Chapter 2: Relevant Literature
2.16 Internal Changes Led by ADEK Education System on
With the reform and the application of the Emirati School Model initiative that aims to raise the educational standards and ensure quality through the ADEK centralized education system; ADEK is embracing innovative actions to improve student engagement and learning. Improved student engagement and learning is facilitated through incorporating technology in the classroom, providing students with technical and vocational education, and targeting student well-being and happiness (Kippels & Ridge, 2019).
To increase student proficiency in the use of technology, ADEK is investing in the progression of technology in the education system at all levels to equip students with smart learning systems and devices as a basis for all teaching methods, projects, and research. This is designed to reform the learning environment through increasing
the use of technology, specifically by providing all teachers and principals with laptops, and every student in Grades 6 to 12 through the Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme initiative (Kippels & Ridge, 2019).
To align with the new technologies, the Emirati School Model emphasizes technical and vocational education and training. There is an increased emphasis on English as the medium of instruction as well as its emphasis in the curriculum. It mandates bilingual education and a reduction in the number of subjects taught from thirteen different subjects to twelve in a range of subjects wide enough to allow students to match their interests to their abilities through mandatory and elective courses (such as Chemistry and Biology in the general track) chosen by the student.
Schools focus on applying the STREAM project (that involves science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math) and twenty-first-century skills. This is because of the government’s ambitious 2030 Vision for industry and innovation and to increase the number of skilled Emirati youths in rewarding career paths and foster life-long learning and personal development to help students reengage in school so they can achieve their goals (Baker, 2017; Gobert, 2019; Kippels & Ridge, 2019).
Along with student proficiency in using technology and technical and vocational education, ADEK emphasizes students’ wellbeing and happiness through focusing on how students feel and think about their wellbeing, happiness, and their quality of life.
ADEK creates additional opportunities for schools to collaborate and share best practices related to programs supporting student wellbeing as they believe that students will, in turn, achieve higher levels of academic performance (Gobert, 2019). From the researcher’s experience as a cluster lead in ADEK education system overseeing 14 schools, principals are responsible for ensuring all teachers receive relevant and
necessary professional learning and support for their wellbeing. Also, principals are responsible for providing actionable and timely feedback to teachers that support the development of approaches to the wellbeing of their students. Teachers are required to undertake self-evaluations of their contribution to promote and develop wellbeing amongst their students, where it should include a summary of evidence of feedback from a broad cross-section of students and their parents. In addition, a modification has been made to the regular teachers’ annual evaluation (Baker, 2017), where all teachers should include wellbeing related topics in their personal development plans (PDP), with key performance indicators that can be easily measured, because the wellbeing components will be prioritized during the teachers’ annual evaluation.
Since the unity between ADEC and MoE was formed and ADEK was established, the focus on quality education in government schools has significantly increased. ADEK aims to achieve an increase in students’ attendance rates, building relationships and strengthening communication between students and all school stakeholders. ADEK also aims to manage students’ behavior, develop students’
characters and improve their self-esteem, confidence, independence and personal practical skills. Additionally, ADEK encourages students’ enjoyment of learning, improving their English proficiency, valuing teamwork and cooperation and achieving success (Ridge et al., 2017; Kippels & Ridge, 2019). Furthermore, ADEK emphasizes the construction of a cohesive and moral value system for its students, nurturing these students to act at the productivity level in the national economy, so that future generations are equipped to serve their communities (Kippels & Ridge, 2019).
To achieve these reform demands,ADEK is eager to attract, develop, and retain effective teachers while achieving its integrated developmental reform package. Also,
ADEK offers teachers a supportive, safe, and pleasant working environment to retain good teachers and motivate all teachers to do their best and work to a high standard (Kippels & Ridge, 2019). However, ADEK also manages many processes and practices that take place in schools, such as what, when and how teachers teach and evaluate their students; as well as the resources teachers need to use, and systems for disciplining their students. ADEK exercises hierarchical control over teachers’
curricular choices of delivery by establishing clear instructional objectives and systematically examining student attainment through standardized testing (Gobert, 2019).
During this reform, ADEK is attempting to have answers to many questions, such as: What are the characteristics of teachers’ assignments that appear most promising in bringing about school improvement? What additional training is needed to help teachers to master their success in their various assignments? What are the best mechanisms for providing such training to teachers? How can collaboration among teachers be improved? Along with these questions, comes this research which will investigate what will ultimately happen to ADEK school-teachers’ commitment during the time of reform and change.
The current ADEK reforms, with reference to the unification with the MoE to form one system of education, are expected to introduce some changes, and these will be expected to affect teachers’ behaviors. Commitment of teachers are also expected to be affected, and perhaps it might lead to a variety of effects on student learning.
Furthermore, the circumstances under which teaching is implemented in schools may cause a fundamental and profound basis for the teacher’s conflict with ADEK as a system of education, and this conflict can also be witnessed in schools.
Confronted by the same task demands, and with the variations of teachers’
backgrounds, schools and teachers themselves may hold entirely different conceptions about the way work in which should be carried out. For example, ADEK tends to emphasize task uniformity, routine in practices, and monitoring of schools’ and teachers’ compliance. The compliance was assured by the follow-up of lead principals, cluster leads, and other personnel from ADEK who were assigned to monitor and supervise teachers, principals, and schools (Azaza, 2018; Tamim & Colburn, 2019;
Kippels & Ridge, 2019). Teachers, on the other hand, are attentive to the delivery of the curriculum with appropriate paced-instruction, simplicity and clarity so that students can learn effectively (Ibrahim et al., 2013; Ibrahim & Al-Taneiji, 2019).
Furthermore, Hayes (1994) stresses that complexity will naturally require more autonomy and discretion in the workplace, while routine work needs hierarchical work arrangements based on centralized decision making and directives for teachers to follow (Hayes, 1994). Therefore, it is expected that, given the increase in teachers’
tasks in the ADEK education system and at schools, teachers might witness conflict especially at this time of reform and change which might cause complications and barriers to the progression of operations, in government schools (Ibrahim et al., 2013).