Education In Bahrain Research Articles

The Arabian Mission and education in Bahrain: ‘encounter’ and ‘resistance’, 1892–1917

This article examines the encounters between the Arabian Mission and the people of Bahrain from 1892 to 1917. The Arabian Mission which began as an American missionary project, established a station in Bahrain and used education as a tool to evangelize the population. The mission’s activities triggered an opposition movement that worked hard to resist these. This article explores the educational efforts of the Arabian Mission and the role of the opposition which used a novel means to hinder the mission’s activities. In the opposition movement’s effort to stop the mission’s activities, they explored alternative means of providing educational services and sought religious reform. The new educational services and reforms led the local Bahraini community to engage in an internal dialogue about what was considered acceptable, which generated various educational pathways among the different communities.

Efficacy of PBL Approach in Bahraini Context: Views and Reflections

Purpose: After the implementation of Alzayed's research (2016), another research on the efficacy of PBL in the High school in Bahraini context was conducted using the same participants of Alzayed's research (2016). That was for two main reasons: First is to find out the process behind how students on the PBL scheme learn. The second is to detect if it has any positive or negative effect on them.
 Methodology: This paper adopted a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews of twenty-four students, two teachers, and three curriculum specialists.
 Findings: Its main findings reflect that students who were taught Islamic Education (IE) under the umbrella of the PBL scheme, their critical thinking skills were significantly reinforced as much as the delivered knowledge which was smoothly adopted without any need to be forced or pressurized through the learning process. Simply, they were able to learn the information effortlessly. This research concludes that the PBL scheme was successful as students developed confidence in learning which enabled them to have positive attitudes towards learning. Although students had to adjust themselves to the different teaching and learning methods, they were able to work together positively and fruitfully. This research explored that students have good ambitions after using the PBL scheme.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study recommends that the Ministry of Education consider this by introducing the scheme as an effective and positive process to be used for students to learn and achieve better outcomes. Moreover, this research adds value to the PBL in the context of Islamic education in Bahrain as well as ensuring its effectiveness in learning and developing skills.

Cooperative and Problem-Based Learning Practice in Islamic Education in Bahrain: Strengths and Challenges

Cooperative and Problem-Based Learning Practice in Islamic Education in Bahrain: Strengths and Challenges

Reviewing Inclusive Education for Children with Special Educational Needs in Bahrain Public Schools

ABSTRACT This study is an empirical investigation of special and inclusive education provision in Bahrain’s public schools by considering four schools as case studies. The initiative of inclusive education in Bahrain’s public schools was introduced in 2005 by the Ministry of Education (MoE). However, since its inception, there has been no quality review or diagnostic assessment of the effectiveness of the inclusion program and that of the provision, practice, and resources available to support students with special education needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Thus, this study evaluates the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of special education programs and services in Bahrain to determine whether the MoE is meeting the needs of students with SEN and/or disabilities, including their right to a free and appropriate public education. It is observed that the implementation of this initiative was challenging for the case study schools. The results of this study suggest that internal and external barriers to inclusive education at various levels include the overall cultures, policies, and practice towards the development of inclusive education in Bahrain’s public schools. This study provides a foundational base pertaining to this subject with respect to the Bahraini context.

A Creative Framework of Online Teaching of Public Relations Modules during the Covid-19 Pandemic: An Action Research Approach

The education of public relations and media modules has been tied in the literature to the professionalism of these disciplines. The contribution of this paper is that it is the first paper that has used a reflective action research methodology to improve the on-line teaching of skill-oriented modules of public relations at the university-level in Bahrain during Covid-19. The instructor/researcher developed two action research cycles where she planned and implemented new teaching strategies based on the students’ needs, observed, evaluated, and reflected. The paper finds that action research has been useful in creating a collaborative relationship with the students, and helped to reflect on the e-learning process of public relations modules. The paper recommends the use of action research to improve new creative strategies of teaching other media and mass communication modules at the university-level during the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, the researcher invites future scholars to take the results of this research further, and use action research to improve creative educational methods that would improve high education in Bahrain after the Covid-19 pandemic.

E-Learning: From an Option to an Obligation

Post COVID-19 outbreak, higher education practices changed considerably around the world. In Bahrain, institutions of higher learning as well as the country’s education quality authority have been challenged in different ways because of the pandemic and have been compelled to resort to e-learning and virtual approaches to quality reviews, respectively. This paper presents an analysis of e-learning in higher education in Bahrain and related quality assurance processes pre-and-post COVID-19. This is in addition to arriving at conclusions about what the next relevant steps forward are. The research method followed in this paper is qualitative, taking the form of a small-scale inquiry cast from a quality assurance perspective, that is social context-dependent and focusing on a specific case (e-learning in Bahrain pre-and-post COVID). It, thus, provides an interpretivist perspective in terms of knowledge. The data analysis points to a need for the establishment of a comprehensive set of guidelines for higher education institutions in Bahrain, to develop their own ‘Quality Assurance in E-Learning’ models. These models are simultaneously ones that can facilitate more accurate and in-depth quality evaluations by the Kingdom’s quality authority.

Политика Королевства Бахрейн в сфере цифровизации образования

The priorities of the digital policy of the Persian Gulf states at the present stage are seriously differ-ent. While the large Arabian monarchies (such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE) are betting on the develop-ment of large-scale military-political and economic programs, which in the future will consolidate their regional leadership, the small states of the GCC are striving to achieve success in a certain niche associ-ated with digital development. In the case of Bahrain, this niche has become e-education. This article examines in turn the key stages in the development of the digital education system in the Kingdom - from individual initiatives (“King Hamad's Schools of the Future”) to a comprehensive un-derstanding (the concept of “Education in Bahrain in a new era” as a part of “Vision 2030”) - and its im-pact on the pace of development of human capital and international reputation of Manama. In general, it is obvious that the Kingdom has achieved significant success: an effectively built system, based on a symbiosis of public and private projects, makes national specialists more competitive in the regional labor market, and also keeps Bahrain involved in the global educational agenda. On the other hand, the Kingdom still faces significant problems that impede effective development - among the main ones are the shortage of personnel, the inertia of the legislative sphere, and the lack of domestic software. One way or another, despite the problems, Bahrain continues to systematize efforts in the field of digital education and, with a high degree of probability, will promote this brand at the regional level.

Forensic Accounting Education in Bahrain: Academicians' Perceptions

Horizon Research Publishing,USA (HRPUB) is a worldwide open access publisher serving the academic research and scientific communities by launching peer-reviewed journals covering a wide range of academic disciplines. As an international academic organization for researchers & scientists, we aim to provide researchers, writers, academic professors and students the most advanced research achievements in a broad range of areas, and to facilitate the academic exchange between them.

Examining perceptions of inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in art and design higher education in Bahrain

Despite the current endeavors by the government in Bahrain to promote inclusion of students with special educational needs, the perceptions of deaf and hard-of-hearing students’ inclusion is yet to...

Effect of Curriculum Change on TIMSS Achievement in Bahrain

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is one of the most influential assessments of student achievement conducted at regular interval every four years. It provides reliable data about the mathematics and science achievement of students in grade 4 and grade 8, as well as data that informs instruction, curriculum development and teaching-learning process. Curriculum related factors are among the most prominent elements that affect TIMSS results. This study explores the impact of recent revisions in the school mathematics curriculum implemented by the Ministry of Education in Bahrain (The Bahrain Numeracy Strategy) on the TIMSS achievement results. The analysis focuses on the three cognitive domains (Knowing, Applying & Reasoning) as well as the three content domains (Number, Geometric Shapes and Measurement & Data Analysis) among fourth grade students. A thorough review of the curriculum and structured interviews and reflections with in-service teachers who witnessed a prominent change in the outcome revealed that Bahraini students’ scores improved in all three content domains while comparing 2011 and 2015. The possible explanations and reasons for those changes in achievement are further discussed.

Paulo Freire’s critical and dialogic pedagogy and its implications for the Bahraini educational context

This paper is a conceptual analysis in methodology. The purpose it fulfils is that of analysing the critical and dialogic pedagogy of Paulo Freire, to arrive at implications of Freire’s philosophy and approach for the current educational context of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Bahraini context is currently one of major economic, social, and educational reforms. Despite several reform initiatives, however, schools in Bahrain are still not advancing as they should be and deficiencies continue to exist in students’ development of higher-order thinking skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and analysis. Among the implications made by this study are ones related to: teaching and learning practices within a classroom, cultivation of 21st Century skills, curriculum development and planning, and the role played by the teacher. The paper ends with a number of significant recommendations for teachers and policy-makers, which can enhance education in Bahrain and help it progress faster. These recommendations can also prove to be useful to other parallel contexts regionally and internationally.

Emergency remote education in Bahrain, Iraq, and Russia During the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative case study

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic many education organizations closed their doors to contain the spread of infection, providing learning continuity by distance and online delivery. OBJECTIVE: To explore the challenges educators faced during emergency remote learning so that others may learn from their experience. METHOD: A case study based on the experience of educators compares how education continuity was provided in Bahrain, Iraq, and Russia. Personal insights gathered using Zoom, complemented by documentary evidence, explore the ‘lived experience’ of the emergency changes made to teaching and learning provision. RESULTS: Whilst teachers and students were ill-prepared, and there were issues with electricity supply, stable Wi-Fi, and access to equipment, most countries were able to offer students access to learning using a combination of distance education and online learning. Benefits accrued were greater familiarity with the use of technology and a revaluing of the importance of social relations in teaching and learning. Early indications are that educational inequities may have been widened as a consequence. CONCLUSION: The challenges facing the education sector fall into three main categories: crisis management and decision making, infrastructure readiness, and student receptiveness. A hybrid approach, which blends face-to-face with online learning, is the way forward in the ‘new normal’ post-pandemic.

Conceptualizing school leadership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cultures: Demarcating challenges for research

Although school turnaround has been studied extensively in Western contexts such as the United States, the applicability of remedies to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has not been extensively studied. The literature that exists predominantly uses a Western cultural lens. This article identifies four key dimensions of leadership for transformation of schools—what is leadership, who becomes a school leader, how are leaders supported, and do school leaders believe they can succeed—, contrasting between the Gulf region and the West; in doing so, the article seeks to explain why the solutions to school failure that originate from the West, widely understood around the globe, are either irrelevant or of limited use in this region. Drawing in part on the authors’ experience in establishing a leadership centre, through collaboration between the Ministry of Education in Bahrain and the Bahrain Teachers College, the article calls for systematic empirical studies to establish how each of the four dimensions inform region-specific approaches to leadership for school transformation and quality improvement. It concludes by arguing that researchers should explicitly consider the extent to which their findings can be translated into practical leadership action in a range of cultural settings.

Pre-service Teachers’ Perception of Readiness to Teach in Light of Teachers’ Standards

This study examines the extent to which the graduate teachers from Bahrain Teachers College (BTC) meet Teachers’ Standards which are set by the Ministry of Education in Bahrain (MoE). In particular, the study explores the extent to which pre-service teachers at BTC are equipped with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to implement these standards. Mixed research methods were employed to conduct this study. On one hand the findings revealed that the results were mixed regarding the pre-service teachers’ perceptions of readiness to teach in relation to content knowledge, dealing with parents, school administration and MoE. On the other hand, they indicate that pre-service teachers show strong agreement with the effectiveness of the BTC’s teacher education program in preparing them to implement the Teachers' Standards (Mean= 4.10, SD = 0.85).

BAHRAIN\\\'S HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM: TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

Ponte Academic JournalMay 2019, Volume 75, Issue 5 BAHRAIN\\\'S HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM: TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTSAuthor(s): Irina Ahmed Zayn AYDRUS ,Sergey V. RYAZANTSEV, Igor Y. BOGDANOV, Ravil R. ASMYATULLIN, Mehdi AFZALI, Nadezhda K. VASILIEVAJ. Ponte - May 2019 - Volume 75 - Issue 5 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2019.5.8 Abstract:The system of higher education in the Kingdom of Bahrain developed against the background of economic transformation in the country. This article analyzes the main stages and factors of the formation of the higher education system in the country, reveals the problems of its development at the present stage. Among the key factors in the formation of competitive education in Bahrain, it is worth noting the development of the state first and then the private sector, the improvement of the quality of education and the orientation towards international cooperation. Particular attention is paid to the position of Bahrain in the global market for educational services, analysis of Bahraini universities and the country\\\'s initiatives towards becoming a regional educational center. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

AUTONOMY IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION: A BAHRAINI PERSPECTIVE

Formal architectural education in Bahrain is relatively young, born only at the beginning of the twentieth century. This paper discusses autonomy in learning architecture, and the effect of using a mixed methods approach combining theoretical and practical assignments on students’ performance and understanding of complex architectural concepts. The study discusses the performance and progress of 81 undergraduate students in the course of Contemporary Architecture. The paper presents the students’ learning process and engagement that occurred throughout the given assignments, theorizing about how students could build on these processes to support their understanding of contemporary architectural and urban issues. The research concludes that both theoretical and practical educations are very helpful in the learning process. Nevertheless, active learning offers distinct advantages to architectural education, especially when combined with group work. The study also shows that while students were able to plan, design and construct spatial installations, they were less capable of reflecting on their projects philosophically. The results indicate the importance of practical experiences in enhancing overall student understanding of architectural phenomena.

A sample survey analysis of the effectiveness of training and development initiatives in Bahrain’s financial sector on employability of Bahraini nationals in 2015

Purpose Bahrain has been the center for financial services industry in the Middle East since 1970s as a result of the national strategy of diversification of its economy from oil-based resources to financial services. Since then Bahrain has also become the center for training and development for the Bahraini nationals with the aim of recruiting Bahrainis as employees of choice by the sector. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of training and development initiatives on the employability of Bahrainis in the financial services sector in 2015. To this end, pioneering initiatives were undertaken by the government in creating institutions for training and continuous education in Bahrain. The Economic Vision 2030 of Bahrain lays emphasis on a vibrant private sector with Bahrainis being the employees of choice. Design/methodology/approach The study is a mixed approach using quantitative and qualitative methods through the use of a survey questionnaire and secondary data to analyze the impact of training and development on the employability of Bahraini nationals in the financial sector as of 2015. Findings The findings show that training and development lead to career progression which impact employability rates of Bahrainis in the financial services sector for the selected sample of financial sector employees. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by only a cross-section of data collected via questionnaire and does not consider the historical development and analysis of employability rates in Bahrain over the years. The questionnaire has some limitations and there are expected possible biases in the responses. Originality/value Given the sensitivity of the topic of research, the analysis has policy implications for the labor market of Bahrain due to the Bahrain 2030 Vision of privatization and diversification and is the first study of its kind for the financial sector of Bahrain.

The Impact of Professional Training and Development Practices on the Employees Performance: A Case Study of Ministry of Education in Bahrain

The need for increased productivity among the employees of Ministry of Education has become widely accepted, which results to the increase in the demand of training and development practices. Training is a systematic development of knowledge, skills and attitudes required by employees to perform adequately on a given task. This study aims to find out the impact of training and development on employee’s productivity in the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The empirical findings of the study demonstrated that training and development is one of the major tools for enhancing the performance of the employees of Ministry of Education. The training programs provide effective benefits to the Ministry along with its employees as relevant to the amount of cost incurred for it. It was also found that the training helps in assessing the needs that can make the training program and the employees improve all of their weaknesses. The findings also revealed that training also helps to evaluate the areas that need further improvement of training programs.

Deconstructing the ‘magnetic’ properties of neoliberal politics of education in Bahrain

ABSTRACTThis article makes contributions to questions of why international transfers of programmes do not lead to the outcomes that nations engaging in them expect to gain. Using Bahrain as an example, it is argued that tensions arising from policy borrowing are rooted in the complexities of the political incoherence between the new teaching policies, the Kingdom’s economic vision and educational aspirations of many locals that have been shaped by old political and employment settlements within the nation state. The research shows that educating for global development is not a ‘magnet’ that equally attracts everyone.

Performance Management System in Action, Survey and Questionnaire Finding in Higher Education in Bahrain

This paper focus on performance management system in practice based on survey and questionnaires and supported by literature work. Ever since the establishments of these higher education institutions, little has been done regarding administrative rules and policies on the use of performance management system and practices. Thus, it became compulsory to assess the current system and consider performance management system as one of the important parts. This entails enhancement of the existing performance management system in the above-mentioned selected higher education institutions. The performance management system is expected to standardize the correct method in the system of promotion, and give incentives and rewards to administrative officers and employees in the higher education institutions on a yearly basis. Thus, this research study was conducted to determine the level of adequacy of the present performance management system as a basis of promotion and rewards in the five selected higher education institutions in Bahrain. This study aims to conduct a performance management system audit of selected higher education institutions in Bahrain towards a strategic performance management system. Specifically, the study addresses the following: What is the profile of these selected five higher education institutions operating in Bahrain’s performance management system in the areas of: Demographic profile; Vision, mission, value and strategy; Organization and structure; Employees, talent management, leadership development; Employee relations; Staffing; Continues education program; and Performance management? To what extent do respondents correlate significantly in their perceptions? What are the strengths and weaknesses resulting from the respondents perceptions on the PMS profiles? Based on the findings, what strategic PMS is applicable to the selected higher education institutions? The study aimed to audit the Performance Management System of Higher Education Institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain towards a strategic performance management system. The descriptive method of research was used in this study with prepared structured questionnaires as basis for the data needed in auditing the present appraisal tool used by higher education institutions. Two groups of respondents namely the administrative managers and administrative employees with the corresponding numbers of 150 each or a total of 300 were the respondents in this study. The study was conducted in the selected five public and private higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain. These selected higher education institutions are established, one of them a government and a prime institution of higher learning. This primer university was established in the late sixties during the integration of the Higher Education Institutes for male and female teachers into the system. These institutes later integrated with other colleges and formed into the primer government university. The other four higher education institutions were established in the late 1990s and 2000s and maintain their higher learning standards within the requirements of the Ministry of Education in Bahrain. This research environment was based on the current locations of these selected five higher education institutions within Manama and the neighboring towns in the state nation of Bahrain where most of the employees are diversified from the academic staff to administrative employees like Bahrainis, Indians, Pakistanis, Egyptians, western people, other Asian and Arab nationalities among others. Such diversities of people working in these selected higher education institutions made it unique to this study since all of these people are affected for whatever result the performance management system will provide to them. The demographic profile comprised age groups between 31 to 35; the respondents’ educational attainments; work experiences from 6 to 10 years, and number of years in their present jobs. The major areas studied were: Vision, Mission, Value and Strategy; Organization and structure; Employees’ talent management, and leadership development; Employee relations; Staffing, Continuous education program; and Performance management. The respondents received copies of the survey questionnaire through e-mail, postal system, or personal approach. The output of the research work served as a basis to derive a strategic performance management system model for higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Responses to the questions were tested at α = .05 or α = .01 where appropriate. Correlation analysis was used to test significance of associations of respondents’ responses. The weighted means were tested for significance using a t-test. To conform with international standards, only means that were at least 3.5 were accepted as strengths and means below 3.5 were considered weaknesses. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software is used throughout the study to process the data.