scholarly journals Investigating Relationships Between Learning Environment Perceptions, Motivation and Self-Regulation for Female Science Students in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Author(s):  
Jill M Aldridge ◽  
Kate Rowntree

AbstractThe global lack of student motivation towards learning science and gender imbalance in STEM careers provided the impetus for this study, which had two key aims: (1) to examine the influence of female students’ perceptions of the psychosocial learning environment on their motivation towards and self-regulation in science learning,; and (2) to investigate the influence of their reported motivation on their self-regulation of effort. Data were collected from 338 female students in grades 6 to 9 science classes across 16 government schools in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the hypothesised relationships, which indicated that there were statistically significant relationships between learning environment perceptions, motivation and self-regulation. The results provide exigent information to both teachers, policy-makers and researchers with regard to the influences of the psychosocial learning environment on female students’ motivation towards science, as well as the influence of motivation towards science on their self-regulatory behaviour within science classroom settings.

Author(s):  
Nada Hammad ◽  
Syed Zamberi Ahmad ◽  
Avraam Papastathopoulos

Purpose This paper aims to investigate residents’ perceptions of tourism’s impact on their support for tourism development in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from Abu Dhabi residents (n = 407), who represented 30 nationalities residing in the emirate. Based on social exchange theory, structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Findings Results suggest that Abu Dhabi residents perceive the impacts of tourism positively and are more sensitive to the environmental and economic influences of tourism than the social and cultural influences. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to Abu Dhabi residents; findings cannot be generalized to other emirates in the UAE, or other countries. Originality/value This study adds value to extant tourism literature by investigating residents’ perceptions of the influence of tourism in one of the richest cities worldwide, which aspires to be one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the Middle East.


Author(s):  
Hany M. Hassan ◽  
Nuha M. Albusaeedi ◽  
Atef M. Garib ◽  
Hussain A. Al-Harthei

Traffic crashes involving heavy trucks long have been a major concern in the field of traffic safety because of their great effect on accident severity. The emirate of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, features a unique situation: several roads designed mainly for truck movement. Even though those roads were constructed more than 10 years ago to decrease the severity of truck-related crashes, no prior studies have examined their effects on traffic safety improvements. The goals of this study were to understand better the nature, characteristics, and causes of heavy truck crashes occurring in Abu Dhabi; to identify the factors associated with crash severities; and to examine the probability of truck crashes involving fatalities on truck roads versus on mixed-vehicle roads. Data were analyzed from a sample of 1,426 heavy truck–related crashes with reported fatalities or injuries that occurred in Abu Dhabi between 2007 and 2013. First, conditional distributions, two-way analysis, and odds ratios were performed. Second, ordered probit and structural equation models were developed. Results indicated that the likelihood of truck crashes involving fatalities was 35% higher on truck roads than on mixed-vehicle roads. In addition, findings showed that human error, driver education, location, road type, and road speed variables were significant in affecting the severity of heavy truck– related crashes. Finally, practical suggestions on how to reduce the number of heavy truck–related crashes in Abu Dhabi are presented and discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maison Maison ◽  
Syahrial ◽  
Syamsurizal ◽  
Tanti

Studies of correlations between students’ beliefs and various aspects of student learning become one of the fastest growing research areas in the field of education and psychology. The aim of the current research was to analyze the correlations between learning environments, students' beliefs, and self-regulation in learning physics through structural equation modeling (SEM). There were 1010 students from the existing five public high schools in Jambi city, Indonesia, participating in the research. Three self-report questionnaires including (1) WIHIC, (2) CLASS, and (3) MSLQ were used to collect the research data. The data analysis showed that students’ beliefs were significantly and positively correlated with multiple dimension of self-regulation in learning physics (critical thinking and peer learning); while the dimension of sense-making and problem-solving ability significantly related to the affective component of self-regulation (test anxiety). However, the dimension of students’ beliefs did not have any significant effect on all of the self-regulation components. Additionally, learning environment dimensions were significantly related to students’ beliefs about physics on the dimension of conceptual connection and related to all of the self-regulation dimensions. Keywords: learning environment, self-regulation, students' beliefs, structural equation modeling.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-72
Author(s):  
Samee Ullah ◽  
Beena Sarfraz

The learning environment of a classroom plays an integral role in students’ life. If a student’s surrounding environment is good then they perform well in studies. Learning environments are of different types like physical environment, social environment, psychological environment, instructional environment and psychosocial environment. Among these, Psychosocial learning environment is very important. It not only encourages the science learners to learn new things but also enhances their motivation for science learning.  The aim of this study is to investigate of relationship between science classroom psychosocial learning environment and secondary school students ‘motivation. The research design used is descriptive and quantitative in nature. Population of the study consisted of 10th grade Secondary School Students’ who enrolled in all the campuses of District public school Okara during academic session 2016-2018.The total numbers of students were 1146.The random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Two Questionnaires were used to collect the data about the perceptions of students for psychosocial environment and motivation.  Collected data were tabulated in SPSS (version24) and then analyzed by using one sample t-test, and two way between groups analysis of variance (Two-way ANOVA). Significant difference between science classroom psychosocial learning environment and secondary school students’ motivation in science classes was found for Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Involvement, and Equity.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seena Biju ◽  
Khyati Shetty ◽  
Jason R. Fitzsimmons

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of barriers to career progression among female university students. While significant literature has examined career enhancement in the context of employed women, little work has explored the perceptions of future career challenges of females about to enter the workforce and embark on their careers. This study derives its motivation from research findings that confirm that women need additional focused preparation for career advancement opportunities. Design/methodology/approach The study used a sample of 484 Indian female university students located in the United Arab Emirates and India. The study uses the established Career Pathways Survey scale (Smith et al., 2012a) to measure the four dimensions Denial, Acceptance, Resignation and Resilience to career progression. Structural equation modeling was used to model the four constructs as indicators of perceived barriers to progress. Findings The study finds that among the female students about to embark on their career journey, there is a strong desire toward achieving career success. The model is validated by the use of a structural equation model, and findings indicate that there is a strong sense of Resilience and an element of uncertainty about whether perceived career progression will be satisfying overall. No significant differences were observed in the perceptions across the two geographical locations. The findings suggest that continued efforts in preparing female graduates for career success are warranted. Practical implications The Career Pathways Survey may be a useful method to assist young women in identifying their career goals prior to entering the workforce. Interventions through training programs during their higher education may be beneficial in addressing perceptions that might hinder their later career growth. Originality/value This paper contributes to the understanding of the perceived barriers to career progression for women. Prior research has concentrated on career progression in the context of employed women. This study extends that work to understand the perceptions of women about to embark on their career journey.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 635-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masood A. Badri ◽  
Jihad Mohaidat

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to validate the direction and strength of the relationships between school reputation, parental satisfaction and parental loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports the findings of a survey of 806 parents from Schools in Abu Dhabi – the United Arab Emirates. The paper builds mainly on previous work of Skallerud (2011) on measurement of school reputations. Structural equation modelling was used to validate the reputation measure and to test the proposed relationships. The model hypothesised and tested relationships linking school reputation to parental satisfaction and loyalty. Findings – The results show strong support for a satisfaction-reputation-loyalty model and confirmed the four-dimensional scale (parental orientation, learning quality, safe environment and good teachers) for assessment of parent-based school reputation. Evidence was found that parents’ satisfaction significantly affects the four reputation dimensions. However, only three constructs of parent orientation affected parental perception of school loyalty. Additional personal or demographic variables should be included to improve the model. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to parents of children attending public and private schools in Abu Dhabi. The model should be validated with other schools and in other Emirates and countries. Practical implications – Identifying the antecedents of parent-based school reputation might aid school decision makers to better address parental satisfaction and loyalty. A careful examination of the causal relations between the various constructs could aid in crafting and implementing effective programs for increasing parental satisfaction and attracting future students. Originality/value – The study adds to the limited body of research addressing the appropriate conceptualisation and measurement of school reputation. It also sheds light on a better understanding of the potential relationships among the constructs in the model.


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