‘I am an Arab but I live in an English world’: Teaching social work in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

• Summary: This article advances a basic model for cross-cultural social work teaching linked to the use of appropriate cultural methodology that is fundamental to the learning success of Arab social work students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). • Findings: The article’s findings are based on qualitative research methodology and makes use of focus groups and narrative case studies. The article explores Arab social work students’ perception of receiving education in English in a fourth-year Social Work Practice course presented by a Western, English-speaking social work faculty. It also summarizes the self-reflective experiences of the author who lectured social work at a prominent university in the United Arab Emirates over a period of four years in order to generate some practical guidelines for social work educators on cross-cultural teaching and learning success located in a culture other than their own. • Applications: In this regard, the article also shares some suggestions for teaching social work across cultural barriers in the UAE based on student perceptions and self-reflective experiences of the author.