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The need for school belonging is crucial for adolescents and affects academic performance (Goodenow, 1993). School belonging refers to the extent to which students feel accepted, valued, and included in their school environment. It encompasses a sense of connectedness to peers, teachers, and the broader school community, contributing to students' emotional and social well-being (Allen et al., 2021). Using selected data from the International Institute of Islamic Thought (2019-2020) and Item Response Theory (IRT), we derived a measure for school sense of belonging across Muslim countries/regions. Three main discriminative items were identified: pride in school, respect from teachers, and community integration. Additionally, the scores of school belonging revealed that students in Tatarstan showed higher levels of belonging, while those in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Sudan, and Tanzania reported lower levels. We conducted a regression analysis to gain insight into the relationship between school belonging and the country's GDP. The results showed a significant association between school belonging and GDP per capita, indicating that students in wealthier countries tend to have a stronger sense of belonging. These findings have practical implications for educators, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders in the field of education and social wellbeing. They underscore the need for schools to focus on pride, teacher respect, and being part of a school community to foster belonging to make a positive impact on students' well-being and academic performance.

The teaching and learning of mathematics in sub-Saharan African countries is dominated by teacher-centred pedagogies rather than student-centred ones. Observations of mathematics teachers at two private schools in South Sudan confirmed such practices. This inspired the researchers to design an intervention to help six primary mathematics teachers shift their practices through problem-solving and mathematical discourse. Design-based research methods were implemented, and data were gathered using observations supported by video and audio recordings and field notes. The participants were selected using convenience sampling, and the data were analysed using Stephan's checklist of student-centred teaching as a framework. The findings revealed that initially, teachers were using tasks from textbooks, and the teachers themselves were engaged in solving the tasks while their students reproduced their actions. Additionally, all the teachers dominated classroom discussions. After the intervention, the teachers began to select tasks that could enhance learning through problem-solving and mathematical discourse among the students, shifting the teacher's role to facilitation as the students engaged in solving the tasks on their own. However, the shift in practice was highly dependent on the intervention, as the teachers' tasks were adopted from the workshop.

This qualitative article focuses on the high school experiences and post-secondary education (PSE) plans of 57 youth with refugee backgrounds from the Horn of Africa living in Ontario. The article is guided by two conceptual frameworks. The first is an anti-oppressive approach, which helps us examine the structural barriers at school that prevent, impede, and discourage the youth from successfully transitioning to PSE. We then use Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth framework to highlight the cultural capital that the youth bring from their homes and communities to navigate the challenges at school and embark on a pathway to PSE. Our findings show that while a significant number of the youth continue to face challenges, some are pushing back on the common narrative that Black African refugees are not capable of attending PSE.

The article deals with the relation between higher education and employment in Sudan. It evaluates the efficiency of a training project realized in collaboration between international and local private and government partners that aimed to provide university graduates with employment opportunities. The INSO Project (Innovation in society: Training paths and human capital enhancement in Sudan) took place from 2017 to 2019. The research methodology consists of a questionnaire survey among the project participants to collect data on their employment achievements after almost two years of their graduation and a series of interviews about their professional integration. The collected data are analyzed in the context of the Sudanese socio-economic environment, higher education, and development. The study reveals a significant rate of employment for the graduates of this training project and a positive impact of specific training related to job search techniques.

This study aims to examine the effects of flipped learning on L2 students' overall academic achievements through meta-analysis. Forty studies (e.g., journal articles, M.A/Ph.D. theses and conference papers) on 'flipped classroom', 'flipped learning' and 'academic achievement' were included in this meta-analysis study. The data was analyzed by using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software. The random effects model was used in analyzing the overall effect size and the heterogeneity of the studies included in this meta-analysis. The results revealed that flipped learning has statistically significant effect on L2 learners' academic achievements (g=1.303) compared to traditional learning approaches. This result does not differ according to publication type, educational level and four basic language skills and sub-skills, but it differs according to sample size of the selected studies.

Studies examining how EFL learners paraphrase hedges in scientific statements are still rare even though how learners use hedges in academic writing has been extensively investigated. This study compared paraphrasing strategies that Thai (TH) and non-Thai (NTH) EFL medical science graduate students used to paraphrase given hedges appearing in hedged scientific statements and the types of hedges occurring in their paraphrased versions after a lesson on paraphrasing and lessons on both paraphrasing and hedging. The results from pretests and posttests administered after the initial paraphrasing lesson and after two lessons combining paraphrasing and hedging, respectively, showed that both TH and NTH groups increased their use of lexical, and to a lesser degree strategic and structural hedges, after two lessons. This could be seen from the higher number of hedges in the TH ([x-bar] =19.1) and NTH ([x-bar] = 19.6) posttests when compared with the TH ([x-bar] = 15.9) and NTH ([x-bar] = 14.2) pretests. This combination of lessons, thus, seemed to help raise the students' awareness of keeping the hedged sense of the original version. The findings of this research suggest that the paraphrasing of hedging in academic writing and possibly other aspects of pragmatic competence can be explicitly taught with a minimal number of lessons.

This paper describes the role of regional institutions in translating regional policy instruments into practical action using the experience of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in training teachers for refugee and host community secondary schools in three pilot member states: Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. The paper raises questions about the regional organizations could be engaged in developing commonly shared commitments and at the same time implement these policies. Using a participant observation method combined with textual and contextual analysis, the study outlined the results in terms of process, products and lessons achieved in the course of the teacher training process. Regarding the process, the paper highlights consensus building, needs assessment, selection of sites, teachers and trainers as well as development of training modules as important outcomes. The product involves the skill-sets acquired or capacities developed cultural materials and media products. The training initiative brought home useful lessons including the importance of the participatory approach and joint decision-making, the role of partnership, enabling leadership, effective coordination and flexibility in managing joint, multi-stakeholder programs. The paper concludes by articulating the need for further studies and scaling-up the teacher training covering member states that are not involved in the pilot phase.

This paper argues that access to quality education and skills development programs for refugees, returnees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) is not only one of the fundamental human rights that states and non-state actors have obligations to fulfill; it is also an integral part of sustainable development efforts which will have significant contributions to socio-economic transformation in host countries, countries of origin and countries of destinations in the event that refugees become migrant, which is sometimes the case. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region, consisting of eight member states, namely, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, host more than 13 million forcibly displaced people. This results from protracted and devastating conflicts; drought and famine and other natural or man-made calamities. Within the IGAD region, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan produce 80 to 90% of displacement due to protracted civil wars. However, almost all the member states have refugees, IDPs or migrants sheltered in their territories. Access to higher education among refugees, returnees and IDPs is very low at only 3% compared to 36% globally. The figure for Africa is still dismal, at less than 1%; and the same holds true for the IGAD region. In an effort to address this major challenge facing these population categories, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) convened a high level regional (Ministerial Conference) on refugee education held in Djibouti, 12-14 December 2017. That Conference adopted what is now called the Djibouti declaration and Plan of Action for refugee education in the IGAD region. The major purpose of this paper was is to outline the refugee situations in general and the state of higher education in the region in particular.

Social emotional learning (SEL) has become a popular trend in the field of Education in Emergencies (EiE). Many SEL programs targeting refugee learners aim to help individuals develop skills that are necessary for learning and development, as well as mitigate the adverse impacts of crisis and displacement. While nearly half a billion USD has been invested in SEL initiatives for refugee and crisis contexts world-wide, little evidence exists about the impacts of SEL interventions with refugee communities. As 20% of all refugees globally reside in East Africa, and it is estimated that over 152 million African children live in active conflict zones, this study set out to qualitatively examine understandings, implementation, and implications of SEL interventions across actors engaging refugee communities in the region. The results expose tensions, challenges, and complex dynamics related to culture, power, and the complicated reality of implementing refugee education initiatives in East Africa. While further research into this area of inquiry is needed and proposed, these study findings provide a stronger understanding of the refugee education landscape in East Africa and its current insufficiencies through the example of SEL, and serve to inform other topical EiE interventions and the broader uptake of SEL by education systems globally.

Educational intervention is known to enhance learners in general, including deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) learners in particular. This study is a systematic review to identify educational interventions in Arab experimental studies published from 2008 to 2019 concerning deaf and hard-of-hearing children in preschool. The study used Google Scholar and Academic Research Library to identify 30 studies that were examined in terms of their objectives, characteristics of the participants, types of interventions, findings and the country in which they were conducted. A positive effect of the educational interventions was observed in all targeted studies. However, there was an absence of interventions in the first 4 years of the period (2008-2011). Subsequently, in the last 4 years of the study period, there was a considerable increase in interventions. Fifty-seven percent of these studies were conducted in Egypt, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (23%), Kuwait (10%) and finally Sudan (3%). This review indicates that the use of educational interventions for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the preschool period is promising. Educators and professionals should carefully consider these children's preferences, characteristics and actual abilities when making decisions about the design of appropriate educational interventions.

Members of research ethics committees (RECs) face a number of ethical challenges when reviewing genomic research. These include issues regarding the content and type of consent, the return of individual research results, mechanisms of sharing specimens and health data, and appropriate community engagement efforts. This article presents the findings from a survey that sought to investigate the opinions and attitudes of REC members from four Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, and Jordan) toward these ethical issues. Our findings suggest that efforts are required to better familiarize REC members with the requirements for ethical biobank research. Additionally, we recommend that further research is undertaken with REC members regarding the main items that should be present in the Material Transfer Agreements/Data Transfer Agreements in their corresponding countries and the type of consent that should be used in genomic research.

This article draws on grounded theory and ethnographic fieldwork approaches and applies a political ecology of adolescent health (PEAH) framework to examine how school-going adolescent girls and their communities perceive sexual and reproductive health education (SRHE) and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in the region. Three young girls were purposefully selected from each of 10 government-run mixed primary schools in Juba, South Sudan, as peer research evaluators (PREs) and key informants (N = 30). Each PRE interviewed and reported on three of their peers about how they talk about and manage menstruation. The findings show that political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors do influence adolescent girls' and their communities' perceptions about puberty and menstruation. In general, MHM was culturally constructed, but the results show a disproportionate emphasis on social norms rather than on SRHE, which could have long-lasting health implications for adolescent girls. There is a need for all stakeholders in education to come together to better grasp and address the obstacles young girls face in their communities and school environments. There is also a need to develop relevant training materials to assist care providers and adolescent girls to openly talk about and address sexual and reproductive health issues.

In recent times, young people from Australian Sudanese and South Sudanese communities have received considerable negative racialised public and political attention. This publicity has the potential to negatively shape the perspectives of other Australians, which in turn can have adverse consequences for these youth in terms of their social experiences. Against the backdrop of hegemonically 'white' Australian school contexts, pre-determined negative perspectives have the potential to undermine social experiences, relationships, and the overall educational inclusion of these students. This qualitative study places the voices of the participants at the centre of the research to better understand Australian Sudanese and South Sudanese youths' perspectives on their relationships with schoolteachers. A voice-centred relational methodology (VCRM) approach was used to analyse data and to present the findings of the study. The findings suggest that student/teacher relationships as experienced by Australian Sudanese/South Sudanese youth are, for the most part, negative. It was reported that these youth experience low academic expectations from their teachers and are held to disproportionately high levels of disciplinary accountability. In many instances these findings were linked by participants to forms of racial discrimination, which have the potential to impede their educational belonging.

This brief report article presents the current educational challenges refugees face in Uganda based on their perceptions. The perceptions of the refugees were collected through an approach that ensured that refugee leaders, students, and non-students commented on the education of refugees in Uganda. 15 individual interviews with refugee students in Kampala in 2021 were complemented by data collected from 2 Focus Group discussions in 2020. The individual interview participants included 3 secondary school students, 10 university students, and 2 Vocational Education and Training (VET) students. Focus Group one was a group of refugee leaders in Rhino Refugee settlement area, and Focus Group two was for urban refugee youths in Arua City. This brief report article contributes to understanding the educational challenges of the refugees in Uganda through a broader focus that includes postsecondary education than concentrating on access to primary and secondary education, which are the main focus of research and policy interventions. Furthermore, the challenges presented, such as tuition fees at institutions of higher learning, the stigmatisation of refugee students, the lack of educational advice and career guidance for refugee students, and the COVID-19 effects, show that there is need to expand policy interventions to address educational challenges faced by the refugees.

This paper applies a critical lens to a Master's degree program in education in one University in Norway and its stated aim of promoting critical skills in students from the global south in particular. Two groups of students, one an international mix in Oslo, and the other, South Sudanese students studying in Hawassa, Ethiopia, were compared. The study employed tenets of action research, with the aim of boosting the continuing professional development of both students and course instructors. The findings reveal varying levels of challenges related to, among others, uncritical deference towards course instructors and literature and varying levels of language proficiency which, it is argued, undermines critical thinking. Despite the above, it is argued that the degree programme furnishes an important platform for culturally diverse students to interact and foster the kind of critical thinking skills valorized in the course aims.

The objective of this study is to examine the role of strategic capabilities in achieving academic performance in Sudanese private universities. Based on a literature search, an accurate questionnaire was used to collect the needed data.198 questionnaires were collected from Sudanese private universities using the two-stage cluster sampling. For data analysis, multiple regression model was conducted. The findings indicated that the constructs of strategic capabilities including human resources and physical resources are significantly and positively associated with performance. The research concluded that strategic capabilities are the factors of achieving academic performance in private universities in Sudanese context. Moreover, there are a few studies in such field, and there are only few empirical studies that have examined resources' characteristics. This research will expand the body of knowledge of both scholars and practitioners in the area of strategic responses among private universities establishments, as well as identify areas that could be further studied.

Currently 26 million people live as refugees, 40% of whom are school-aged. As global policy shifts to include refugee children and young people in education systems in settings of exile, language-in-education emerges as an under-explored challenge for refugee learners and the education systems they join. Refugee young people face uncertain futures, prompting questions about which languages can enable refugees to realize their multi-directional aspirations. Drawing on 80 semi-structured interviews with 45 Sudanese, South Sudanese, and Syrian refugee young people living in Uganda and Lebanon, we analyze the linguistic experiences of refugees across locations, ages, and educational stages. We find that current practices of inclusion within national education systems in exile only partially attend to refugees' linguistic needs. Global policies of educational inclusion focus almost exclusively on the languages of school and work in exile, an approach which fails to support refugees in meeting three key needs in exile: the need for opportunity, connection, and stable roots. Attention to these three needs can support refugee learners' diverse linguistic repertoires as they develop the linguistic skills needed to navigate education in exile while also sustaining the languages that root young people in places, communities, and relationships of origin.

Objective: Studies suggest that healthcare professionals often feel unprepared to deal with mental health issues in refugees and asylum seekers. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in relation to mental health and healthcare, to inform cultural competency training for undergraduate medical students. Method: Focus groups were conducted with 16 refugees and asylum seekers and staff from relevant charity organisations in Wales. We explored participants' experiences in relation to mental health and healthcare, and training for healthcare professionals. The data were thematically analysed using an inductive approach. Results: Three overarching themes were identified: (1) recognition of the specific mental health needs of refugees and asylum seekers, (2) barriers preventing effective mental healthcare delivery for refugees and asylum seekers and (3) authentic learning experiences for medical students. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to actively involve refugees and asylum seekers, along with individuals who work closely with this population, in considering the development of cultural competency training for healthcare students and professionals in relation to mental health. If we are to reduce the risks of exclusion from healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers, training in this area is essential. Findings from this study have informed the development of a guide for healthcare educators with a focus on refugee and asylum seeker mental health.

This study set out to examine which peer review, face-to-face given orally or online given in writing, is more effective in improving the overall argumentative writing achievement of English as a foreign language (EFL) university learners. The study utilized an experimental design and reported on one experiment including online peer review (OLPR) which was the experimental group (n = 74) and a face-to-face peer review (FTFPR) which served as the control group (n = 48). Both groups (n = 122) were trained in the use of their respective peer review, OLPR or FTFPR. Both groups wrote two argumentative synthesis essays, immediate and delayed, in two drafts. The second draft of each essay was written after receiving the respective peer review, OLPR or FTFPR. Two Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) tests and a qualitative analysis of peer reviews were conducted to address the study question. Quantitative findings showed that participants in the OLPR group significantly outperformed their FTFPR counterparts in improving the argumentative synthesis writing of EFL university learners. The qualitative analysis of the peer review forms, and the revised essays revealed that the OLPR group gave more systematic feedback than that of FTFPR, OLPR focused on content, organization and language while commenting on the writing strengths and weaknesses. Thus, instructors are advised to use OLPR in argumentative writing classes. The study also showed the significance of shifting the control of feedback from the teacher to students.

Tests of measurement invariance are essential to determining whether individual scores or group averages are comparable across populations. While international comparisons of mean IQ scores are common, tests of measurement invariance for intelligence test batteries (necessary for comparisons to be empirically supported) are rare. In this study, four archival sets of Wechsler test IQ scores from Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, and Sudan were tested for measurement invariance when compared to the American norm data for the same tests. Results indicate that two datasets - from Ghana and Kenya - demonstrated strict measurement invariance. However, the other two data sets failed to meet the requirements of scalar or strict measurement invariance, which indicates that global IQ scores from these latter data sets cannot be compared to American IQ scores on the same tests. Tests of measurement invariance should be regularly conducted when making comparisons of scores between industrialized and economically developing nations.

The study aims at investigating the difficulties encountered by English centers teachers of multileveled classes in teaching reading comprehension, and suggests some suitable strategies that can alleviate the problems. To run the study, thirty-four language center teachers from Khartoum State are the sample of the study. A questionnaire, supported by classroom observation, was the collecting data tool. The quantitative method matches this type of research. The findings of the study reveal that the difficulties encountered by multileveled classes teachers attributed to the students' limited vocabulary, poor background knowledge, annoying reading materials, lack of teachers' training, and adverse selection of suitable strategies. The findings of this study are of high value for syllables designers as well as multileveled classes teachers. Teachers have to adopt adequate strategies, choosing attractive reading materials, and they should be equipped with the required training.

This paper investigates learning difficulties of the linguistic minority schoolchildren (LMS) in Darfur, Sudan, in the contexts of the current conflict and the official monolingual policy. Employing quantitative and qualitative data gathering tools, we examined how the LMS at the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps were educationally disadvantaged due to their low proficiency in Arabic, curricula developed insensitively to their identities and cultures, and how parents and teachers perceived of teaching the children in Arabic as the sole medium of instruction. The study concluded that monolingualism in education resulted in the underachievement of the IDPs schoolchildren; the vast majority of the parents and a great number of teachers believed the children could have achieved better had the teachers used, besides Arabic, native languages in teaching; and that learning of the children could be improved if their ethnic identities and cultures were integrated in curricula. Preferences of teaching the children in Arabic among the parents were primarily attributed to the current conflict, which gave rise to the revitalisation of native languages in Darfur. The teachers' preferences thereof, however, differed -- crudely traceable between one group of monolingual supporters whose perceptions were informed by their internalised state ideology of Arabicisation and another group of multilingual proponents whose viewpoints were derived from the trendy approaches favouring multilingualism in education. The findings also suggested that the government deliberately distanced itself from taking remedial interventions to mitigate the underachievement of the children with the expectation the displacement would expedite their linguistic and cultural assimilation, which have not only rendered them the most linguistically disenfranchised children in Sudan, but created the most profound de facto government language policy of its kind as well.

Recent studies on language acquisition and motivation have targeted Japanese language learners in a formal educational context, with less attention paid to learners who study Japanese informally. The current study aims to investigate the impact of Japanese animations in the context of informal third language acquisition. It targets the native speakers of Arabic who are interested in learning Japanese as a third language (L3), and investigates the motivations of Arab teenagers and young adults to learn Japanese. Further, the paper also focuses on examining aspects of Japanese language proficiency among teenagers and young adults, including vocabulary enhancement and grammar competence. The methodology used in the current study is twofold: an online survey questionnaire adopted from Armour and Iida (2016), followed by an engaging experiment in which participants were divided into two groups (reality anime group vs. action anime group) in order to examine the effectiveness of anime selection in boosting proficiency level. The findings of the online survey indicate that Arabic native speakers are highly motivated to learn Japanese, while the experiment results confirm that the type of anime and consistency of exposure do support the acquisition process. Further, the study concluded that consumption of anime series contributes to the learning process and facilitates learners' proficiency in general and vocabulary learning in particular. However, it remains unknown whether or not Arabic native speakers' motivations lead to their enrollment into formal Japanese foreign language education. Avenues for future research and implications are also presented toward the end of the paper.

The study explored religious education (RE), Islamic and Christian, in the Arab world and its role in qualifying students to university education, taking Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Egypt as models. A controversy about the validity of RE as a bridge to university education in the Arab world provided the impetus to carry out the present study. Using the descriptive analytical method, the author studied the reality of RE with its different types in the selected countries and the extent to which these experiences are successful. The results revealed that the three RE experiences are successful. RE was found to have many educational and behavioral effects, e.g., elimination of religious extremism, alleviation of oppression experienced by religious minorities and acquisition of good behavior. It also proved to furnish students with many important skills such as co-existence and respect for others. Students of religious schools in the three countries were found to achieve good results that qualified them to all branches of knowledge, applied and theoretical, in university education. They even excelled their counterparts in general education schools. Recommendations and suggestions for further research are offered.

On March 13, 2020, the government of South Sudan implemented emergency lockdown measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fears that the pandemic would reverse efforts by the government and civil society to keep girls in school were realized and reported incidences of teen pregnancy increased. Prior to the pandemic, early marriage and teen pregnancy in South Sudan were already of extreme concern, as the country reported the seventh-highest child marriage rate in the world. Countrywide data from 2019 indicated that only 34 percent of the students who sat for primary exams were girls. We conducted this qualitative study to explore the resilience factors that adolescent mothers and pregnant adolescents relied on during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Maiwut Town, South Sudan, to enable them to return to school and continue their education. Our research revealed that, despite struggling to meet their basic needs, receiving weak support from their social networks, and experiencing violence and persistent negative gender roles, these adolescent mothers and pregnant adolescents exhibited resilience in their aspirations to return to school and become financially independent. By centering this research on the voices of this vulnerable population, we are able to recommend what we argue are more effective and targeted interventions for organizations that are working in this and similar emergency contexts.

Though vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) have drawn continuous attention in SLA research in the past three decades, there remain many unanswered questions, many unknown caveats and many unexplored regions. Quite a few historical reviews of vocabulary learning strategies have been undertaken by researchers over the past years, tracing its growth over the years. However, no research until now has captured the VLS profile of learners from diverse ESL/EFL backgrounds and presented an analysis from a geographical point of view. This study aims to capture the VLS profile of the diverse learners and takes up the task of the geographical review of vocabulary learning strategies landscaping the VLS research over many countries. For this purpose, the researcher has chosen specifically the research happening in the backdrop of ESL/EFL contexts. Fourteen papers have been selected for review belonging to Philippine, Turkey, Algeria, Iran, Malaysia, Congo, China, India, Sudan, Libya and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A detailed analysis reveals not only the juggling between the experiential and traditional modes of vocabulary learning but also the reasons behind the insufficient vocabulary size of the learners in myriad contexts.

The study aims at suggesting effective methods and techniques that could improve English as a foreign language EFL students' performance in writing skills. The researcher uses the descriptive, analytical method. Four tools were adopted pretest, post-test, supporting program, and a questionnaire for teachers for collecting data. Twenty-five students in Holy Quran University, Sudan, were chosen purposively, and thirty EFL teachers at a university level were randomly selected as a sample for the study. Ninety percent of the teachers agree on the suggested program and techniques. The findings of the study indicate that: using varied techniques and activities in pre-writing stage promotes students' performances in writing, integration of reading and writing skills in the classroom improves students' writing skills, as well as encouraging extensive reading outside the classroom promotes students' performance in writing skills. Accordingly, the researcher recommends that: teachers should focus on the prewriting stage through different activities as well as reading and writing should be used in an integrated way in-class writing to guide the writing process. [Note: The page numbers (218, 119-130) shown on the PDF are incorrect. The correct page range for this article is p218-230.]

Urinary schistosomiasis is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, including Sudan, the risk for schistosomiasis is widespread, especially in the major irrigation systems in the Gezira area between the Blue and White Nile Rivers and both "Schistosoma mansoni" and "Schistosoma hematobium" are endemic. A cross sectional descriptive study was done to determine the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis. Randomly 385 children were selected (223 males, 162 females) from the total population of three basic mixed schools at Assalaya locality in White Nile State. Urine samples were exanimated after allowing it to sediment in a conical urinalysis glass. A drop from the sediment is taken and examined under the light microscope for the presence of "S. hematobium" ova and by a filtration method. The percentage of the infection was 154/385 (40%). The highest frequency of positive cases were found among the age group of 12 to 15 years 91/154 (59.1%) but no significant association between age distribution and positive results was found (p-value = 0.18). In this study no significant association between sex and urinary schistosomiasis was found (p-value = 0.64). About 253/385 (65.7%) of population know the mode of transmission of the schistosomiasis from infected water with snails transmit the infection. There was significant association between contact to canals and the infection (p-value < 0.05). There was no significant association between father and mother education and the infection (p-values = 0.08, 0.06 respectively), monthly income and the infection (pvalue=0.31), the source of water supply and the disease (p-value = 0.43). While there was significant association between lack of latrines in houses and the infection (p-value < 0.05).

This paper rests on a survey among students of Arab Open University (AOU) that covered 6,369 students from all branches (in eight countries) and across all four colleges. It endeavours to raise a case for introducing entrepreneurship education in AOU. The Survey results show a surprisingly high level of entrepreneurial intention among the students, and the overwhelming majority of them are demanding introduction of entrepreneurship education. The Paper uses results of the Survey to present how the students of AOU desire their entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship training programmes to be organised, and to identify the target groups of each of the two programmes. Based on these results and on selected literature review of the concepts of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship training, an outline of entrepreneurship curricula and of teaching and training methods are suggested. Both curricula and methods advanced could be of relevance beyond the specific case of AOU.

This study aims to investigate the properties of peer tutoring of first year engineering students on a Calculus-I course. Five dyads are constructed with different properties, and eight volunteer students. The students met regularly and studied calculus together for two months in technology-rich classrooms. To identify the properties and structure of the peer dyads, a multiple case study was conducted. Data was gathered through transcribed video recordings, and two themes (tutor-tutee relationship and teaching mathematics) were constructed in order to analyze the data. The success of the dyads depends on many variables such as structure of the tutoring, previous mathematical knowledge of the tutor, the way of teaching, questions types, and how feedback is provided. According to analysis, tutors and tutees have three kinds of relationships that are dependent on the skills of the tutors and the personality of the peers. These are interdependent to each other, scaffolding one another, and tutoring. Most students were good at mathematics, but tutors experienced some problems explaining why mathematical statements were true or false. Only two students demonstrated conceptual knowledge, with others emphasizing procedural and computational knowledge.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the Trump administration ban on individuals from 7 Muslim-majority countries (i.e., Executive Order 13769), influenced prospective international graduate applicants to two Texas institutions. Inferential statistical procedures revealed the presence of a statistically significant, sharp decline in international graduate applicants, particularly from Muslim-majority countries. From Fall 2016 to Fall 2018, international graduate applicants from non-Muslim-majority countries declined 18.36%. Over this same time period, applicants from Muslim-majority countries declined 33.37%. Most notably, applicants from the 7 countries targeted in the travel ban declined 53.93%. Concerns clearly exist regarding the effects of this travel ban on international student mobility. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Educational contexts around the world are increasingly characterized by diversity, including a rise in students from refugee backgrounds. Much research has focused on the educational needs of these students and the particular struggles they experience in educational contexts. The increasing number of refugee and asylum-seeking children in Australia calls for rethinking approaches to enhance the acculturation process in ways that build on individuals' prior knowledge and understanding of self. This paper draws on data from a larger case study that focused on Sudanese young people in regional Australia and investigated their out-of-school activities, networks, and practices and how these contributed to their success across a range of contexts. Drawing on perspectives of identity and theories of social capital, we discuss the role of social networks in generating social capital and what this means in terms of the (re)formation of students' identities in regional locations, and we consider how this can contribute to educational success. We suggest that the resources in regional areas present both a challenge and an opportunity for young former-refugee people in terms of repositioning themselves in new social, cultural, and educational contexts. The paper examines how the young people developed their own momentum, rationality, and legitimacy in their identity (re)formation, and suggests that educational settings need to connect with and understand young people's out-of-school resources to avoid deficit narratives that lead to poor educational outcomes.

The study aims at analyzing errors made by Sudan University of Science and Technology students' at faculty of Sciences-Chemistry Department in employing passive voice in writing lab reports. The study focuses precisely on identifying the types of errors occurred in using passive voice and the reasons behind these errors. Descriptive qualitative method is adopted and applied to obtain and process the gathered data. To run this study and to collect reliable data, thirty chemical students are chosen randomly as the subject of the study. Samples of the students' lab reports are collected and analyzed. The collected data is analyzed according to the Dulay et al. (1982) Surface Strategy Taxonomy model. Teachers' questionnaire is also used to find out the sources of the students' errors from the teachers' point of view. The findings of the study reveals that the majority of the students' errors are categorized as omission and misinformation whereas additions and misordering errors are fewer and unconsidered. According to the teachers, these errors are attributed to the interference of the mother tongue, lack of knowledge and carelessness of the students.

Middle East Region is home to more than 400 million people, representing 5% of world population, and boasts a workforce of 103 million scattered across 22 countries (Lord, 2016). Sixty five percent of the populations are young aged 25 or under, which puts growing stress on educational, health and social systems. Over the last decade, most Middle East countries put into action many reforms for women's rights and sensitivity toward gender issues. Currently, almost all Middle East countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Many nations in the Region shown strong commitment to uplift education and make them accessible to all eligible women. There was also substantial increase in the allocation of funds for education in nearly all Middle East nations. For a balanced national development, women are needed in the various areas where their functions are most suitable. In principle, there are equal opportunities for both genders but social perception and prejudice determine which types of employment are particularly suitable for women or men. Several renowned Middle Eastern women are Physicians, Chemist, Physicist, Engineers, Doctors, Judges, Lawyers, Journalist, Poets, Novelist and even Legislatives (Islam, 2017).

South Sudan's independence in July 2011 came with a euphoric promise to break with the Sudan's cultural domination, epitomised by the latter's education system. Yet, despite the introduction of the national curriculum, South Sudan, as a part of the modern Sudan for decades, is struggling to rid itself of the colonial education system. This article examines the persistence of foreign education in post-independence South Sudan. The complexities of the foreign education are intertwined with the concurrent political and economic upheavals that have bedevilled the world's youngest nation. The national curriculum is encumbered by government underfunding of education-associated with a poorly performing economy exacerbated by conflict. Underinvestment in education has wider implications for the provision of learning resources and teacher training. South Sudan's continuous reliance on foreign schooling curricula implies that its education system is not yet 'free' and independent. Most importantly, in the context of the renewed conflict, the lack of the national curriculum is critical for South Sudan's nation-building agenda. The evidence in this article has implications for improving educational policy and practice in South Sudan and other similar post-conflict African countries.

This paper discusses the development of a professional doctorate of Pharmacy at Pharmacy Specialization board (PSB) part of Sudan Medical Specialization Board (SMSB), Khartoum, Sudan. The initiative for this new doctorate was led by Professor Abdalla Elbadri chairman of the PSB. The curriculum of the undergraduate programme was drug oriented and this necessitated the establishment of professional postgraduate training, which was in the responsibility of the PSB. The first degree approved was the fellowship in pharmacy. This innovation from fellowship in pharmacy to professional doctorate came about because the fellowship was not able to meet the present demand for pharmacists throughout the pharmacy practice in the country, as when graduated, many choose to migrate to western countries. The new professional doctorate in pharmacy introduced the concept of professionalism as a corner stone throughout the study period. Currently there are four available specialties in the Professional Doctorate including; Clinical Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy, Quality Assurance of pharmaceuticals and Management of Pharmaceutical Services. The programme is flexible so that candidates with a master degree, fellowship or even a Bachelor's degree can be admitted, with differences in study period, for example, those with a Bachelor's degree may gain the full professional doctorate within four years. Assessments include theoretical knowledge, practical skills and research. The professional doctorate development team at Khartoum University feel that regional and international collaboration is needed in order to overcome obstacles characteristic to developing countries, for example in terms of academic recognition or a professional doctorate (where the PhD is the single most popular doctoral degree).