Review(s) of: Plagiarism: The Internet and Student Learning - Improving Academic Integrity, by Wendy Sutherland-Smith, New York: Routledge, 2008. 224 pp. ISBN: 978 0 415 43292 1.

Plagiarism: The Internet and Student Learning—Improving Academic Integrity:

This study investigates in-service teacher education and training (INSET) practices in Qatar, and employs action research (AR) as an investigative methodology. It is an attempt to improve the researcher’s practice as a teacher trainer by exploring the local INSET setting and investigating an interventionist training programme. It had its origins in personal observation that local INSET is struggling to provide effective learning opportunities to teachers who generally engage in the minimal required INSET. 

This study was conducted over a five-year period in three stages, with three different cohorts of in-service teachers of English language teaching (ELT). The three stages were needs analysis, implementation and reflection. The needs analysis stage aimed at gathering context information to inform the INSET design and delivery in the succeeding stages. The implementation stage consisted of three AR cycles. In the first cycle, the three-month INSET delivery involved 12 sessions, comprising 48 hours of face-to-face training. The second cycle involved around 25 INSET events for over one and a half months. In the third cycle, each of the three sessions and a demo lesson was delivered every other two weeks to allow for training input implementation and online collective discussion by trainees. 

The quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of multiple methods. Quantitative data were statistically analysed while qualitative data were thematically analysed. The findings of the study provided insights on the teachers’ attitudes towards INSET, main challenges, perceived success factors, preferred training themes, engagement, and trainer role. 

This study contributes to understandings of INSET in the Qatari context. It was conducted at a time of major reforms where INSET is seen as one of the main tools to address policy makers’ concerns about the educational system. Albeit, minimal academic research has been conducted on the effectiveness of the teacher training programmes offered to TESOL practitioners in Qatar. The findings provide ways to improve INSET, shed light on how the role of a trainer can contribute to its success, explain why teachers in Qatar may not be motivated to take part in INSET, and propose a framework for INSET design and delivery in the Qatari and other ELT contexts.

Improving ELT teacher training practices through planning, design and implementation of an ICT-supported INSET programme : an action research study in Qatar

The State of Qatar, in cooperation with the RAND Corporation, launched in 2002 an ambitious educational reform and development plan, Education for a New Era, which included, among other things, the instating of English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in mathematics, science, and technology in the K-12 system. From the start, the reform plan came under fire locally on grounds related either to ideological concerns or to implementational practicalities. Results of students in all grades on national examinations, which the Supreme Educational Council (SEC) oversaw, showed that a very small percentage of students (8–20%) had mastered the set learning outcomes in any of the main four subjects (Mathematics, Sciences, English, and Arabic). These results showed clearly that the reform initiative had failed to deliver on promises of improved student performance (Kirkpatrick and Barnawi, in: Kirkpatrick (ed) English language education in the Middle East and North Africa, Springer, Switzerland, 2017). In 2012, these perceived failures led the SEC to issue a decree reinstating Arabic as the language of instruction in grades K-12 in schools as well as at Qatar University in all areas of social sciences. The present study examined the problems that had caused the failure of the reform initiative through surveying, by means of structured interviews, the opinions of teachers at independent, public, and international schools in addition to the opinions of some SEC officials; the total number of interview hours was 34 conducted with 24 interviewees. The study identified the following issues as factors that had actively contributed to the demise of the experiment of using EMI in mathematics, science and technology: attitudes of stakeholders; teachers’ qualifications and preparedness to take up such a daring task; the complexity of the context of teaching; and the manner of introducing the reform agenda.

Language policies in education in Qatar between 2003 and 2012: from local to global then back to local

This paper presents a cross-sectional study that demonstrates how King Abdulaziz University has responded to the lockdown imposed by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of students and faculty towards assessment that had to take place online due to physical or social distancing rules and lockdowns. A descriptive mixed-method study was conducted with two different self-administered questionnaires that were developed for students and faculty, respectively. A total of 547 responses were received from undergraduate students and 213 from faculty. The main finding suggests the need for a multilevel approach to the problems of cheating and plagiarism, including raising student awareness and ethics, training teachers to detect cheating methods, and institutions activating their code of practice and applying severe sanctions on those who engage in such practices.

/pdf/assessment-in-survival-mode-student-and-faculty-perceptions-3uu3p7sprm.pdf

Assessment in ‘survival mode’: student and faculty perceptions of online assessment practices in HE during Covid-19 pandemic

Teacher perceptions of curriculum change in the bilingual reform programs in government schools in the United Arab Emirates: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This study investigated faculty attitudes towards student violations of academic integrity in Canada using a qualitative review of 17 universities’ academic integrity/dishonesty policies combined with a quantitative survey of faculty members’ (N = 412) attitudes and behaviours around academic integrity and dishonesty. Results showed that 53.1% of survey respondents see academic dishonesty as a worsening problem at their institutions. Generally, they believe their respective institutional policies are sound in principle but fail in application. Two of the major factors identified by faculty as contributing to academic dishonesty are administrative. Many faculty members feel unsupported by their administration and are reluctant to formally report academic dishonesty due to the excessive burdens of dealing with paperwork and providing proof. Faculty members also cite unprepared students and international students who struggle with language issues and the Canadian academic context as major contributors to academic dishonesty. This study concludes with recommendations for educators and recommendations for future research.

The Paradox of Faculty Attitudes toward Student Violations of Academic Integrity

The State of Qatar is a small peninsula in the Arabian Gulf that remained relatively unknown outside the region from its independence from Britain in 1971 until the late 1990s. An ambitious education reform and development program, on a scale—and at a speed—rarely if ever seen before, has seen Qatar go from a few schools and no universities at independence to a comprehensive K-12 system, three technical colleges and 15 universities (at the time of writing), most housed Education City, that combine the best of foreign education with local institutions. Education reform at all levels is fraught with difficulty in every country and has a long record of failure in most jurisdictions. It is not surprising then, that Qatar’s English for a New Era reform (EFNE), launched in 2002, came under heavy local criticism for rapidly instituting English as the medium of instruction in the K-12 system and for a failure to deliver promised improvements. In 2012, as a result of these perceived failures the Rand Corporation, author of the reform, did not have its contract with Qatar renewed. At the same time, the medium of instruction at the K-12 level reverted to Arabic. Similarly, simmering discontent with the dominance of English in higher education—and the perceived primacy of the imported education institutions—resulted in Qatar University officially becoming Arabic medium of instruction in many subjects. Therefore, Qatar is now at a policy crossroads. Does the leadership maintain the remaining EFNE reforms in the K-12 system now that Arabic has been restored to prominence? Do the Education City universities continue their dominance of higher education while continuing to be fully funded by the State of Qatar? At present, it seems that Qatar intends to stay the course and concentrate on a reform of teacher education in order to boost the number of Qatari teachers and to further improve the school system. Given that EFNE was producing improvements, albeit more slowly than desired, this seems like the prudent course. However, the Supreme Education Council, the body that oversees all levels of education in Qatar is known for making massive changes or reversal of policy with extreme rapidity. Therefore, only time will answer the question: “Whither education policy in Qatar?”

Qatar’s English Education Policy in K-12 and Higher Education: Rapid Development, Radical Reform and Transition to a New Way Forward

The Kingdom of Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy that has a long history dating back over 5000 years. It is the only island-state in the Gulf. It is also the smallest, and has the lowest population, of all the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States. Due to Bahrain’s long political and trade relationship with Britain (which continue in the new globalized economy), English has been an important part of Bahrain’s economic survival. As a result, English is an integral component of the Bahraini education system and is now taught from the first year of schooling. It has also become the medium of instruction in many higher education institutions in the Kingdom. This chapter examines the history of English education in Bahrain, it’s current developments, and what the future landscape of English language policy in Bahrain may resemble. The chapter also offer suggestions on how to address some of the language and policy challenges that Bahrain is facing. Overall, many of the English language policy decisions in Bahrain are showing signs of success in both the K-12 and higher education sectors.

English Education Policy in Bahrain – A Review of K-12 and Higher Education Language Policy in Bahrain

The Struggle for Balance: Policy Borrowing and Continuous Reform in the Practice of English Language Teaching in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries

Public schooling in Bahrain can be traced back to the early 1900s. This is in contrast to its higher education system, which is comparatively still in its infancy. Postsecondary education in Bahrain started in the late 1960s with the creation of the Teachers College in 1966 and the foundation of Gulf Technical College in 1968, which became Gulf Polytechnic and is today part of the University of Bahrain. Since the turn of the century, however, Bahrain has seen rapid development and growth in its postsecondary sector. The Bahraini government has made investing heavily in its higher education system a high priority. With only three higher education institutes prior to 2000, Bahrain today boasts over 20 postsecondary institutions, with the vast majority being international branch campuses or affiliations with international universities. With Bahrain’s heavy investment in its higher education sector, it has aspirations to be an international education hub that can attract top students to attend its universities. For Bahrain, recruitment of regional and international students for its universities is vital for its sustainability, as its population alone cannot fill or support its institutions. Through a review of the relevant literature and within the framework of Edward Said’s postcolonial ‘Orientalism’ theory, the purpose of this chapter is to describe and examine the history of higher education in Bahrain. This chapter is concerned with the following questions: how has Bahrain’s colonial history influenced the Kingdom’s past and current developments in higher education? Has the progress made in higher education in Bahrain resulted in increased academic successes? Is Bahrain advancing toward its goal of becoming a regional and international education hub? The chapter will conclude with a reflection and offer some probable outcomes. 

Paul MacLeod

Papers

The Paradox of Faculty Attitudes toward Student Violations of Academic Integrity

Qatar’s English Education Policy in K-12 and Higher Education: Rapid Development, Radical Reform and Transition to a New Way Forward

English Education Policy in Bahrain – A Review of K-12 and Higher Education Language Policy in Bahrain

The Struggle for Balance: Policy Borrowing and Continuous Reform in the Practice of English Language Teaching in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries

Higher Education in Bahrain