Home Environment, Family Involvement, and Emirati College Student Academic Achievement

Abstract

In educational literature set in Western contexts, student performance is linked to positive family involvement and home environment; however, literature on the educational experience of college students in non-Western contexts, including the Gulf region, is scarce. Using both student and guardian surveys, this quantitative study investigates the effect of home environment and family involvement on the educational experience of students in a federally funded college in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as links between these factors and students’ academic achievement. Results indicated that academic performance was linked to specific family involvement behaviors—categorized as enablers—financial, logistical, and physical supports; influences—interaction intended to shape values, opinions, and attitudes; and engagements—direct and demonstrable interaction—and to specific home environment factors including parents’ marital statuses, gender, family size, presence of siblings in college or university, parents’ education levels, and mother’s working status. في الأدبيات التربوية المنصوص عليها في السياقات الغربية، يرتبط أداء الطلاب بالتدخل العائلي والبيئة

Quality higher education is the foundation of a knowledge society: where does the UAE stand?

“…Families in the UAE are generally supportive of education but lack academic support systems (Daleure et al, 2013). Older generations with limited education may also struggle to support students underachieving or struggling academically.…”

Holistic Sustainability as Key to Emiratization: Links Between Job Satisfaction in the Private Sector and Young Emirati Adult Unemployment

“…Recent studies have compared the lives of UAE nationals in four different generational categories according to experience level and age (Daleure, Albon & Hinkston, 2014;Daleure, Albon, Hinkston, Ajaif, & McKeown, 2013). The studies found that elder generations' influence on younger family members' crucial life decisions, such as deciding to continue with post-secondary education, program choices, and career moves, may be well-meaning but misguiding.…”

“…First of all, the figures most frequently quoted are prior to the wage dip caused by the financial crisis in 2008 and the highest estimates (i.e., AED 40,000 or USD 10,899 or more) are quoted for Abu Dhabi, where the highest overall salaries are found. The most important factor, however, is one previously mentioned by Daleure et al (2013) which is the nature of Emirati family structure, in which all male-and, increasingly, female-members of the family contribute to the overall family income. If two spouses are working, with each spouse earning the average salary in the study of AED 15,000, then the total household income would be AED 30,000.…”

‘Holistic Sustainability’ Policies: Preserving Local Cultural Identity in the UAE in the Face of Globalisation

“…Recent studies (Daleure et al, 2013(Daleure et al, , 2014 have compared the lives of UAE nationals in four different generational categories according to stages of development each has experienced: youth cohort-not yet graduated high school (less than 16 years old), young adult cohort-college-aged generation (from 16 to 25 years old), mature adult cohort-completed college, likely working, likely married and raising a family (from 35 to 55 years old) and grandparents' generationmemories of life before nationalisation (older than 55 years old). Table A1 lists the categories and specific attributes of each.…”

“…The current study (referred to here as Ethnography Study ) examines the experience, attitudes and beliefs of the elder generation—those with recollection of life before nationalisation in 1971—to understand the basis of the modern Emirati identity, cultural practices and sensitivities. Recent studies including AlAli (2013), Daleure, Albon, and Hinkston (2014), and Daleure, Albon, Hinkston, Ajaif, and McKeown (2013) found that as a society with tribal roots, elders have an enormous influence on important educational, career and employment decisions of young adult members. However, the progressive generations lived during different phases of economic growth and experienced a different set of circumstances.…”