Biography:

Saouma BouJaoude graduated from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA in 1988 with a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis on science education. From 1988 to 1993 he was assistant professor of science education at the Department of Science Teaching, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA. In 1993 he joined the American University of Beirut (AUB). He served as Director of the Science and Math Education Center (SMEC) (1994-2003), Chair of the Department of Education (2003-2003-2009), Director of the Science and Math Education center (2009-2012), and is presently the Director of the Center of Teaching and Learning at AUB. Dr. BouJaoude has published numerous research articles in international journals such as the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Science Education, International Journal of Science Education, Journal of Science Teacher Education, the Science Teacher, and School Science Review, among others. In addition, he has written chapters in edited books in English and Arabic and has been an active presenter at local, regional and international education and science education conferences. Dr. BouJaoude is member of several international science education research associations and has served as the International Coordinator and a member of the Executive Board of National Association for Research in Science Teaching. Presently he serves on the editorial boards a number of science education journals and is a reviewer for others. In 2009 he was appointed as a member of the Executive Committee of Supreme Education Council of the State Qatar.

Abstract:

Science Education in the Arab Countries at the pre-college level: Current Status and future prospects. There is widespread agreement that educational systems in Arab countries need to be improved. The UNDP?s 2002 Arab Human Development Report and the UNESCO reports on Education for All (2000) argue that the quality of education in the Arab region has deteriorated, implying a decline in knowledge acquisition and analytical and creative skills. The World Bank (2007) echoes the conclusions of the UNDP report by suggesting that the quality of education in the Arab region is falling behind other world regions and needs urgent reform if it is to prepare students for the twenty first century work environment. Likewise, the McKinsey report issued in 2007 acknowledges the improvements in access to education in Gulf States but laments the low quality of education which the report attributes to mediocre teaching and teachers. Finally, the Education for All Global Monitoring Report issued in 2008 acknowledges the improvements that have been accomplished in access to education in the Arab states but expresses concern about the low quality educational experiences of Arab students. Within this context, the purpose of this presentation is to delineate the current status of science education in Arab countries and propose possible policy options that might help improve the quality of science education and consequently student learning.