Understanding Family Involvement in the Education of Emirati College Students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abstract

Studies conducted in Western contexts show that understanding family involvement in education, one form of intergenerational communication, is crucial to enhancing student performance. Rapid economic growth in the non-Western context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since nationalization in 1971 enabled a transition from a traditional agriculture-based society to a technologically advanced knowledge-based society in about 40 years. Federally funded postsecondary institutions employed mostly expatriate instructors and used English, not Arabic, as the medium of instruction. Most parents had little or no education. The study investigated family involvement in education focusing on cultural expectations and influences exerted on Emirati college students to enable educators and policymakers to create policies promoting retention and student success.