَ، علاجيَ وفكريَ ، وإعادة برمجة الأطفال على استعمال استراتيجيات الدماغ المتقدمة في أنماط التفكير، الإبداع و القيادة . 3)تقديم استشارات و برامج متخصصة للمراكز المشرفة على الأطفال . 4) تأهيل 30 مدرب من كافة الجمعيات ، للمشاركة في تعميم الأثر المباشر. 5)فتح موقع الكتروني يقدم مساهمات لكل المراكز العربية عبر العالم بمشاركة كفاءات المراكز . منهج البحث : نعتمد المنهج الوصفي ، أمَا الابواب هي: أ‌.معايير إدارة التفوق البشري : 1-انارة العقل . 2-تخلص من قيودك. 3-الليونة العقلية والجلد الذهني 4-الرؤية بعين الحق 5-الهدنة مع الذات 6-الاتساق النفسي والعقلي . 7-استراتيجيات التفوق العقلي . ب‌.منظومة إدارة البرامج العقلية : 1-مختبر إدارة الذات. 2-مختبر إدارة العقل. 3-تحرر. 4-التغلب على الصعوبات. ج. بناء الهوية التكوينية. النتائج : 1-توظيف هذه الأساليب لتوفير فرص أفضل لحياة كريمة ، آمنة تتوافق وتطلعات الأمم السَاعية للتقدم . 2-اكسابهم استراتيجيات التفوَق البشريَ القائم على السَلام والتَعاون البناء بين الجميع 3-غرس المواطنة الصَادقة عند الأطفال . 4-تأهيل قيادات الألفية الثالثة الإيجابيَة 5-استثمار الرأسمال الفكري البشري 6-نشر ثقافة السَلام والقضاء على التطرف . التوصيات 1.توعية المجتمع لأهمية التعليم الذهني ،وتطوير القدرات العقلية والنفسية لبناء الشخصية المتكاملة من خلال الدَورات . 2.تبصير المؤسسات والمراكز التطوعية باستراتيجيات التفوَق البشري وكيفية ادارته . 3.تقديم الاستشارات المتخصصة للعاملين في المراكز التطوعية والخيرية . 4.تكثيف الحملات الإعلانية للتعريف بالبرنامج . 5.إقامة شراكات واتفاقات مع المراكز القطرية التطوعية الخيرية ،لبناء نموذج قوي لادارة المشروع من و في قطر .

Qatari society is witnessing an increase in cultural diversity due to a large number of immigrants from different cultures. This cultural diversity may create a kind of cultural isolation between non-Qataris and Qatari people. International migration has led to diverse and plural cultural identities and ethnic groups in the same society. Studies have shown that immigrants face problems of adaptation to, and integration with, the culture in the communities to which they migrate. This study aims to identify the degree of social integration between expatriates and Qataris Methodology: This study used a focus group (14 focus groups, total of 65 participants from different nationalities) with an open-ended question. By using convenience and snowball sampling techniques Results: The primary arenas of interaction between Qatari and non-Qatari were in work/educational contexts. For example, participants from all groups revealed that while they have good working relationships with Qataris (or expatriates), these relationships remain in the public sphere at work or school and generally do not extend beyond these boundaries. Barriers to Integration: Language: Considered as the major barrier by most expatriates to relationship with Qataris. Culture diversity: Foreigners who share an important identity such as religion (e.g., Muslims, Arabs) are more able to make relationship with Qatari people and more likely to assimilate into Qatari society. Transient nature of expatriates: Most expatriates come to Qatar on 2-4 year work visas. This was mentioned as a barrier to social integration by both expatriates and Qataris. Appearance of Qataris: The national dress is worn by most Qatari men and women, and several focus groups mentioned that this attire can be intimidating and act as a barrier to casual interactions. Security and lack of security: While the expatriates expressed comfort and a sense of security in Qatar, the nationals showed lack of security. Conclusions: The results showed some manifestations and causes of cultural isolation between Qataris and expatriates. It showed that immigrants who come to work in Qatar faced difficulties in communicating with the Qatari people.

Bilingual education was introduced to Qatar schools several years ago in order to achieve Qatar's National Vision of 2030. The main purpose of the research is to provide a clear image of education in Qatar and show how bilingualism affects the country academically. The term 'bilingualism', in its simplest definition, is knowing two different languages based on competency in four skill areas; understanding, speaking, reading and writing. Therefore, bilingual education in Qatar refers to the use of secondary language in schools for teaching certain subjects. The design of the study is based on a comparison between the academic improvements of graduated students from independent and government schools. The data was collected by questionnaire surveys of 40 undergraduate students from both schools to evaluate the level of education they have gained and the problems they have faced in university. Moreover, a survey was distributed among teachers and parents to discover their experiences with bilingualism. In addition, for data collection, statistics from the Supreme Education Council website was used to get an overview of the level of independent schools. In the beginning, the idea of implementing bilingual education in schools was not accepted by students, teachers and parents, because they found some difficulties adapting to the English language. It resulted in low scores in science and mathematics courses; thus, students faced some problems in the admission requirements for Qatar University. On the other hand, the students' level in English has risen noticeably. Moreover, there was an argument that bilingual education may affect the Islamic religion and Arabic culture, but the parents' survey showed that there is no major effect under the SEC supervision. Despite all the obstacles, the SEC is working on several strategies to overcome the problems by strengthening the level of teaching and teachers to deliver the correct information to the students. From this study, it can be concluded that the usage of English language in Qatar schools has a great impact on the society. Therefore, in the near future, by raising the education level, Qatar will achieve public welfare, high standards of living and significant academic performance.

Background and Aims: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex disease with multiple metabolic defects including insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction. Although both insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction are present in type 2 diabetic individuals in all ethnic groups, we previously have shown that the contribution of each abnormality to the deterioration of glucose homeostasis is ethnic dependent with the greatest role of beta cell dysfunction being in Arab individuals. In the present study, we compare the efficacy and safety of a novel therapeutic approach of initiating subjects with new onset T2DM on triple therapy with agents that correct the metabolic defects in T2DM (metformin/pioglitazone/exenatide) versus the American Diabetes Association guidelines (starting metformin and sequential addition of sulfonylurea and basal insulin) which are based upon the concept of lowering the plasma glucose concentration. Research Design and Methods: 133 new onset T2DM patients (age = 45±1 y; BMI=36±0.5; HbA1c = 8.8±0.1%; diabetes duration = 5.6±0.5 mo) were randomized to receive metformin (2000 mg/d), plus pioglitazone (45 mg/d), plus exenatide (10 micrograms BID) (triple therapy, n=64) or escalating doses of metformin (2000 mg/d), followed by sequential addition of sulfonylurea (glipizide, 20 mg/d) and basal insulin to maintain HbA1c <6.5 (conventional therapy, n = 69). Results: Subjects who received triple therapy, HbA1c decreased from 8.6 to 6.1% at 6 mo and to 6.0% at 24 mo, while in the conventional therapy, HbA1c declined to 6.2% at 6 mo and subsequently increased to 6.5% at 24 mo. Despite lower HbA1c, subjects in triple therapy arm experienced a 13.6-fold lower rate of hypoglycemia compared to subjects in conventional therapy arm. 14 of 66 (21%) of T2DM patients in the conventional therapy arm have required insulin therapy to maintain the target A1c value. Subjects in the triple therapy arm experienced mean weight loss of 1.2 kg compared to mean weight gain of 3.6 kg (p=0.02) in subjects in the conventional therapy arm. Conclusion: The present results demonstrate that antidiabetic therapy targeting the metabolic abnormalities responsible for hyperglycemia is more effective and safe than therapy simply aimed at lowering the plasma glucose concentration in T2DM.