Papers by wafaa el zaatari
Management in Education
The present study aims to review higher education leadership and management (HELM) research in th... more The present study aims to review higher education leadership and management (HELM) research in the Arab region. The study employed systematic review methods to analyze 77 articles published in educational leadership and management journals, higher education journals, and journals indexed in the Scopus database between 2000 and 2020. The analysis focused on identifying the main features and trends found in the articles including the development of publication volume over time, geographical distribution, types of studies, research topics, and research methods. Quantitative methods were used to analyze the data. The features identified echoed those reported for the broader educational leadership and management literature in Arab societies such as the relatively small size of the knowledge base, uneven geographical distribution, the predominance of empirical, quantitative studies, and high emphasis on leadership as a research topic. The findings are discussed in the light of relevant li...
How the Bronfenbrenner Bio-ecological System Theory Explains the Development of Students’ Sense of Belonging to School?, 2022
The central concept of this review underscores the fact that the development of a feeling of belo... more The central concept of this review underscores the fact that the development of a feeling of belonging at school occurs because of different interactions between developing students and the school's ecological environment over time. This review argues that Bronfenbrenner's Bio-ecological Systems Theory can best explain the development of school belonging by highlighting the role of PPCT (Process, Person, Context, and Time). The process includes the interactions (proximal and distal) that occur between students and their school's ecological systems. The person considers the active role of students in influencing their development. The context encompasses the school's ecological systems. The time includes events and the chronological age of students. The review highlights the most important proximal practices and interactions that occur in school microsystems and play a significant role in enhancing students' sense of belonging. Empirical, longitudinal research that focuses on the interactions of all the components of the PPCT model is recommended.
International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 2019
In adolescence, humans begin to establish their adult identities. Their teachers are important in... more In adolescence, humans begin to establish their adult identities. Their teachers are important in this development, but increasing work and accountability demands on teachers mean teacher-student relations suffer, negatively impacting adolescents' sense of school belonging and behavioural, psychological, and academic development. We used ecological systems theory to study affect, power, and reciprocity dimensions of the student-teacher relationship at school level in the United Arab Emirates. Observations and semi-structured interviews with female eleventh-graders and their teachers showed that adolescents believed teachers tried their best, but their lecture-based teaching style was boring, and that teachers rarely engaged students in group work or considered their opinions. Additionally, not all teachers supported or respected students. Teacherstudent power imbalance exacerbated these issues and led students to disobey or skip classes. Relationships based on care, trust, respect, affect, openness, and cooperation can foster student achievement, identity development, and school belonging and teacher accountability.
Cogent Journal, 2021
In this study, which endeavored to identify school climate factors and their influence on adolesc... more In this study, which endeavored to identify school climate factors and their influence on adolescent students’ feelings of school belonging, it became evident that a new conceptualization thereof is needed. Quantitative data from 443 male and female 11th graders and 264 of their teachers and qualitative data from 16 students and eight of their teachers in Al Ain public school district were collected. The findings
revealed that adolescents perceived parental involvement, classroom practices, teacher-student relationships, safety and school social practices, and peer relationships in novel and different ways to their teachers. Various factors including parental involvement, teacher-student relationships, and classroom practices were viewed as unimportant in promoting student belonging. The adolescents appeared to be more concerned with safety and school social life and peer relationships. The findings are significant for policymakers and practitioners in their quest to improve the educational experiences of adolescent students and facilitate their psycho-social development
Multilingual Academic Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2015
C Co ol ll la ab bo or ra at ti in ng g R Re ev vi ie ew we er rs s
This study investigated four factors for teacher resistance to educational change in government s... more This study investigated four factors for teacher resistance to educational change in government schools in the UAE: psychological, personal, school-culture-related, and organizational. Data were collected through a survey of 39 statements on a Likert scale completed by 255 male and female, foreign and national teachers who taught different grade levels in Al-Ain government schools. The findings of the study showed that teachers felt the need for change and trusted change agents and principals. However, they needed to be prepared psychologically because they were afraid of the unknown consequences of change. They were also exhausted by frequent changes that they felt were imposed. Further, they faced difficulties in teaching students who were not grasping the new curriculum because of the English language barrier. The study recommended that well-planned changes, supportive principals, change-based effective professional development, and a reward system are needed for the change to succeed. Above all, change should fit the UAE culture.
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Papers by wafaa el zaatari
revealed that adolescents perceived parental involvement, classroom practices, teacher-student relationships, safety and school social practices, and peer relationships in novel and different ways to their teachers. Various factors including parental involvement, teacher-student relationships, and classroom practices were viewed as unimportant in promoting student belonging. The adolescents appeared to be more concerned with safety and school social life and peer relationships. The findings are significant for policymakers and practitioners in their quest to improve the educational experiences of adolescent students and facilitate their psycho-social development
revealed that adolescents perceived parental involvement, classroom practices, teacher-student relationships, safety and school social practices, and peer relationships in novel and different ways to their teachers. Various factors including parental involvement, teacher-student relationships, and classroom practices were viewed as unimportant in promoting student belonging. The adolescents appeared to be more concerned with safety and school social life and peer relationships. The findings are significant for policymakers and practitioners in their quest to improve the educational experiences of adolescent students and facilitate their psycho-social development