Smitha Dev

Although much of the literature has examined the relationship between personality and emotional intelligence in Western settings, only a few studies have examined these constructs among Arab populations, where cultural values can play a fundamental role in the psychological landscape. This cross-sectional study examined the Big Five personality traits and emotional intelligence among 200 students at a UAE university across various academic programs. Personality trait levels were moderate to high, with significant differences in Extroversion and Openness across academic majors. Unlike the negative correlations reported in the Western research paradigm, Neuroticism exhibited significant positive associations with overall emotional intelligence and with various dimensions, including Self-Awareness, Motivation, Social Skills and Empathy. Openness to Experience, in contrast, showed a negative relationship with emotional intelligence, which was unexpected. These results are analyzed within the distinct cultural framework of university students in the UAE, where Arab-Islamic collectivist values may influence the interpretation of personality traits in ways that differ from those in Western groups. While the results cannot be generalized beyond this single-institution sample, they establish a theoretically sound foundation for challenging the universal applicability of existing personality-emotional intelligence models. Additionally, they present initial evidence to inform the development of culturally relevant support services for students in higher education settings in the UAE.

The higher education landscape of the United Arab Emirates offers distinctive opportunities to examine how culturally responsive emotional intelligence (EI) interventions can improve student outcomes within Islamic and Emirati cultural frameworks. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of classroom-based EI programs adapted for UAE undergraduate students, focusing on three critical dimensions: self-motivation, empathy, and social skills. Addressing a major gap in cross-cultural EI education, the research examines how traditional EI frameworks can be modified to reflect Islamic values, Emirati cultural norms, and the multicultural nature of UAE classrooms. Using a quasi-experimental design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the study involved 200 undergraduate students from six universities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Pre- and post-intervention assessments employed a culturally adapted EI test featuring three validated subscales—Self-Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills—aligned with local communication patterns and Islamic principles. Independent t-test results showed significant improvements across all subscales for the experimental group, indicating that culturally tailored interventions effectively improve collaborative emotional competencies among UAE students. Overall, the findings highlight that integrating local cultural and religious values into EI programs significantly strengthens social-emotional learning outcomes in higher education.

Inclusive education has gained recognition worldwide, with schools and universities adopting various approaches to prioritize inclusivity. However, the challenges faced by educational institutions in this process cannot be ignored. Addressing these challenges is essential in creating a more inclusive society that values and celebrates diversity. This study aims to introduce a model called the Sustainable Inclusive Framework Studio (SIF Studio), which incorporates inclusiveness principles. This model draws from Lev Vygotsky’s social constructivism and Albert Bandura’s behavior modeling theories. SIF Studio is a framework that emphasizes inclusivity, sustainability, and innovation in education. A quantitative approach is employed to explore the perceptions of teachers, parents, and students regarding the implementation of SIF Studio. The study results revealed that there is a significant difference in the perceptions of students, teachers, and parents before and after the introduction of SIF Studio. By designing and developing SIF Studio specifically for educational institutions, this research aims to bridge the gap between inclusivity goals and practical implementation while aiming for the sustainability goals alongside this.

A major factor affecting students’ academic performance is the classroom environment, in which class size plays an important role. This study aims to test the impact of class-size reduction on students’ performance and examine other factors affecting it. The results are established using a simple model that determines the impact of class size, individuals’ earnestness toward studying, and individuals’ learning environments on students’ performance. The results reveal the benefits of class-size reduction and how elementary students benefited from the smaller class size. This study will help school managers, teachers, and society understand the importance of creating an optimal learning environment based on students’ needs.

This paper is designed to study various factors affecting the academic achievements of high school students. The study was conducted on 210 high school students from Abu Dhabi and Thiruvananthapuram. Procrastination behavior inventory, an index of stress tolerance and study habits scale were used to understand the various factors interfering their academic achievement. The data were analyzed using the statistical techniques; such as, Product-moment coefficient of correlation – person r, and factor analysis. Results provide an insight into the numerous factors effecting students in their learning process and it is a fact that students need to get adequate support and motivation from teachers and parents to keep up their focus on the educational goal.

In the academic world "Real learning" in any form is an active interaction of human mind with past experience, and that relates to man, machine, materials and ideas. Therefore any teaching and learning process should be aimed at providing ample scope for the learners mind to interact and acquire fruitful experience. Only through this active interaction, the learners and educators can reconstruct his/her experience in light of new experience leading to "Real learning". This enables to enhance the competency, tenacity and inquisitiveness among the scholars. A dedicated and focused approach towards different teaching and learning experience of educators from different parts of the world, especially from the Middle East has been widely discussed in this Special Issue of general Education Conference.

Quality of instructional performance is the key skill needed for every teaching faculty for achieving the level of pedigree in the present educational scenario. However, the truth is that there are minimal studies to analyze the competency linking emotional intelligence to quality of instructional performance. Therefore the present attempt is to study the role of E.I. among University Instructors and analyze their quality of instructional performance. A sample of 110 Professors participated in the survey from different Universities in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain. Emotional Quotient Inventory scale was developed to measure the EQ of Instructors. Statistical technique like ‘t’ test and ANOVA was used to find the test mean difference between two groups and more than two groups. The result revealed that emotional intelligence and self-efficacy had very significant relationship towards their work attitude followed by their performance.

The present study aims to find out the relationship between English Language proficiency, self-esteem, and academic achievement of the students in Abu Dhabi University (ADU). The variables were analyzed using ‘t’ test, chi-squire and Pearson’s product moment correlation. In addition, Self-rating scale, Self-esteem inventory and Language proficiency tests were used to measure the variables. The data were collected from 200 male and female students from Abu Dhabi University. The study could not find out any positive relationship among the variables. It is also revealed that language fluency (IELTS) has no direct impact on the ADU students’ self-esteem scores and academic achievement (GPA).