Certified Pre-Schools in the United Arab Emirates

Investigating the Factors that may contribute to the Learning of Children at ISO Quality Certified and Non- Certified Pre-Schools in the United Arab Emirates التحقيق في العوامل التي يمكن أن تسهم في تعلم اﻷطفال في شهادة إسو المعتمدة وغير المعتمدة في مرحلة ما قبل المدرسة في اﻹمارات العربية المتحدة by VANDANA KUMAR GANDHI A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSPHY IN EDUCATION at The British University in Dubai Dr. Solomon Arulraj David September 2017 ii DECLARATION I warrant that the content of this research is the direct result of my own work and that any use made in it of published or unpublished copyright material falls within the limits permitted by international copyright conventions. I understand that a copy of my research will be deposited in the University Library for permanent retention. I hereby agree that the material mentioned above for which I am author and copyright holder may be copied and distributed by The British University in Dubai for the purposes of research, private study or education and that The British University in Dubai may recover from purchasers the costs incurred in such copying and distribution, where appropriate. I understand that The British University in Dubai may make a digital copy available in the institutional repository. I understand that I may apply to the University to retain the right to withhold or to restrict access to my thesis for a period which shall not normally exceed four calendar years from the congregation at which the degree is conferred, the length of the period to be specified in the application, together with the precise reasons for making that application. _______________________ Signature of the student iii COPYRIGHT AND INFORMATION TO USERS The author whose copyright is declared on the title page of the work has granted to the British University in Dubai the right to lend his/her research work to users of its library and to make partial or single copies for educational and research use. The author has also granted permission to the University to keep or make a digital copy for similar use and for the purpose of preservation of the work digitally. Multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author, the Registrar or the Dean only. Copying for financial gain shall only be allowed with the author’s express permission. Any use of this work in whole or in part shall respect the moral rights of the author to be acknowledged and to reflect in good faith and without detriment the meaning of the content, and the original authorship. iv Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of learning in pre-schools and to understand the differences in children’s learning between ISO quality Certified and Non-certified pre- schools, thereby exploring the importance of quality certifications in pre-schools in the UAE. The study which is based on the learning theories from Piaget and Vygotsky, explored global and local literature that assert the importance of quality pre-schooling. The review on ISO certification principles and research indicate linkages to quality in EYE settings. The study uses mixed methods with strong attention to the quantitative method. This is a longitudinal study that looks at the trends of the growth in learning at the preschool level and the learning outcomes of ISO quality certified and non-certified preschools exploring the trends through test results over period in several schools using trend analysis. A survey was conducted to gain the perceptions of parents and the quality time they spend with children at home. Finally, interviews were conducted with school leaders and parents of the preschools to understand their perception on leadership and quality in learning. The results point to the importance of quality certifications at pre-schools, leadership influence on the quality at schools and that the involvement of caregivers affects the learning and socialization of the pre-schoolers. The students at the ISO quality certified pre-schools have demonstrated higher ability to learn and acquire skills. The implications of these results are timely and crucial for the UAE, in the absence of sufficient research done on the early year’s education and quality certification. The study claims that quality of learning of children in pre- schools in the UAE is enhanced through certification such as ISO. In addition, the study further asserts that leadership practices and parental involvement reinforce quality learning among pre- schoolers. v نبذة مختصرة الغرض من هذه الدراسة هو فحص جودة التعليم في الحضانات وفهم الفروقات في تعليم اﻷطفال بين الحضانات التي تحمل شهادات الجودة "اﻷيزو" وتلك التي ﻻ تحمل هذه الشهادات، وبالتالي استكشاف أهمية شهادات الجودة في الحضانات في دولة اﻹمارات العربية المتحدة. إن هذه الدراسة المبنية على النظريات التعليمية لبياجت وفيجوتسكاي استكشفت اﻷدبيات التي تؤكد أهمية الجودة في التعليم في الحضانات. وإن اﻻطﻻع على أبحاث شهادات اﻷيزو عبر العالم يشير إلى الربط بينها وبين الجودة. إن المنهجية المستخدمة في هذه الدراسة هي دراسة كمية تقديرية ,شبه تجريبية )درجات اﻷطفال في الحضانات التي تحمل شهادات الجودة "اﻷيزو" وتلك التي ﻻ تحمل هذه الشهادات( مع استخدام أدوات اختبار مبدئي واختبار نهائي لقياس التعليم في الحضانات. إن هذه دراسة طولية تنظر في اتجاه النمو والتقدم في التعليم لدى الحضانات وحصيلة التعليم لدى الحضانات التي تحمل شهادات الجودة "اﻷيزو" وتلك التي ﻻ تحمل هذه الشهادات. تم إجراء عملية مسح لﻻطﻻع على مدى إدراك الوالدين ووقت الجودة الذي يقضيانه مع اﻷطفال في المنزل. وفي الختام تم إجراء مقابﻻت مع قادة المدارس وأولياء اﻻمور في الحضانات لفهم إدراكهم حول موضوع القيادة والجودة في التعليم. لقد أشارت النتائج إلى أهمية شهادات الجودة في الحضانات وأثر القيادة في الجودة في الحضانات، وإلى أثر اشتراك مقدمي الرعاية التعليمية والمجتمعية في الحضانات. لقد أظهر الطﻻب في الحضانات التي تحمل شهادات اﻷيزو قابلية أعلى للتعليم وكسب المهارات. وفي ظل غياب أبحاث كافية حول التعليم المبكر وشهادات الجودة فإن ضمان هذه النتائج هو أمرحاسم بالنسبة لدولة اﻹمارات العربية المتحدة. تفترض الدراسة أن جودة تعليم اﻷطفال في الحضانات في دولة اﻹمارات العربية المتحدة تتعزز من خﻻل وجود شهادات مثل اﻷيزو. إضافة لذلك فإن الدراسة تؤكد أيضاً أن الممارسات القيادية واشتراك الوالدين يقوي ويدعم جودة التعليم بين طﻻب الحضانات. vi Dedication I dedicate the labour that I devoted to this research project to my family; to my mother Mrs. Rekha Gandhi and to my father the late Mr. Kumar Gandhi who always insisted on calling me a doctor, who has loved me unconditionally and who has encouraged me to accept challenges and reach new heights. I am grateful to God the Almighty and my Guru Tai who has been my guiding light and a source of inspiration to me to pursue doctoral studies. I also dedicate this work to my loving children Shivali and Krishiv, who give joy and meaning to my existence. vii Acknowledgement I would like to acknowledge the Late Dr Clifton Chadwick, who was my supervisor, for his constant guidance and unflinching support. He inspired me in more ways than I could imagine. His colourful commentary during lectures on world matters has been invigorating and enlightening. I express my gratitude to Dr Solomon Arulraj David who is my current supervisor and who has been kind and helpful with the transition in taking over the guidance. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the faculty members and staff at the British University in Dubai for all their support. I extend my sincere thanks to Prof Eman Gaad, the Dean of Education, to Prof Abdullah Al Shamsi, the Vice Chancellor, and to all the members of the Research Degree Committee. I would like to acknowledge my fellow colleagues at BUID who have made this educational journey memorable and meritorious with discussions and debates. I would also like to thank my colleagues, parents and the children of the British Orchard Nursery, UAE who participated in this study. I do hope to contribute in many ways and give meaning to the implications of this study through further research and be a value-add in this Early Years sector. viii Table of Contents Declaration ...................................................................................................................... ii Copyright and Information to Users ........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iii vi ........................................................................................................................نبذة مختصرة Dedication ...................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgement ......................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................. xii List of Tables .................................................................................................................. xiv Glossary ........................................................................................................................ xvii Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction and Background ...................................................................................... 1 1.2 Motivation for the Study ............................................................................................. 3

Load more