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 motivation of teaching faculty is essential for the effective functioning of the education system, especially in multicultural environments. To stay motivated, faculty need strong psychological capital (PsyCap) and a sense of professional fulfillment. However, integrating multinational teams can be challenging due to cultural biases and misinterpretations. There is a notable research gap in understanding how PsyCap varies across cultures and influences motivation in diverse educational settings. This study aims to develop the theory of PsyCap, explore its integration into the education workforce, and examine its application in multicultural teaching contexts. Data were collected from 300 faculty members from different parts of the United Arab Emirates. A structural equation modeling approach was used to test the proposed relationships. The results showed a strong relationship between psychological capital, job embeddedness, job satisfaction, and job performance among international faculty. The findings may enhance psychological capital across organizations. The practical implication of this findings support linking psychological capital to performance evaluations. Rather than focusing solely on traditional KPIs like research output and teaching scores, supervisors can discuss psychological strengths and growth areas. This approach aligns personal goals with institutional missions, enhancing performance, well-being, and leadership, and yielding both material and spiritual rewards.

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.

The present study contributes to psychology and well-being literature by investigating social well-being in minority contexts. The factor structure of the Keyes’ long format 33-item social well-being measure was investigated among African migrant samples. A cross-sectional survey methodology was used to collect data from a total of 404 African migrants living in South Africa (n=146), Uganda (n=158) and Kenya (n=100). They were 202 (50%) males, 195 (48.3%) females, and 7 (1.7%) of the samples did not disclose their gender. They were aged from 14 to 70 with a Mean age of 32.21 (standard deviation = 7.696). Data collected were analysed using CFA in AMOS (version 29). We found an unstable four-factor emic solution for African migrants in Sub-Sahara Africa. We could not replicate the theoretical social well-being model of Keyes (1998) among African migrant samples in Sub-Saharan Africa. Insights from the study will be critical to designing culturally appropriate indigenous measures that accurately reflect the social realities and well-being constructs of African migrants. Our findings will also help policymakers and service providers to identify areas of need, develop appropriate socio-cultural programmes, and allocate resources more effectively to support the integration and well-being of migrants within African societies.

Financial constraints caused by the economic slowdown in 2020 and COVID-19 that followed, affecting the student motivation for academic achievements, are of strategic importance to the global higher education (HE) sectors. This study aims to examine the effects of financial constraints on the motivation and academic performance of students of different nationalities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the pandemic. This study will help us recognize the challenges among students from different backgrounds and nationalities and develop remedial strategies with a global perspective. We used a Likert scale-based questionnaire to collect data on motivation level, and associated variables from a sample of 371 students enrolled in different colleges in the UAE. Statistical techniques such as t-test, F-test, and chi-square test were used to explore the relationship between the variables in the data. The findings of the study revealed that financial constraints during the pandemic did not significantly affect academic motivation, regardless of gender, nationality, and age. The participants expressed that they were prepared and aware of the sunk costs involved in education. However, as the financial impact of the pandemic extended beyond 2020, unemployment increased, and parents were less prepared to bear their children’s education costs. This inevitably increased the responsibilities of the universities to provide financial support to deserving students.

The present study contributes to psychology and well-being literature through the investigation of social well-being in minority contexts. We investigated the factor structure of the 33-item social well-being measure among African samples. A cross-sectional survey, methodology was used to collect data from a total of 404 African migrants living in South Africa (n=146); Uganda (n=158), and Kenya (n=100). They were 202(50%) males, 195 (48.3%) female, and 7 (1.7%) of the samples did not disclose their gender. They were aged from 14-70 with an average age of 32.21 (standard deviation [s.d.] = 7.696) years. Data collected was analyzed using CFA in AMOS (version 29). We found an unstable four-factor emic solution for African migrants in Sub-Sahara Africa. We were unable to replicate the theoretical social well-being model of Keyes (1998) among African migrant samples in Sub-Saharan Africa. Insights from the study will be critical to designing a minority-contextually relevant well-being intervention. It will also sensitize policy shapers towards the development of appropriate socio-cultural programs.

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 quantitative research demonstrates the necessity of teaching Emotional Intelligence (EI) courses to undergraduate students and to assess the development of major psychosocial skills necessary for their interpersonal success in the university, workplace, and other life domains. The EQ-i test was used as the measurement tool and a quasi-experimental method, one-group, pre-test, post-test group design was adopted to study the impact of the EI course on students’ EQ (Emotional Quotient) by measuring the mean differences of the variables for experimental groups. A paired “t” test was used to find the effectiveness of the Emotional Intelligence course on EQ. Independent “t” test and one-way ANOVA test were used to compare EQ and its dimensions based on gender and age. The findings of this study indicate that students who took the EI course had significant improvement in their overall EQ at the end of the semester. The current research also points to the importance of teaching EI course to students at the undergraduate level in order to develop appropriate psychosocial competencies

FACTORS THAT LEAD TO STUDENTS’ BURNOUT- DIFFERENCE IN BURNOUT LEVELS AMONG MALE AND FEMALE AVIATION STUDENTS AND OTHER STUDENTS FROM UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE U.A.E

The quantitative research examined how academic professionals in the Abu Dhabi-UAE internalized the phenomenon of burnout in their teaching profession. At present, the episodes of teachers' burnout is high due to the insecure job environment in line with the ongoing industry challenges. Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) was used to measure the levels of burnout among academicians. The data were analyzed using statistical techniques such as, Chi-square analysis. Results provide an understanding about how burnout impacts academicians in their work performance, and therefore, help to develop and devise techniques to control and alleviate burnout. It is essential to identify, develop and retain educators who are healthy, energized, self-motivated, mentally-stable and can creatively contribute to building the future citizens of any country.

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.

This paper is designed to explore the 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 was analyzed using the statistical techniques such as Product-moment coefficient of Correlation-Pearson's R, and factor analysis. These 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.

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.

Gathering students’ feedback and evaluation during the end of every semester is believed to be valuable for instructors’ growth and development. The present study is aimed to find out the validity of students’ responses and the various factors involved in their rating towards faculty. A total of 250 students from 1st to 4th year of Abu Dhabi University participated in this study. Students from all the disciplines had participated in this study which included both male and female students. The study also focused on other covariates like gender, age, specializations, and student GPA to have any relation with their rating towards professors. Pearson’s correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were employed to understand the various factors impacting students’ perception of their instructors. The results revealed that gender, age, student GPA, and instructors’ nationality had a positive effect on students’ evaluation of the instructor.

Leadership skills of corporate professionals are a function of multiple factors. The current study has explored the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and performance of corporate professionals as leaders with a focus on Abu Dhabi Emirate in the UAE. Primary data was collected from various organisations and these were identified randomly. A total of 115 professionals from ten different organisations participated in this study. Quantitative method was employed to analyse the association between EI and leadership skills and performance as leaders. 't' test, 'F' test and Scheffe's methods were used for statistical analysis. Result of the study revealed a significant correlation between emotional intelligence and leadership qualities. The current study also supports previous research findings in this area. The study will also enable leaders to understand the importance of maintaining higher level of emotional intelligence to enhance team motivation, productivity and self-esteem. The study revealed that a high EI enables corporate professionals to emerge as successful leaders.

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).

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.

Dev, S., & Nair, S. (2016). Inclusion of Learning Disabled Student’s in Higher Education–Faculty Attitude and Perception.