This study describes the implications of the massive Qatari educational reform, Education For a New Era (EFNE), from the perspectives of teachers, principals, and parents provides insight into these stakeholders perceptions regarding how EFNE has impacted teaching and learning and the new challenges they face. This qualitative study uses open-ended questionnaires, focus groups and interviews. Survey data is collected from 18 Independent Schools including 17 principals, 413 teachers and 565 parents and interviews with 17 principals, 26 teachers and 50 parents. Findings describe the effects, impact, the challenges and the advantages and disadvantages of EFNE on these stakeholders.

In an attempt to enhance teacher and student performance in school, a learning management system (LMS) known as Knowledge-Net (K-Net) was introduced in Qatari independent schools. (All public schools in Qatar have transformed to independent schools; the independent schools model is similar to the charter school system in North America.) An LMS is a tool that organizes and regulates classroom administrative tasks, supports teachers and students in the teaching and learning process, and informs parents of their children’s progress and school activities. Despite the benefits of the LMS, research studies indicate that its use by students has been limited because of a number of manipulative and non-manipulative factors that can influence behavior. This study explores the factors that impact student use of the LMS K-Net in Qatari independent schools. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire that was administered to students in 37 schools. A total of 1,376 students responded to the questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data that helped to confirm the results of the quantitative data and to provide additional insight on students’ perspectives regarding the use of the LMS. The results point to a strong relation between ICT knowledge and LMS usage. They suggest that the more ICT knowledge students have, the less prone they are to using the LMS. Attitudinal barriers were not predictive of usage. Student usage was strongly correlated to teacher and parent usage. This study is informative in evaluating LMS usage in Qatari schools. <br /><br />

On multiple international assessments of student learning including the IEA's TIMSS and the OECD's PISA, Qatar students have performed poorly on both reading and science when compared with international peers. To counter this academic and societal challenge, NPRP 4 – 1172 - 5 – 172 “Improving Reading Skills in the Middle School Science Classroom” trialed an innovative model for professional development of teachers that would impact how reading is taught as part of both science and English instruction at the preparatory level. This paper reports on changes in teacher knowledge and student performance over the course of the program.BackgroundFollowing a baseline study of reading demands, students' use of reading strategies, and instructional patterns, a pilot professional development program for 11 teachers in two preparatory schools was developed. The program employed a cyclical model of professional learning known as Lesson Study (Fernandez & Yoshida, 2004; Takahashi & Yoshida, 2004) in which a group of teachers study a topic, jointly plan a lesson, observe the lesson being taught to a group of students, and then reflect on how the lesson could be improved. In the Qatar program this cycle was repeated five times. Topics studied by the teachers included motivation to read (interest and purpose), strategic processes involved in reading, and the development of lessons with reading components.MethodIn the final year of the study, teachers from 12 schools were trained to lead Lesson Study groups with three additional teachers in their respective schools using the materials previously developed. The impact of the research on the participating teachers and students was measured through multiple means including a quasi-experimental assessment of student reading performance and strategy use before and after the program; teacher interviews before, during, and after the training; and classroom observation notes from researchers and participants.ResultsResults from the student assessment are still being analyzed. Qualitative indicators from the teacher interviews and class observations suggest that teachers developed a deeper understanding of 1) the component mental processes involved in reading as an ability, 2) practical methods and activities for modeling and having students practice strategic reading behaviors, and 3) the personal value of professional development that incorporates reflective learning.DiscussionBeyond the immediate impact on student learning, the research also contributes an interesting case study for the international policy debate regarding the use of native languages versus English as part of instruction. During the period in which the research occurred Qatar changed from teaching science through English to teaching it in Arabic with limited exposure to scientific terminology in English. In response to this change, the researchers encouraged participants to consider a form of pedagogy known as “translanguaging” in which speakers do not restrict themselves only to one language but rather think of all the languages at play in a contact situation as resources to draw on (García & Wei, 2014). The Lesson Study groups comprised teachers of English teaching in English and teachers of science teaching in Arabic. Reading materials in both Arabic and English were provided for sample lessons, and the research team and participants switched back and forth between languages during training sessions. Translanguaging emphasizes the need to be strategic whether reading, writing, or speaking, and as such formed a natural complement to the focus on strategic reading in the professional development. As a case study, this research suggests alternatives to policies that try to dictate one language over another.ReferencesFernandez, C., & Yoshida, M. (2004). Lesson study: A case of a Japanese approach to improving instruction through school-based teacher development. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.Takahashi, A. & Yoshida, M. (2004). Ideas for establishing Lesson-Study communities. Teaching Children Mathematics, 10(9): 436-443.

Recent scholarship has viewed fatherhood from a variety of angles of encounter. In this paper studies that focus on the trope of authoritarian fatherhood in the Arab World were reviewed; extensive variability emerged as to what constitutes authoritarian parenting as well as how it is experienced by children. The authors conclude that current scholarship supports the notion of emergent fatherhood as suggested by Inhorn (2012, 2016) and explore the implications of this concept for the study of childhood.

This article aims to examine how language policy affects the reconstruction of academic identities in a time of rapid and significant changes in contemporary higher education. Through a narrative approach, we explore how a top-down language policy chaperones the process of redefining the perceptions of our positions as academic faculty working at Qatar University, recognized as the world's most international university. Three main themes emerged from data analysis: language identities; narratives of exclusion and selfexclusion; and working in a Third Space. We conclude that the linguistic status quo poorly serves university staff in contemporary higher education and maintain that language policies must be aligned with, and better reflect, the sociolinguistic realities of university life in a global era.