Happiness and subjective well-being are interesting topics for search and study. The perception of happiness differs from one person to another; however, happiness can be defined as a general feeling that people feel and share. The United Arab Emirates puts forth great efforts to achieve happiness amongst people who live in it. In aligning with the Happiness Meter that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched , this research study aims to measure the level of happiness among higher education students and its relationship with their academic success during the lockdown period of COVID—19. Exploring whether the happiness level predicts students’ success and if a gender-based difference in the feeling of happiness and well-being resides. The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) was used to conducting this research project. Simple linear regression and t-test for independent samples were used to achieving the purpose of the study. Data analysis revealed that higher education students in the UAE have high levels of happiness and academic success; the students’ happiness levels were found to be correlated to their academic success. T-test demonstrated that there was no gender-based difference in the happiness level among the students of higher education settings.

Mathematics is an important subject that plays a crucial role in constructing mental discipline among students. There has been a great focus on investigating students’ attitudes toward mathematics in higher education settings. The current study is aiming to explore the factors that affect attitudes toward math among higher education students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Math Attitude Questionnaire MAQ was adapted from Prokop et al. to fulfill the study objectives. Gender and math course levels were the proposed variables that could influence students’ attitudes toward learning mathematics in six different dimensions. Data analysis demonstrated that higher education students in the UAE show a positive attitude toward math in most MAQ dimensions. The T-test for Independent Sample revealed that gender does not affect students’ attitudes toward learning mathematics. Moreover, the ANOVA test revealed that mathematics course levels have a significant impact on students’ attitudes toward math in the six dimensions of MAQ. The math instructor and equipment dimensions were found to have a significant effect on students’ attitudes among the students taking advanced math courses. The findings of this study could benefit the higher education system in the context of enhancing mathematics teaching and assessment.

PurposeAs there are many Arab students seek to earn an international degree, this research article aims to explore the factors that influence Arab students' adaptation to the foreign cross-culture of the USA and how it is related to their academic achievement. Exploring these factors will introduce different insights into the effectiveness of adaptation and studying in a foreign country and earning an international degree. Besides, this study contributes to the body of knowledge of international higher education by including Arab students as a less-researched group. Arab students' adaptation process is explained in terms of the Cross-cultural Adaptation Theory (Kim, 2001).Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research study was conducted using a focus group discussion (FGD). Multiple face-to-face interviews were conducted to obtain data from the participants. Participants were divided into four groups, each female group contained nine participants and each male group contained seven participants. The researcher explained to each group independently about their perception, beliefs and attitude toward earning international degrees, the adaptation to the host culture and their academic achievement. The researcher carried out five FGDs for each group. Each interview continued for 60 minutes in length. All participants received a consent form. The discussions were audio-recorded and then transcribed.FindingsArab students are a group of enthusiastic learners; however, their feelings of homesickness enable them to develop overwhelming sorrowful emotions, howbeit their communication with their ethnic group facilitates the adaption and acceptance of the host cultures, which requires quite some time to adjust to new surroundings. Arab students are recognized with high academic achievements; nevertheless, they require prolonged periods to complete course assignments. American society gives international students a warm welcome; this may encourage other Arab students to consider earning an American degree and prepare themselves for this intercultural transition.Research limitations/implicationsThis is subjective qualitative data; some limitations need to be addressed when interpreting the findings. Participants are English as a Second Language (ESL)learners, which may influence their word choice during the discussion. Interesting future research could be related to designing an assessment model to evaluate the academic achievement of ESL in different methods that focus on their achievement motivations and communication skills.Practical implicationsBased on the findings, professors can integrate the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to help multi-cultural students to learn and earn an international higher education degree.Social implicationsHigher education institutions can offer more social multi-cultural opportunities to include multi-cultural students and develop their social skills to facilitate the adaptation process to the new host culture.Originality/valueThis qualitative research study represents an original work of the researcher, and it has not submitted elsewhere. All research ethical codes were followed by the researcher and participants. There is no fund for this research project.

This empirical research report intended to explore the impact of the sudden transition to online learning and teaching and assessment at higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Furthermore, the study assessed the difference in students’ academic achievement and their perception of the transition to online learning. A mixed-method research design was adopted to achieve the purpose of this research paper. Content analysis, the Correlation Coefficient, and Simple Linear Regression were supportive analysis tools. Data analysis proved that the higher education system in the UAE embraced appropriate teaching and assessment approaches to the online mode of teaching and learning. Moreover, higher education students maintained high academic success after transitioning to online learning. Students’ perception of the transition to online learning positively correlated to students’ academic success. Thus, higher education students maintained a decent level of academic success after transitioning to the online mode of learning.

No abstract