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Because intercultural communication has become one of the most demanded skills in the current digitalized world, many educational institutions aspire to graduate students who possess intercultural skills and are able to successfully communicate with people from diverse cultures. However, intercultural communication has not received much attention in the Lebanese context, especially in schools. To this end, this paper examines the Lebanese high school directors' perceptions of intercultural communication. As pragmatists, the researchers employed quantitative and qualitative methods to better understand the problem under investigation. Using a snowball sampling, they surveyed the perceptions of 55 Lebanese directors in private and public high schools and interviewed two informants in the Center for Educational Research and Development. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Then, the derived conclusions were compared to ensure trustworthiness of the findings. Major findings showed that though intercultural communication is a learning outcome in most schools, it is mostly taught at the knowledge level in the foreign language classrooms. Assessment of this outcome is neither systematic nor consistent. It was also shown that directors in private schools tend to be more informed than those in the public sector. Recommendations are made for enhancing intercultural communication skills in Lebanese educational institutions.

In contrast to traditional science instruction, which encourages students to memorize facts from textbooks, today's science instruction emphasizes the adoption of scientific process skills by students, as well as the teaching of critical thinking skills. Lebanese Chemistry teachers detected lack in middle school and high school students' critical thinking skills, such as analyzing data, interpreting experiments' results and arguing. Consequently, we elaborated the Inquiry and Reflection teaching method (I&R) based on White and Fredericsen's method (1998) and implemented it for three months to grade 8 chemistry students, in one Lebanese private school. Then we compared the control and experimental group students' scores on the Critical Thinking Test and the final exam. Findings showed that the experimental group students improved their critical thinking skills significantly, while the control group students' critical thinking remained the same.

Gender differences in academic performance has received considerable attention over the years. Studies have found that even when there are no gender differences in math performance, female students exhibit larger levels of apprehension toward the subject and that this gap between the genders increases with time. This study investigates gender differences in the sources of information that lead to perceived self-efficacy in math and whether the information changes with age. Using items developed by Ellen Usher and Frank Pajares, 347 surveys were collected from six private schools in Lebanon. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to establish the validity of the measurement tool in a non-Western country. A structural component is then introduced into the model to account for age. Results indicate that older girls are more likely to receive negative information from the four sources, thus leading them to develop lower levels of perceived self-efficacy in math. These findings indicate that different socialization processes are at work, thereby providing support for social roles theories.

Objective: The study aimed at investigating the effect of scaffolding strategies as thinking out loud and verbalization of instructions strategies on the generalization skills of language-related concepts in mildly intellectual disabled students. Method: Twenty-seven subjects in three treatments were trained in solving a pattern of the Thurston letter series task. Group 1 students received language concepts through training in verbal instructions and thinking out loud strategy. Group 2 students received language concepts training through computers. Group 3 students received training in language concepts through thinking out loud, verbal instructions and computer software. Pre-training measures to subjects' chronological age, Verbal Analogies Test and training trials were collected. Training measures pertaining to acquisition, maintenance and generalization of pattern completion tasks were collected. Mean scores and standard deviations were obtained for each dependent measure. Results: The treatment effect was studied by a series of one way ANOVAS and a Tukey "post hoc" test, which revealed that there was a significant difference between group 1 and group 2, since the difference between the means (m1-m3) = -2.556 and p = 0.000. Also, the difference is shown between group 2 and group 3 since the difference between the means (m2-m3) = -2.333 and p = 0.000 and in both cases p is less than 0.05. Moreover, group 3 had a higher mean (M = 3.89) than group 2 (M = 1.56) and group 1 (M = 1.33). Conclusion: Group 3 had the ability to become self-regulated by solving the untrained letter patterns. Thus, we can conclude that training in scaffolding strategies, such as thinking out loud and verbalization of instruction strategies, helped individuals with an intellectual disability to acquire metacognitive strategies. This enabled them to generalize the learning experience and become self-regulated and better problem solvers. Also, using a computer program promoted the use of metacognitive strategies. Once students internalize target strategies, they can transfer these to second language patterns; therefore, it enhances the generalization of learning individuals with an intellectual disability. Recommendations for further research were discussed.

This article sheds light and reflects on how students in grades seven and eight read and understand implicit data when solving a story problem. Problem solving experiences help in adding up to the child's mathematical knowledge and promote a higher level of critical thinking abilities. Seventh and eighth grade students were selected from two private schools. Both schools are of the same socio-economic status. All the students in seventh and eighth grades from these two schools participated in the study, regardless of their school grades or their English proficiency. The results show that very few students understand the implicit data given in the text and use it in the resolution of their problem, even when this data is crucial in solving the problem. The majority of the students try to solve the problem without searching for the implicit data or understanding it. They also have difficulties choosing a strategy and following it until they get an answer, and never seem to check if the answers they found are correct or even logical. Problem solving has been and still is the basis for learning mathematics. This research is a reflection of what our students think and do once they encounter a story problem. Thus, it sheds some light on the importance of developing teaching strategies that enhance students' understanding of implicit data and that encourage them to follow their chosen strategy and verify their answers at the end.

Reproductive health education (RHE) programmes in schools are a well-recognised means of helping young people make informed decisions relating to their sexual health and well-being. Very little research however has investigated attitudes towards such programmes among students in the Arab world. A national HIV education curriculum was developed in Lebanon in 2005. However, in the context of competing priorities and mixed levels of social resistance, curriculum implementation to date is far from universal. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of support for school-based RHE and the main factors associated with such support among young people aged 11-16 years in Lebanon. A secondary analysis of data from the 2011 Global school-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) was conducted. Students who supported RHE (58.1%) were more likely to be of higher grade level (adjusted OR [Odds Ratio] = 1.78, p-value = 0.005), to have ever drunk alcohol (adjusted OR = 1.52, p-value = 0.012), to prefer mixed classes for RHE (adjusted OR = 3.19, p-value < 0.0001), to say RHE should start before or at puberty (adjusted OR = 3.57, p-value < 0.0001), and to be exposed to more health education topics in school (adjusted OR = 1.2, p-value < 0.0001). Identifying such sub-groups in the student body should inform the equitable implementation of RHE in culturally diverse settings like Lebanon.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the quality of life and the factors associated with it among community pharmacists in Lebanon. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between March and July 2018, enrolling 435 pharmacists, using a proportionate random sample of community pharmacies from all districts of Lebanon. The validated Arabic translation of the Short-Form 12 (SF12v2) was used to derive 2 summary scores: physical and mental component summaries (PCS and MCS). Results: Lebanese community pharmacists scored a mean PCS-12 and MCS-12 of 48.9 (SD 7.1) and 48.8 (SD 8.5), respectively. Higher age (Beta= -0.08), having a PhD degree (Beta= -4.54), higher depression score (Beta= -0.25), higher emotional work fatigue (Beta= - 0.13) and higher physical work fatigue (Beta=-0.14) were significantly associated with lower physical QoL (lower PCS-12 scores). Increased stress (Beta= -0.17), higher insomnia (Beta= -0.21), higher depression (Beta= -0.2) and working for over 40 hours per week (Beta= -0.2) were significantly associated with lower mental QoL (lower mental MCS-12 scores). Conclusions: Our research has found a strong correlation between quality of life and psychological factors, including stress, burnout, insomnia, and depression among community pharmacists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the coast of Lebanon was analyzed for the dynamic changes in sediment microbial communities in response to a major petroleum oil spill and tar contamination that occurred in the summer of 2021. Spatio-temporal variations in the microbial structure along the shores of Lebanon were assessed in comparison to baseline microbial structure determined in 2017. Microbial community structure and diversity were determined using Illumina MiSeq technology and DADA2 pipeline. The results show a significant diversity of microbial populations along the Lebanese shore, and a significant change in the sediment microbial structure within four years. Namely, Woeseia , Blastopirellula , and Muriicola were identified in sediment samples collected in year 2017, while a higher microbial diversity was observed in 2021 with Woeseia , Halogranum , Bacillus , and Vibrio prevailing in beach sediments. In addition, the results demonstrate a significant correlation between certain hydrocarbon degraders, such as Marinobacter and Vibrio , and measured hydrocarbon concentrations. [Display omitted] • Spatio-temporal dynamics of sediment microbial communities of the shore of Lebanon • Extremely changing microbial population along the shoreline and through time • Significant correlation between hydrocarbon degraders and hydrocarbon pollution levels • Several new microbial taxa suggested as hydrocarbon degraders [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The prevalence of dyslipidelmia in pediatric Middle-Eastern populations is unknown. Our study aims to investigate the distribution and correlates of non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and triglycerides among Lebanese school children. Methods A total of 969 subjects aged 8–18 years were included in the study (505 boys and 464 girls). Recruitment was done from 10 schools located in the Great Beirut and Mount-Lebanon areas. Non-fasting total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured. Non-HDL-C was calculated. Schools were categorized into 3 socioeconomic statuses (SESs; low, middle, and high). Results In the overall population, the prevalence of high non-HDL-C (>3.8 mmol/L), very high non-HDL-C (>4.9 mmol/L), and high triglycerides (>1.5 mmol/l) are respectively 9.2%, 1.24%, and 26.6%. There is no significant gender difference for non-HDL-C or triglycerides. Non-HDL-C and triglycerides are inversely correlated with age in girls ( P < .0001 for both variables) but not in boys. They are also positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) in boys and girls ( P < .0001 for all variables). There is no relationship between schools' socioeconomic process (SES) and non-HDL-C. However, triglycerides are higher in children from lower SES schools. After adjustment for age and body mass index (BMI), testosterone is inversely associated with triglycerides in boys ( P < .0001). In a multivariate regression analysis, non-HDL-C is independently associated with age and BMI in girls ( P < .0001 for both variables) but only with BMI in boys ( P < .0001), whereas triglycerides are independently associated with BMI and schools' SES in both girls and boys. Conclusions This study confirms, in our population, the association between obesity and both high non-HDL-C and triglycerides, and between high triglycerides and low SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is premised on the understanding that the relationship between media and religion is not new. Media, defined broadly as systems as communication, have always been involved in the mediation of religion through the articulation and circulation of a wide range of religious and spiritual symbols, meanings values and ideas, through, among other means, sermons and the spoken word. Using a historically contextualised perspective and preliminary findings of ongoing research with young Shias in Lebanon, this paper addresses the relationship between the Hizbullah-backed satellite television station Al Manar and the everyday politics of Lebanon's Shias, underscoring that the processes of mediation do not take place in isolation of historical, political and cultural contexts. In detailing the confessional nature of Lebanon and its media, this chapter shows that Al Manar has become one of the de facto voices of the Shias in Lebanon, linking their ethos of resistance to that of the wider Shia community, thus playing a key role in the styles within which this community is imagined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information about the background of the Kurdish community in Lebanon. Issues concerning the reasons why Kurds are not well integrated into the political system of Lebanon, and its impact on their Kurdish identity and status in the country are also discussed. Information about the Lebanese Kurdish Philanthropic Association (LKPA), the Cedars Sports and Cultural Club (CSCC) and the Rezgari Party, and others are presented. Information concerning the Kurds' associational organization, ethno-linguistic diversity, citizenship and socioeconomic status, history, and others are also presented.

Background: In Lebanon, HIV is concentrated in both native and refugee communities of men who have sex with men (MSM). For over 10 years, the National AIDS Program (NAP) has offered HIV voluntary counselling and testing through a partnership with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In 2018, implementation of HIV self-tests (HIVST) was introduced, and this self-care intervention has been further scaled up during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This paper (1) describes the effectiveness of implementing HIVST in Lebanon, and (2) discusses how the success of HIVST implementation has been reflected during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: The NAP conducted a series of workshops (July-November 2018) to introduce HIVST services for healthcare workers working at different NGOs. The workshops highlighted that HIVST would be distributed for free, that it would be confidential and voluntary, and that participants were encouraged to notify the NGOs of their results, which would be kept strictly confidential. NGOs collected data anonymously and confidentially from beneficiaries (age, consistency of condom use and HIV testing history), who were asked to call back with the results of their HIVST. At the NAP, data were combined, aggregated and analysed., Results: In 2019, the NGOs distributed 1103/1380 (79.9%) HIVST kits to their beneficiaries. The NGOs collected feedback on 111 kit results, of which two were HIV-positive. Feedback about HIVST results from beneficiaries was low (111/1103) due to noncompliance of beneficiaries and the lack of human and financial resources in the NGOs. From January through May 2020, a total of 625/780 HIVST kits (80.1%) were distributed. This period was divided into pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19. The follow-up with the beneficiaries during COVID-19 was much improved because of the absence of on-site activities, shifting more efforts towards HIVST (449/625). There have been no reports of social harm related to HIVST., Conclusion: HIVST implementation in Lebanon serves as an example of introducing a self-care intervention as part of a community-led effort. In order to maintain HIVST services at the same improved level, reorganization of care is needed within each NGO following the adaptation process due to COVID-19, along with continuous monitoring and evaluation of HIVST reported data.

The Mediterranean--mare nostrum--has always been a cradle of exchanges for the different inhabitants of its shores, as highlighted by myths and legends dating back to antiquity. Cooperation between France and Lebanon expanded markedly in the 17th century and has continually expanded since, in fields such as education, through initiatives launched by the French government and by religious institutions. The Faculty of Medicine is an excellent example. The instigator was the Society of Jesus, which had created St Joseph University in 1875, eventually being supported by the French government. Following an agreement signed on 7 May 1883 between the Society of Jesus and the French authorities, the medical school opened on November 30th of the same year. The school soon became a faculty, and was managed until 1976 by a chancellor who answered to a French academic institution and delivered French state medical degrees. In 1976, however, following changes to the statutes of St Joseph University and the Faculty, the latter became a fully fledged Lebanese Faculty of Medicine delivering its diplomas through St Joseph University. The faculty soon needed a hospital complex to meet its students' medical needs. After some trials with local hospitals, it was decided to build the facility from scratch, and to name it Hotel Dieu de France. Construction was financed by the French government, and by a subscription launched by the French Press Syndicate, at the initiative of the newspaper Le Temps and at the request of the French Asia Committee (Comité de l'Asie Française). The Hospital was inaugurated on May 27, 1923. It soon encompassed a French maternity unit and cancer center, thus constituting the French Hospital Association (Association Hospitalière Française). In 1984, following an agreement between the French government and St Joseph University, Hotel Dieu became the property of the university, and the vice-chancellor became chairman of the board. The transfer of the faculty and Hotel Dieu to Lebanese authority did not spell an end to French support. Indeed, France continues to take an active part in the development of these two institutions through visiting professors and training for young doctors. Symbolically, the hospital is still called Hotel Dieu de France.