Mona Nabhani

Lebanese Teachers' Views on "Continuing Professional Development".

This study elicits Lebanese teachers’ views on Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Seven hundred and thirty‐nine teachers from across Lebanon responded to semi‐structured questions about personal and school efforts to help stay up to date. They expressed their views on what constitutes effective CPD, why this is needed and how this influences their practice. Quantitative and qualitative analysis resulted in categories and themes that were further compared with the literature findings to check relevance. Findings showed that CPD in Lebanon focuses on workshops as coordinators conjecture, but there is no follow‐up for application of what is learned. Findings also indicate a need to have more structured and systematic CPD for all teachers with a focus on action research and mentoring. The latter is needed more than the current practice of fragmented workshops, and diverse standards of presenters and content of training. The researchers recommend that policy makers stipulate mandatory CPD for all teachers.

Code-Switching in Higher Education in a Multilingual Environment: A Lebanese Exploratory Study.

Research has shown that code-switching (CS) between languages in spoken discourse is prevalent in multilingual contexts and is used for many purposes. More recently, it has become the subject of much concern in academic contexts in negatively affecting students’ language use and learning. However, while the concern has been increasing, no rigorous studies have been done in L1 Arabic academic contexts. In this paper, the researchers explore university faculty and students’ views on CS in higher education classes in an American-style institution in Lebanon. Data were collected through unstructured interviews, non-participant observations and questionnaires. Main findings show that faculties are unaware that they code-switch contrary to what non-participant observations showed. The surveys revealed that students code-switch to learn better and that their faculty code-switch in class. Recommendations to raise awareness of this phenomenon in bi/multilingual academic contexts are made.

High schoolers’ views on academic integrity

The issue of academic integrity in cheating on exams and plagiarising in writing is not a new one. All schools need to address this problem and some more than others. In the L2 context, the issues become more complex as non‐native students need to adhere to the ‘culture of learning’ of a Western model of academic integrity if they are to be accepted and succeed in higher education Western communities. Unfortunately, no research has been carried out in the Lebanese contexts as to the scope of the problem and how these issues are being dealt with at the pre‐university level. This exploratory study surveys 3986 high school students attending Grades 10–12 on their views of the extent of student cheating and plagiarism. It also examines any significant differences among the student grade levels. Recommendations are made for activities to raise students’ awareness of academic integrity according to Western practices and for future needed research.

School-based professional development in one Lebanese school: how much is too much?

This case study examines the attitudes of the secondary and middle school teachers at one school in Lebanon regarding the effect of the school’s professional development (PD) programs on the quality of their teaching practices and motivation. It also examines teachers’ attitudes regarding PD as well as their recommendations to improve the quality of the PD program provided by their school. Questionnaires, focus group interviews and observations were conducted to collect and triangulate data results. Results show that teachers regard PD in their school as beneficial in general but able to be enhanced further. Although the attitude of novice teachers towards PD is more favorable than that of veteran teachers, findings show that the overall teachers’ attitude towards PD is a negative one. Modifications and suggestions to improve the quality of the PD activities are proposed by the teachers. The school offers a prosperous PD program, but its fruitfulness will remain limited unless an organizational structure is created.

Principals’ views on teachers’ professional development

This article is an account of a study that aimed to elicit the perceptions of school principals and middle managers in Lebanon on teachers’ professional development (PD) and to promote an understanding of PD that extends beyond workshops. The study was qualitative and exploratory and used online interviewing to collect data. Questions were emailed to 30 school principals in Beirut and North Lebanon. The overall intention was to extract understanding of how this professional qualification and administrative responsibility is understood and how the administration attends to it. Data were reduced through a coding strategy and emergent themes such as limited awareness of the benefits of embedded PD strategies, PD features of relevance, practicality and follow-up were identified. Other themes were the focus on the concept of workshop training as PD, the administrators’ lack of awareness of cognitive learning strategies and the importance of teacher PD to school renewal. Obstacles to PD were identified and included lack of time and funding for the workshops and teachers’ attitude toward growth and renewal. The study revealed that reflection is required to alter engrained conceptual structures. Critically, the study highlighted the issue that the school system in Lebanon is not designed to promote teachers’ continual learning initiatives.

Figures of speech in the physics classroom: a process of conceptual change

Abstract Background: This study investigates the role of figures of speech in the process of conceptual change in the physics classroom. Purpose: Its objectives are to examine what teachers and students perceive to be the advantages in using figures of speech in teaching physics concepts, what they perceive to be the challenges in using them, and how teachers use these in their classrooms to minimize the challenges faced. Sample We chose a purposive sample of 95 students and nine teachers of physics, in four schools in Lebanon. Design and methods: A mixed-method approach was used. Interviews were conducted with physics teachers; questionnaires were distributed to students, and non-participant classroom observations were carried out. Results: Teachers viewed figures of speech as a tool that helps them transmit abstract physics concepts to students in a simpler and concrete way. Questionnaires and non-participant observations revealed several examples of figures of speech used and the positive responses of students towards them. Conclusions: The study suggests several ways to overcome the drawbacks. This study highlights the urgent need for all stakeholders to work collaboratively to include figures of speech in the curriculum to enhance the process of conceptual change in the physics classroom.

Teachers’ views of professional learning and collaboration in four urban Lebanese primary schools

This study to investigate how teachers develop their skills and knowledge to construct enthusiastic student learning and what part school principals play in that development was carried out in four primary schools serving disadvantaged communities in Beirut. In the absence of rich research in Lebanon on this topic, western literature was used to construct a conceptual framework on professional learning and teachers’ identities; collaborative cultures and learning communities; leadership, power and school cultures. Drawing on a social interactionist epistemology, in each case study school, the views of about 10 teachers and the school principal and some students were collected through semi-structured interviews. The qualitative data were analysed thematically. Emergent findings suggest that collaborative cultures, predicated on helping students to engage enthusiastically with learning, sponsored by assertive school principals led to teachers developing a strong sense of community and positive identities through professional development.

Teachers' Views on Causes Leading to Their Burnout.

ABSTRACT Teaching is a challenging profession sometimes leading to teachers’ burnout: a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment. Burnout effects range from psychological, physical, and behavioural symptoms to increased turnover, which affects students and schools. This study identifies levels of and factors causing Lebanese teachers’ burnout by eliciting their perspectives about the matter. A multiple-case studies design is used; instruments include interviews, researcher’s reflective journal, and questionnaires adapted from the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Educators Survey. Nine teachers who left the profession during the first five years of teaching were interviewed and 92 teachers in service responded to the questionnaire. A cross-case synthesis helped to compare the data between cases in order to discover whether similarities can be found. Triangulation of data is performed through comparing results from each instrument and identifying common categories that are used to address the research questions. Findings show that workload, school environment, coordination/mentoring, classroom environment, and emotional factors are major causes of burnout. This study provided insight on how to identify causes and symptoms of teacher burnout to help prevent the occurrence of the syndrome.

Faculty Views on Developing and Assessing Learning Outcomes at the Tertiary Level

Assessing students’ learning outcomes is on the agenda of higher education institutions seeking improvement of student learning. Faculty members should be well versed in developing and assessing learning outcomes and involved in ensuring success in the assessment process; however, many claim that the process interferes with academic freedom, refuse to listen, and resist change. In this article, we examine faculty views on assessing students’ learning outcomes in English-medium universities in Arab countries. Online e-mail interviews were conducted with twenty-four faculty from universities in the Arab world to explore their views on the development and assessment of student learning outcomes. Results show that although some are eager to implement new processes, others are confused. Recommendations include following a gradual process beginning with a shared vision for identifying student learning outcomes and key indicators for achieving these outcomes as well as ongoing professional development for faculty. Evidence-based decisions for how to improve the process will enhance teaching and learning and lead to a culture of assessment.

Teachers’ and Supervisors’ Views on Clinical Supervision: A Case Study from Lebanon

Abstract This study describes how instructional supervision is conducted at a private school in Lebanon. The authors elicited teachers’ and supervisors’ perceptions of this process and investigated how the approach to supervision contributes to teachers’ professional development. Mixed research methods were used to collect the data, including a questionnaire, semistructured interviews, analysis of school documents, and observations. Findings indicate that although the supervision process is well established and systematic, there are areas for improvement.