Gifted education in United Arab Emirates: Analyses from a learning-resource perspective

Abstract

Although the UAE does not possess a long history and experience in general education, the country has recently embarked on educational reforms that emphasize the provision of quality education for all, and at the same time ensure that exceptional individuals are provided with opportunities to attain their potentials as far as they can. The main purpose of this study was to review the current situation of gifted education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from a learning resource perspective. In order to review the existing situation of gifted education in the UAE, the researchers utilized the procedures of document analysis and interviews. The analysis of documents and interviews revealed that the country has already made significant progress in some areas of gifted education, but there is still more work to be accomplished to attain the national goals. The results highlighted that the values of “student equity” and “student excellence” are two key features of the UAE educational system. The analysis of documents revealed that the current policy emphasizes that all students should be provided with equal opportunities and at the same time make sure that students with special needs are offered the right services and support and the needs of gifted and talented students are accounted for. It was also stated in different documents that other associations, ministries, and centers are offering some kinds of services for students with special talents. The study ended with some recommendations to aid continuous progress and direct future research.

Keywords:

• Gifted education
• Educational capitals
• Learning resources
• Giftedness
• Talent

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Gifted education is viewed in many parts of the globe as an important factor in preparing the younger generations to assume major roles in the advancement of their societies. The Nature and structure of educational systems may support or obstruct advancements in gifted education depending on the nation’s overall philosophy, and the regulations for preparing the elite generations. This paper purported to review the current situation of gifted education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Thus, the overall research structure and design reflected this specific overall purpose of the study. Ultimately, This research project sought to explore the UAE’s approach to gifted education and how it was reflected in real practices. Specifically, it focused on examining the current situation of promoting talented and gifted education from an educational and learning resource-perspective. The UAE has been paying a lot of attention to the education of its younger generation in order to guarantee equal opportunities for all students, and at the same time make sure that students with special needs and talented younger learners are provided with the right support and sufficiently challenged to enhance their potentials as higher as they are able.

1. Introduction

The issues of gifted education and talent development have recently attracted the attention of several groups, including researchers, educators, policy makers, and other interested individuals. Many countries, including the UAE have assiduously worked to establish, maintain, and offer education for all, and at the same time make sure that the needs of gifted and talented individuals are also accounted for (Ministry of Education, 2020, 2010). The UAE has adopted a constructive educational system to respond to the diverse needs of its younger generations, including students with special needs, high achievers, and talented youths. The essence of this system is to provide an appropriate learning environment where all children can benefit from the various opportunities and programs that correspond to their talents (Younis, 2019). Younis (ibid) reported that the giftedness policy represents an essential element of any educational reform, but some school administrators and teachers are still unaware of its important role in the process of nurturing and supporting students’ talents and potentials.

However, there is an urgent need to conduct more research to examine the situation more precisely. The dearth of research about gifted education makes it very difficult to identify crucial priorities and needs to start planning accordingly. The current study was conducted at the right time to help in developing a better understanding of the existing situation of the nature of gifted education in the UAE. Fundamentally, this study has a dual importance since it is the first of its kind in the country and it will narrow the scarcity gap in the literature. Firstly, the use of a learning resource perspective for the first time within the UAE context will assist in focusing the scope and breadth of the study in collecting and analyzing the data and producing constructive results. Secondly, the findings of this kind of study can provide concrete insights for decision makers since they are based on a well-focused research design.

The overall focus of this study was to systematically review the existing situation of gifted education in the UAE by using document analysis and interviewing techniques. Thus, a learning resource perspective was utilized as a theoretical framework for data collection and analysis. Although there is a growing importance of gifted education within the UAE’s society, there is not a unified national policy or system for this specialized area (AlGhawi, 2017, 2020). However, the general education policy highlighted the importance of providing education for all (Ministry of Education, 2020; Warner, 2018). Students with special needs, including talented students are not educated in special classrooms but they are integrated in regular classes with other students (Alborno, 2013; Ministry of Education, 2010). Students with high abilities are provided with opportunities to do different or extra work while they are following the regular curriculum along with other students in schools. Most of the efforts to support gifted and talented students in schools are focusing on some kinds of enrichment activities which are very much offered as additional resources to meet the needs of the more able learners and support them to develop their abilities and skills. However, in high schools, students are streamed into three tracks based on their achievements in mathematics and science (Elite Track, Advanced Track & General Track). Students who have achieved higher scores in science and mathematics are placed in the Elite Stream and they are exposed to advanced materials and experiences to develop their potentials in these areas. There is also a fourth stream known as the vocational or technical track which includes three sub-divisions: Advanced Technical Track, General Career Technical Track, and applied Track (Ministry of Education, 2020). Essentially, this study was mainly designed to review the status of gifted education in the UAE. This goal may be devised in the form of the following main research question, what is the current situation of gifted education in the UAE?

2. The need for a national policy of gifted education across UAE

According to AlGhawi (2017), gifted education was first introduced into the general education system during the year 2000 by establishing a small unit for gifted programs within the Special Abilities Department in the Ministry of Education (MoE). A couple of initiatives followed the emergence of this special unit. Those initiatives included, for example, the “Schools for All” in 2008, the “Development of Gifted and Talented Students’ Skills” in 2009 and the “Integrated System to Identify and Care for Talents” in 2014. In 2019 the MoE established the Department of Innovation in which a gifted unit was formed.

Despite all changes and efforts, there is no clear unified policy or system for gifted education and talent development, but there are some individual planning efforts and programs initiated by different Emirates or educational entities to provide services and support to talented students. The individual attempts of some Emirates lack a clear policy and coordination with other entities that oversee or provide services for the community of talented students. However, in 2010 the MoE issued the “General Rules for the Provision of Special Education Programs and Services” which referred to the regulations of integrating students with special needs, including gifted students in regular classes (AlGhawi, 2020, 2007; Ministry of Education, 2010).

As part of its partnership with the MoE, Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance (HF) initiated the development of a national plan for giftedness in 2006 to create opportunities and offer services in a systematically organized manner within its premises and beyond (AlGhawi, 2017; Daraghmeh, 2018; Hamdan Foundation, 2016). The preparation of this policy was partially inspired by the growing numbers of individuals who won HF’s different awards for their distinguished performance. This effort represents one of HF’s initiatives to continue supporting those distinguished individuals along with other exceptional youths. The initial draft of the document was prepared by recognized experts from two German well-known universities. After that, it was reviewed by local and regional experts in 2009. At that stage, the policy was adopted in accordance with the criteria of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Later, an updated comprehensive policy was prepared by a group of international experts in the field of gifted education and talent development (Hamdan Foundation, 2016). The following are examples of major components of the policy:

2.1. Identification of gifted and talented students

In the UAE there are several institutions that participate in the identification of gifted students at different stages such as the MoE, HF, the Ministry of Possibilities (MoP) represented by the Virtual Department for Talent Discovery (VDTD). For example, in cooperation with two Universities from Germany, HF has developed its own tool that is now known as Hamdan Giftedness Test (HGT), and it is used to identify students who join its enrichment and training programs (Ziegler & Stoeger, 2016). The HGT is used in cooperation with the MoE to identify gifted students in both public and private schools in the country. The MoE has also developed and validated a few identification tools to be used within certain grade levels of public schools such as the “Discovery Battery” for children aged between 4 and 6 years (Ministry of Education, 2020).

2.2. Gifted and talented students mentoring programs

There are different programs prepared and organized for gifted and talented students. They include both short and long enrichment programs executed at different times such as after schools, weekends, short and long holidays, etc. Acceleration, skipping classes, taking advance courses, and early admission in KG classes are not common practices in public schools as the UAE’s general education policy emphasizes the concepts of “inclusion, equity and education for all”.

A major effort is represented by the recently established Global Talent Mentoring Hub (GTMH) which is supported by the World Giftedness Center (WGC) at HF and developed in cooperation with a team from the University of Regensburg in Germany. This virtual platform is part of the WGC several projects to serve and support the international community of gifted students. This innovative online mentoring hub aims to offer exceptionally talented and highly motivated youths with opportunities to cultivate their talents in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math, including medical sciences) with the assistance of highly qualified and experienced mentors in these areas (Stoeger et al., 2019; Stoeger, 2020).

2.3. Partnership with institutions supporting gifted education

Like many other countries, the UAE is providing services and support to the community of gifted education with the help of several associations and centers such as Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness & Innovation, Emirates Association for the Talented, Abu Dhabi Education and Knowledge (ADEK), Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), RAK Academy for the Gifted, etc. (AlGhawi, 2017).

The UAE’s government is very keen to involve other governmental and societal entities in the process of catering for students with high abilities and potentials. Thus, the newly established MoP represented by the VDTD plays a temporary role in the efforts of developing gifted education in the country. Mainly, several experts from different entities participated in drafting a plan which included, for example, the formation of a central council to coordinate the diverse range of efforts being undertaken as well as the establishment of a couple of programs (Ministry of Possibilities, 2020).

3. Status of gifted education in the UAE

The importance of gifted education varies from one country to another depending on the general educational philosophy and how the education of gifted and talented children is valued and placed within the strategic planning of each country. Some countries are paying a lot of attention and making a lot of efforts to meet the needs of children with high abilities, while others are not even recognizing concepts such as giftedness, gifted, talented, etc. (Boettger & Boettger, 2015; Silverman, 2013). In their study about gifted education in various countries of Europe, Boettger and Boettger (2015) concluded that special attention is paid to the visible ambitions of high achieving children, while the vast majority of them, including the underachievers remain invisible, and thus they either receive marginal attention or left behind.

In the UAE, education has always been one of the top priorities of the nation. The country is very keen to advance education at all levels and disciplines, including gifted and talented education. The MoE started offering some opportunities and experiences for gifted and talented students in public schools during the year of 2000 to nurture their talents. The endorsement of gifted education represents the UAE’s recognition of gifted and talented students’ rights to enhance their ability, skills, and potentials (Albaili, 2003, 2007; David, 2018). At that time, there were no clear rules for these newly emerged initiatives and services. The initiative of the year 2000 reflected the newly adopted approach of the MoE known as “School for ALL”. It emphasized the needs for providing equal opportunities for different learners to ensure that students with special needs are offered the right services and support; and gifted and talented students are challenged enough to develop their potentials. It was highlighted in the literature that exposing children to inappropriate learning environment may prompt gifted and talented students to display improper behavior (Edwards, 2009; Elhoweris, 2014, 2009; Flint, 2001). In 2015, the MoE reiterated its recognition of the needs of gifted and talented students and students with special needs (David, 2018, 2017).

The new UAE national educational system known as the “Emirati School”, emphasizes all the key features of public education (Ministry of Education, 2020). In order to partially cater for students with different abilities, interests and skills, the last school cycle (Cycle 3: grades 9–12) was divided into three streams or tracks (Elite, Advanced, & General track). The Elite Stream is a special track designed for academically high achieving students in science and mathematics. Nevertheless, this track starts from grade 5 till grade 12. This stream aims to offer a learning environment suitable for preparing a distinguished generation of scientists, engineers, doctors, and future leaders. The Advanced Stream has a general cultural and deep scientific bases. It aims to focus in depth on scientific subjects such as mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology. The General Stream focuses on general cultural and scientific aspects to prepare students for the higher educational requirements and the competitive job market (Ministry of Education, 2020). Apart from this streaming system, there is no clear room for gifted and talented education within the overall hierarchy of the national educational system. Many private schools do not follow the same streaming system of public education, but they have different curricular systems or structures.

4. Theoretical framework for this study

The purpose of this study is to review the existing situation of gifted education in the UAE from a learning resource perspective. The basis of the implemented theoretical model is the framework of the “Actiotope” (Ziegler, 2005). Ziegler and Baker (2013) highlighted the nature and components of this Actiotope framework. It is described by Ziegler & Baker (ibid) as not a static, but as a dynamic model as goals are changing during the process of learning and the continuous interaction between the individual and her or his environment (Vialle & Stoeger, 2018; Vygotsky, 1978; Ziegler & Stoeger, 2017). Thus, the unit of analyzing the process of learning includes more than the individuals and the optimal opportunities provided to them (Schick, 2008; Ziegler & Phillipson, 2012). Specifically, it includes several components: the individual and her or his material, social, and informational environments which represent the whole “entirety” that is referred to as the “Actiotope” (Ziegler & Stoeger, 2017; Ziegler et al., 2013). Hence, the action of the individual has both, an environmental element and an individual element which together constitute the “Actiotope”. The first element represents the educational resources, while the second one is referred to as learning resources which Ziegler and Baker (2013) labelled “exogenous learning resources” (educational capitals), and “endogenous learning resources” (learning capitals) (Ziegler et al., 2017). In reality, these two capitals are not functioning in an entirely isolated manner, but they are continuously interacting during the process of constructing and reconstructing meaning (Al-Awidi & Ismail, 2014; Vygotsky, 1978). Thus, the present study adopted both of these two components (learning and educational resources) as its theoretical framework in order to capture a comprehensive picture of gifted education situation in the UAE.

The action assumed by an individual to achieve a learning goal requires the presence of both learning and educational capitals (resources). Capitals or resources are thus, means that an individual can use to accomplish specific objectives (Chandler & Ziegler, 2017; Ziegler & Baker, 2013). These two types of resources, learning and educational resources, which reside within and outside the individual respectively, are necessary to be available for a gifted learner to achieve a specific goal. However, those two capitals are not identical for every individual in different situations, countries, or contexts (Vialle & Ziegler, 2016; Ziegler et al., 2018).

5. Importance of learning resources

Resources are viewed as means to be utilized to achieve specific goals. Ziegler and Baker (2013) categorized those resources into learning resources (endogenous) that reside inside the individual and educational resources (exogenous) which are within the environment. In order for learning to take place, these two components are expected to be present. Ziegler (2005) Emphasized the coexistence and importance of these two elements to aid effective learning. In the past the focus was only on the individual. However, the unit of analysis is no longer the individual, but it represents both the gifted individual and her or his relevant environmental elements such as material, information, social context, etc. This whole entity is referred to as the “actiotope”. The action of the gifted individual hence reflects both components of the actiotope-model, namely the learning and the educational resources.

In order to have a thorough understanding of a specific gifted education system, it is very important to account for these two types of resources as they represent a unified whole. Nevertheless, the pattern of these two components is unique and thus they cannot be viewed and analyzed in the same way in every context and country. The current study aims to review the existing status of gifted education in the UAE within the framework of this model that includes ten sub-components summarized below. {(Learning Capitals: 1. Actional Learning Capital, 2. Organismic Learning Capital, 3. Telic Learning Capital, 4. Episodical Learning Capital, 5. Attentional Learning Capital); (Educational Capitals: 1. Economic Educational Capital, 2. Cultural Educational Capital, 3. Social Educational Capital, 4. Infrastructural Educational Capital, 5. Didactic Educational Capital)}.

6. Method

This exploratory study purported to review the existing situation of gifted education in the UAE from the perspective of learning capitals. The choice of the implemented methodology was mainly informed by the purpose and the theoretical framework in which the study was grounded. Based on the objective of the study, the researchers mainly used interviewing and document analysis procedures for the purpose of collecting data to accomplish the main goal of the study in exploring the situation and importance of gifted education in the country. Teddlie and Tashakkori (2011) argued that the choice of using more than one procedure for data collection and analysis depends on the nature and purpose of the study. According to Creswell and Clark (2011), the combination of tools can provide a better understanding of the investigated phenomena than the use of a single approach.

The researchers conducted several interviews with the help of a well-trained research assistant. The interviewees included administrators, gifted students, teachers and trainers, and parents of gifted students as well as people who are involved in overseeing gifted education in the country (administrators). Nine trainers or teachers were interviewed in groups of three. They were selected based on their experience and work with gifted students. Each interview was between 45 to 60 minutes. Three administrators who are involved in overseeing gifted education in giftedness centers and the Ministry of Education were interviewed for about 45 minutes each. Another interview included three volunteered parents of gifted students. The last batch of interviewees includes six upper middle school students.

All the participants in this study were carefully identified and invited to participate in the interviews. The researchers selected participants from institutions and centers that are heavily involved in providing services and support to gifted students. The participating teachers and trainers have many years of experience in training and mentoring gifted students. They are regularly offered with professional development opportunities in the areas of supporting and mentoring talented students. Most of them have BA degrees in educational technology or gifted education. The participating administrators only included people who are in charge of gifted education in either the MoE or giftedness centers. Two of those educators overseeing gifted education are PhD holders in the area of gifted and talented education. Students were selected based on their portfolios and consultations with their institutions, parents, and teachers. At the time of the interviews, the ages of those students ranged between 12 and 15 years old. Three of the parents of those selected students volunteered to participate in the interviews. Two of these parents sometimes offer voluntary work at one of the giftedness centers.

All participants were informed about the nature and purpose of the study. Parents of students were consulted, and they agreed to allow their children to participate in the interviews. Students were interviewed in the presence of their parents. All other participants agreed to take part in the interviews after the researchers assured them about the confidentiality of the information and the general reporting of results.

The data obtained from interviewing all groups were organized and checked by two other researchers for consistency and accuracy. To ensure the inclusion of all the important data collected from the interviewees, the researchers revisited the raw data several times. In the light of a qualitative data analysis procedure recommended by Patton (2002), the researchers checked the details and specifics of the data to trace key recurrent patterns or themes consistent with the purpose of the study. The researchers categorized the data into themes and organize those recurrent patterns for each group in tables in order to make it easier to look at them in one place and identify relevant information at later stages of data analysis and discussion of results. As the researchers were coding the data, either more information relevant to existing themes or new themes emerged. Then, new themes were added, and other existing themes were crossed out depending on their importance and relevance to the purpose or research question of the study. Thus, only relevant common themes or recurrent patterns were extracted from the data of each group and used later to support the discussion of key results (Creswell & Creswell, 2017; Denzin & Lincoln, 2011).

The documents consulted included some accessible manuscripts such as short- and long-term general and specialized plans, gifted and talented programs’ documents, specialized reports, and distributed news-circular. The researcher also consulted some documents, including (IEA, 2019; Mullis et al., 2020; OECD, 2018) to trace and report students’ performance in international exam (TIMSS & PISA). The inclusion of this element as part of the design of the study was guided and directed by the theoretical framework of the study to check and report students’ accomplishments and performance in different international assessment measures.

Yet, accessing documented information represents an obstacle for conducting research about gifted education in the UAE, but in the case of the present study, the researchers managed to secure information to serve the purpose of the present article. (AlGhawi, 2016, 2017) highlighted the difficulties parents and researchers might encounter when attempting to access MoE’s documented information.

7. Results and discussion

The discussion of results was structured and conducted in the light of the ten components of the theoretical framework summarized and defined in Table 1 above. Since this study is part of a special issue collection about gifted education in Arab countries (Gifted Education in Arab Countries: Analyses from a Learning-Resource Perspective), it follows the guideline of the theoretical model recommended for all contributors of this collection. This suggested guideline emphasized a set of focuses for each of the ten components in the forms of questions. Thus, the following section reflects the relevant themes obtained from the data which are in harmony with the essence of the theoretical framework guideline and the design of the study.

Table 1. Definitions of the educational and learning resources

	Type of Exogenous Learning Resource		Type of Endogenous Learning Resource
Economic educational capital	Economic educational capital is every kind of wealth, possession, money, or valuables that can be invested in the initiation and maintenance of educational and learning processes.	Organismic learning capital	Organismic learning capital refers to the physiological and constitutional resources of a person which are important for successful learning.
Cultural educational capital	Cultural educational capital refers to the value placed on learning and learning goals.	Telic learning capital	Telic learning capital refers to the goals a person pursues which directly or indirectly foster successful learning.
Social educational capital	Social educational capital refers to all individuals and social institutions that can directly or indirectly contribute to successful learning.	Actional learning capital	Actional learning capital refers to the action repertoire of a person, that is, the totality of actions an individual is—in principle—capable of performing.
Infrastructural educational capital	Infrastructural educational capital refers to the material components of the environment that provide possibilities for learning.	Episodic learning capital	Episodic learning capital refers to the effective action repertoire (i.e., the stored simultaneous goal- and situation-relevant action patterns) that is accessible to an individual.
Didactic educational capital	Didactic educational capital refers to the know-how of designing and implementing successful learning processes.	Attentional learning capital	Attentional learning capital refers to the quantitative and qualitative attentional resources that an individual can apply to learning.

Adopted from Ziegler and Stoeger (2017).

8. Economic educational capital: (investment in education)

As highlighted in a couple of documents, the UAE government has been continuously emphasizing the importance of providing the new generation of gifted students with opportunities to develop their abilities and skills. Although there is not any special school for gifted students, gifted education has gained more importance as demonstrated by the general strategic planning of the educational authority and the continuous declarations by officials (Ministry of Education, 2020; Regional Centre for Educational Planning, RCEP & MoE, 2019). The numbers of scholarships offered by the MoE and other entities to high achieving students also reflect how the UAE’s government is trying by all means to encourage the elite younger generation to develop themselves. However, the data obtained from administrators highlighted the importance of securing more scholarships and incentives for students with talents in special areas. The interview with an administrator who is overseeing gifted education in one of the centers shed light on the fact that the MoE offers generous scholarships for high achieving students, but very few scholarships are offered to gifted and talented students. She reiterated that it is very crucial to offer more incentives such as scholarships for the nation’s talented individuals as they represent the future asset of the UAE.

The MoE established a department of special education to assume responsibilities for the education of students with special needs, including gifted and talented ones (AlGhawi, 2020). Recently in 2019, the MoE established the Department of Innovation within which a gifted education unit was formed. An increasing budget is granted to this sector every year to help in the expansion and development of the preparation of the elite younger generation of the country. However, the data collected from the interviews along with evidence from the literature unveiled that the current budget allocated by the MoE for gifted programs and other relevant activities is considered very limited, and thus it needs to be reviewed to meet the growing needs to offer more services and opportunities to those individuals with high abilities (Alborno, 2013; AlGhawi, 2017, 2020; Younis, 2019).

Schools also allocate some budget for developing and organizing programs and activities for high achievers and gifted and talented students. In some schools, students are provided with opportunities, space, and special equipment to practice and develop their potentials. A number of schools have sophisticated facilities within their premises to meet students’ needs, interests, and hobbies and help them accomplish their goals in different fields such as sports, digital art, sciences, etc. In addition to the facilities within the premises of schools, students also have access to use the facilities of associations or centers involved in providing services and support to gifted education such as Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness & Innovation.

Multiple evidence and statements extracted from the data of both the document analysis and interviews revealed that there are other federal and local associations and centers which provide different services and programs to the community of gifted education in addition to the MoE’s efforts. Several interviewees from the groups of parents, teachers and administrators highlighted the need to provide talented learners with the necessary assistance and mentoring to keep advancing their gifts and potentials. They reiterated that in each of the seven Emirates of the UAE, gifted students are offered with opportunities in their schools outside the regular curriculum. Additionally, other advocate associations or centers such as Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness & Innovation, Emirates Association for the Talented, ADEK, KHDA, RAK Academy for the Gifted provide gifted students with some kinds of services and support (AlGhawi, 2017). During an interview, an administrator asserted that many talented students get demotivated when they are not offered the necessary support and incentives that they are expecting.

9. Cultural educational capital: (value system & attitude patterns)

The interview data as well as evidence from the very limited literature of gifted education in the UAE affirmed that gifted education has recently received more attention from different societal groups in the country, including parents, school staff, educators, researchers, politician, policy makers, etc. In her study, AlGhawi (2017) concluded that the provision of gifted education has improved in the UAE, especially in the emirate of Dubai. Federal and local educational authorities have recently increased their efforts in providing support and services for gifted and talented learners (Hamdan Foundation, 2016; Ministry of Education, 2020).

In general, the interviews with parents revealed that people have developed positive attitudes towards gifted education, and many parents are very enthusiastic to get their children enrolled in special programs to enhance their talents. As a result of parents’ encouragement, more students are showing interests to take the identification measurements to be able to join the special programs designed for outstanding individuals. One parent stated that he is willing to volunteer and help his son’s school in supporting talented students. The growing number of students who are motivated and interested in gifted and talented education reflects the culture and importance of giftedness within the UAE’s community. The collective interests and the societal appreciations unveil the popularity of gifted education within the UAE’s society. There is evidence from the literature that the positive attitudes and appreciations developed by parents and classmates towards giftedness and gifted students result in improving performance and learning outcomes (Ryan, 2000). However, the literature also highlighted that there is some negative impact resulted from the low cultural capital level. People who are poorly equipped with cultural educational capital must deal with certain challenges before they can improve their achievements (Ziegler & Baker, 2013; Ziegler et al., 2017)

Based on the interviews with students and trainers, many students in schools and beyond are viewing their gifted peers as distinguished people and they are eager to develop their talents like them. Evidence from the interview data showed that students in classrooms see their classmates’ talents in a positive way as they see them progressing very quickly in developing their abilities and skills. Other interview data highlighted that within the larger UAE’s society there is a positive attitude towards several talents, including, talents relevant to culture, science, digital art, etc. The national educational policy highlighted that it is very important to encourage the younger generation to develop all their talents. Although parents are very keen in helping their children to develop their potentials, still some of them may favor certain talents that in their opinion are very important for the children’s future careers. The appreciation of some talents such as singing, dancing, etc. depends to some extent on how parents are viewing them within their closer and wider community. In general, there is a growing public interest in encouraging and nurturing all talents of the younger generation as they are considered the future asset of the nation (Ministry of Education, 2020).

Evidence from the interview data revealed that interested and motivated students have several opportunities to attend special programs to enhance their talents such as weekend, winter break, spring break and summer holiday programs. Two of the interviewed administrators confirmed that gifted and talented students in public schools are somehow offered with opportunities to develop themselves. However, they reiterated that those opportunities are not adequate, and they are considered as extra-curricular activities. In addition to these programs organized and executed by schools and the educational authorities, other opportunities are also offered by several associations and centers (AlGhawi, 2016, 2017). The education of gifted and talented children is emphasized by the national and local educational authorities. Additionally, there is an increased appreciation and interest in gifted education across many societal groups. However, within the UAE’s educational system hierarchy, there are not special public or private schools that are allocated for students with special talents. Talented students are offered services and support in a variety of ways while they are following the regular school curriculum along with other students (Jarrah & Almarashdi, 2019). For example, different enrichment programs are organized during either the school time or after school.

10. Social educational capital: (individuals & entities involved)

The data obtained from the interviews emphasized the role that social educational capital plays in nurturing and developing students’ gifts. A number of teachers and administrators reiterated that the procedure of mentoring gifted students is more effective when different individuals share the required responsibilities, including teachers, parents, psychologists, social workers, etc. Evidence from the literature confirmed that collective roles of different people may impact the development of students’ talents. Generally, within the framework of the “education and learning capitals”, the role of instructors, parents, trainers, mentors, counselors, and other caregivers is very important for supporting the development of talents (Garn et al., 2010; McInerney, 2013; Schilling et al., 2006; Subotnik et al., 2012). The data obtained from the document analysis highlighted that the MoE is the official entity responsible for overseeing the whole process of gifted and talented education in the country. Previously, the Department of Special Education in the MoE’s hierarchy was responsible for serving the whole population of students with special needs, including gifted and talented groups, and recently responsibility has been shifted to the Gifted Unit within the newly established Department of Innovation. A recurrent pattern in the data obtained from both the interview and the document analysis referred to the fact that the MoE works closely with other internal and external partners to develop different programs and offer services to the community of gifted education (Ministry of Education, 2020). Evidence from both the document analysis and the interviews with administrators revealed that the MoE and HF have developed a strong partnership in serving the gifted education community since the latest was established towards the end of the last century (Hamdan Foundation, 2016). Other entities or associations such as the Emirates Association for the Talented and ADEK also organize and conduct special short programs for talented students during holidays or after school times.

One of the parents mentioned that her child is talented in acting, but she received very limited support and mentoring from her school. This mother thinks that other opportunities should be also offered to gifted children like her daughter by other organizations and individuals outside their schools. In line with this view, the literature highlighted that different people such as teachers, parents, university professors, mentors, and volunteers play crucial roles in providing help and support to gifted students to enhance their talents and potentials (Garn et al., 2010; McInerney, 2013; Renzulli & Reis, 2014; Schilling et al., 2006; Subotnik et al., 2012).

In UAE’s public schools, special education teachers and other teachers share responsibilities in providing help for students who show special skills, abilities, or interests in a particular area. In this case, students are offered help in their schools in the form of extra-curricular activities or more advanced independent work since gifted education does not have a clear place within the general educational system hierarchy. At the high school level, students are streamed into three tracks (Elite, Advanced, & General) based on their achievements in science and mathematics (Ministry of Education, 2020). Students with a particular talent in an area such as sports, music, dance, oratory, poetry, drawing, handicrafts, drama, acting, or any other specific field are occasionally offered with opportunities outside the school regular curriculum with a possible help from some school staff such as subject teachers. In public schools, there are rarely teachers who possess a degree in gifted education, but there are only a limited number of special education teachers who may have a minor in giftedness. In essence, there is a growing need to offer gifted education degree programs at universities and colleges and to appoint gifted education specializing teachers in schools.

From the interviews with parents and others, it was found that parents of children with talents show interests in the programs offered in schools and centers and they even demonstrate enthusiasm to be more involved and learn how to help their children. Rindermann and Ceci (2018) in their large-scale study to examine the effects of learning capitals on children’s cognitive ability, concluded that parents’ educational levels had more impact on children’s developments than their well-off status (Vialle & Stoeger, 2018). In many schools there are representatives for parents in the general school board. However, the interviews’ data revealed that the role of parents in the school board is only to attend meeting and to share parents’ ideas and concerns about the education of their children.

11. Infrastructural educational capital: (Materiality)

Infrastructural educational capital is considered an important element as it may offer specific learning possibilities and it may awake interests (Ziegler et al., 2018, 2019). In general, the UAE government views education as one of its uppermost priorities, and thus it is always curious and ambitious to guarantee excellent education for the nation’s younger generation. It has been continuously allocating a generous budget for the education sector, and the education authority is very keen that all schools have good facilities for learning to take place. Fundamentally, several schools and centers in the country have a state-of-the-art infrastructure where students can practice and develop their talents. The data from the interviews included references to the good technological facilities, libraries, labs, gyms, playgrounds, and attractive classroom environments to facilitate learning and encourage cooperation and interaction.

Other modern facilities are also available in other institutions such as universities, colleges, sports clubs, etc. In addition to all these state-of-the-art-facilities, there are also modern equipment/machines in several private places, such as gymnasiums and training centers where younger and older children can practice their hobbies and develop their talents. According to the interviews’ data, however, a number of schools still need more facilities and equipment that may support students with special needs to learn, including gifted and talented learners. During the interviews, administrators expressed their concerns that infrastructure of schools needs to be upgraded to meet the needs of the newly implemented policy of inclusion. Also, evidence from the literature brought to light that the current equipment and facilities are not sufficient to support the newly implemented policy of including students with special needs in regular classes (Alborno, 2013). In a doctoral dissertation about identification and programs implemented in five Emirati schools, Younis (2019) concluded that there is a need for a supportive system that may provide gifted and talented students with adequate and proper services and support. Yet, when considering the UAE’s situation within the context of the community of Asian countries, the UAE is seen to have advanced gifted education and more experience in this area (AlGhawi, 2016; Vialle & Ziegler, 2016).

12. Didactic educational capital: (familiarity & experience)

The interviews with parents revealed that parents of gifted children are showing more and more interests to continue learning how to help and support their children to develop their talents and potentials. Fundamentally, the second half of the twentieth century represents a turning point in the history of the UAE as it marked the earliest emergence of modern public education in the country. Although the concept of giftedness is considered relatively new, the culture of giftedness has continued to stretch among more and more citizens and residents (AlGhawi, 2017, 2019). Gifted students in general are provided with some kinds of services and support by classroom teachers to develop their potentials. However, the interviews with administrators revealed that the majority of those teachers did not receive enough training to work specifically with gifted and talented learners. They indicated that all teachers, including special education teachers receive short in-service training sessions offered by the MoE during parts of regular holidays. Nevertheless, this training is very general in nature, and it mostly targets subject teachers. During the interviews, teachers confirmed that other specialized teacher training programs in some areas such as gifted education are very rarely offered. Thus, there is an urgent need to organize regular training for teachers to offer them opportunities to learn and share ideas about supporting and nurturing gifted and talented students. The literature highlighted the importance of teachers’ qualifications and the quality of instruction and how they may impact students’ learning and performance (Darling-Hammond, 2000; Hattie, 2008; Seidel & Shavelson, 2007; Vialle & Stoeger, 2018; Ziegler et al., 2017).

When asked about teaching and learning in small children’s classes, administrators affirmed that the situation of early childhood education in public schools is a little different. In the case of kindergarten’s teachers, the procedure of recruiting and training them is somewhat different. Before joining public schools, UAE-teachers of K1 and K2 follow college academic programs designed specifically for prospective teachers who are going to teach small children. During their college training, prospective teachers are exposed to both theoretical and practical experiences relevant to working with small children (Ismail & Jarrah, 2019). Additionally, the MoE organizes training programs for those beginner teachers before they join the profession, and after they are hired. Many of those newly graduated instructors work in KG classes as assistant teachers to help regular class instructors or they coteach with other teachers sharing the teaching loads (Ismail & Shaban, 2017). The other group of teachers are non-local from different countries, mostly Westerners from English speaking countries (Ismail & Al Allaq, 2019).

13. Organismic learning capital: (well-being resources)

Evidence from the document analysis demonstrated that the MoE is working closely with schools to make sure that students are getting the necessary help and guidance to maintain their health and physical fitness (Ministry of Education, 2020). Students diet, especially when they are at schools has also received some attention from the MoE as it continuously regulates the food and drinks offered in schools’ canteens, or other places within schools’ premises. Certain unhealthy foods and beverages are prohibited to be served to students in schools’ facilities. Students in schools are also offered with some kinks of guidance and advice about their health and diet although health education is not part of the regular curriculum. However, some health issues are included in the curriculum of other school subjects such as science. Yet, there are some common health problems among children at all school levels such as obesity. Research has highlighted the impact of students’ health on the level and quality of their learning (Espinosa-Curiel et al., 2020). Belghali et al. (2021) in their article about “improving serious games to tackle childhood obesity” indicated that “serious gaming” could offer an encouraging new method to cope with children’s obesity. Another research article by Checa and Bustillo (2020) also highlighted how the use of “serious games” may assist in promoting training and learning.

Physical education has recently gained more importance within the educational system as the educational authority has emphasized the needs to encourage the practice of all sports in schools. Several schools in different Emirates have different sport facilities such as play-ground spaces, gyms with different machines, and swimming pools in some schools. Physical workout is seen as important as other aspects of education since it helps in maintaining mental and psychological well-being. Students’ physical health plays a significant role in all aspects of their performance and learning outcomes (Checa & Bustillo, 2020; Espinosa-Curiel et al., 2020). Physical fitness thus contributes significantly to the enhancement of all aspects of learning. There is a strong correlation between children’s physical health and the amount and quality of learning and academic achievements (Chaddock et al., 2011; Checa & Bustillo, 2020; Ziegler et al., 2019; Espinosa-Curiel et al., 2020).

14. Actional learning capital: (action repertoire manipulation)

Generally, Actional Learning Capital denotes the overall actions that a person is capable to manipulate and accomplish. Briefly, it refers to the individual’s action repertoire which can assist in predicting her or his future achievements and career (Leana-Taşcılar, 2015; Ziegler et al., 2018).

Based on the document analysis, students in the UAE have continuously demonstrated improvement in their performance in international exams such as PISA and TIMSS. The educational authority in the country is very keen to encourage and support younger students to participate in those international exams as their outcomes offer a valuable assistance for future strategic planning, and it is part of the nations’ agenda to elevate students’ performance in TIMSS & PISA to be among the top 15–20 countries in the next cycle of those exams (Belbase et al., 2021; Morgan & Ibrahim, 2020; Shaer et al., 2019). The number of Emirati students participated in the TIMSS in the 2019 cycle is the largest of all when compared to other participating countries (48,000 students from 700 schools) (WAM, 2020).

The results revealed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) showed that there was a steady progress in the Emirati students’ performance in the 2019 “Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study” (TIMSS) since the country’s first participation in this exam in 2007 (IEA, 2019; Mullis et al., 2020). The students’ performance in the 2019 TIMSS was primarily better than that of the 2015. The students in fourth grade, for example, improved in mathematics by 29 points, and 22 points in science. Students in grade 8 progressed by 8 points in mathematics, while they slightly dropped off by 4 points in science (WAM, 2020). However, In their study about the impact of language proficiency and school curriculum on students’ scores in international measures such as the TIMSS and PISA, Ibrahim et al. (2020) reported considerable differences between students’ language abilities and their knowledge in both science and mathematics (OECD, 2018). Their conclusion highlighted the need to pay more attention to the proficiency of students in languages, sciences, and mathematics, and to reconsider the approach used for preparing the students for international exams and the current implemented curriculum.

Yet, Dubai private schools provided an excellent example of the progress that the UAE has made in international exams. Figures 1 and 2, for example, show how Dubai private schools kept progressing consistently and significantly since their first participation in the TIMSS exam. Results from the interviews with teachers and administrators also confirmed that UAE’s students in general and those from Dubai schools in particular have kept steadily progressing in national and international exams.

Figure 1. Dubai private schools’ students’ achievements in mathematics.Source: Gulf News, December 13, 2020

Figure 2. Dubai private schools’ students’ achievements in science.Source: Gulf News, December 13, 2020

The following table shows how UAE’s students did in the PISSA test of the 2018 cycle compared to some other participating countries’ students. The results show that youngster students of the UAE made some progress in mathematics and science, but they still have some difficulties in reading. UAE students face significant challenges when they attempt to read, especially scientific texts or complex digital information (OECD, 2018). Table 2 shows that the UAE’s younger students’ scores in the three areas (reading, mathematics & science) are still below the OECD’s average.

Table 2. PISSA: Countries ranked by reading scores

	Country/Territory	Reading	Maths	Science
1	B-S-J-Z ** (China)	555	591	590
2	Singapore	549	569	551
3	Macao (China)	525	558	544
4	Hong Kong (China)	524	551	517
5	Estonia	523	532	530
6	Canada	520	512	518
7	Finland	520	507	522
8	Ireland	518	500	496
9	Korea	514	526	519
10	Poland	512	516	511
37	Israel	470	463	462
46	UAE	432	435	434
55	Jordan	419	499	429
60	Qatar	407	414	419
65	Saudi Arabia	399	373	386
74	Lebanon	353	393	384
	OECD average	487	489	485

** Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, & Zhejiang

Source: OECD (2018)

In addition to participation in international exams, Emirati students also compete in both local and international contests. The interview data revealed that a growing number of students apply every year to different local awards such as Hamdan Student Award and several of them obtained prizes for their distinguished and innovative achievements. The trainers in a large giftedness center with sophisticated facilities and equipment indicated that their students usually compete in international contests with the products they have developed during their training. Some of those students won prizes in international competitions while other students’ projects granted good evaluation reports.

15. Telic learning capital: (goals of the gifted)

It is expected that well-focused students may possess some kinds of aspirations and expectations of their future careers. Teachers and trainers during the interview-sessions reiterated that the high level of students’ motivation makes them pursue their goals without giving up. According to them, students demonstrate more enthusiasm to continue their training in the programs when they feel that their expectations are met, and they are progressing in the accomplishment of their objectives. There is evidence in the literature that the goals of an individual may have an influence on later competencies or accomplishments (Bandura et al., 2001; Harackiewicz et al., 2002; Ziegler et al., 2017, 2019). Students who possess long or short-term goals are highly motivated and directed towards the destination they have intended to reach. The interviewed parents highlighted the importance of offering gifted children with more relevant opportunities to meet their specific needs and keep them motivated to continue enhancing their specific talents. In their views, general programs are good, but their children might also need more mentoring to guide them in their efforts to develop their potentials. In one of the centers that offers programs and services to talented students, administrators and trainers confirmed that they are mainly offering general training sessions for all students, but at the same time individual students are given chance at the end of each session to work individually according to their area of interests.

The interview data with different groups including parents highlighted the importance of making strict rules for using technological devices such as cell phones as they always disturb the flow of students’ learning. Trainers expressed that all students have mobile phones, and they are occasionally using them for different purposes during classes such as checking or sending messages or playing games if they are not asked to put them away during their work. They asserted that highly motivated students are very much focusing on their work during classes, and they strictly follow the rules. It was also found from the data of the students’ interviews that some students are aware of their needs and can figure out the relevance and benefits of the opportunities offered to them.

16. Episodical learning capital: (accessibility & action reservoir)

Episodic learning capital is viewed as very important for extraordinary performance (Ericsson, 2009). It was defined by Ziegler et al. (2019) as “the simultaneous goal- and situation-relevant actions that are accessible to a person”. Episodic learning capital, therefore, represents one of the key elements in the development of talents. Caregivers in this situation play crucial role in helping gifted students to advance their action reservoir. In the UAE, the learning experiences and knowledge of people about giftedness are still developing. (AlGhawi, 2017, 2020) indicated that the concept of giftedness is known in the UAE for a short time. Administrators repeated during interviews that although the experience of the UAE in gifted education is still evolving, the country has already made some significant progress in encouraging and supporting individuals to enhance their potentials.

Parents are showing increased interest in sending their children to different centers that offer programs and services for talented students. For example, the interview data revealed that the number of students applying for gifted programs at Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness & Innovation has rapidly increased. According to the interviewed administrators and trainers, this growing motivation is due to the spread of the culture of giftedness among the UAE’s community. Moreover, trainer interviewees indicated that during group work sessions, students commended their classmates who know how to do different things. Those students who struggle in their work are always making extra efforts to catch up with others as they are eager to be like them. Also, data from students’ interviews showed that students were enjoying the programs they were attending, and they appreciated what was offered to them.

In their responses to questions during interview-sessions, both administrators and trainers in a giftedness center demonstrated understanding and awareness of the national dual agenda in providing equal opportunities to all students to reach excellence. Thus, “equity” and “excellence” are two important elements reflected by the country’s national educational policy (Ministry of Education, 2020). The concepts of both “student-equity” and “student-excellence” are also a common concern in other countries such as the United States (Brown & Wishney, 2017). “Student equity” features the importance of ensuring each student a fair and good education, while “student excellence” highlights the student right to make the highest accomplishment according to her or his ability.

17. Attentional learning capital: (learning attention factors)

Effective learning may happen if gifted students are very attentive, and they do not lose interest very quickly. Attentional learning capital represents the number and quality of attentional resources which are available for an individual to implement in order to learn (Debatin et al., 2015; Leana-Taşcılar, 2015; Ziegler et al., 2019). As indicated by administrators during the interviews, Emirati students who show interests in a particular area are offered opportunities during free times and holidays to develop their potentials either within the school’s premises or in external centers that organize and execute short programs. For example, school students at different ages attend workshops and short programs organized by Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness & Innovation. Those programs range from a single day workshop to a week or occasionally a couple of week programs. According to trainers at the center, some of these UAE’s students join the programs with a very high motivation and enthusiasm while a few others show decreasing interests and attention as the programs go on.

When asked about gifted students’ motivational and attentional levels, most groups, including parents, trainers and administrators stated directly and indirectly that those students who have goals are the ones who work continuously either with the instructor or independently to develop their talents, and they keep attentive for a longer time. During an interview, a teacher stated that one of his gifted students who is talented in drawing keep on-task for the whole session of an hour when the class is given a chance to do an activity based on their interests. He added that this student is very attentive and motivated to work when the class is doing something relevant to drawing.

However, there is evidence in the literature that students cannot focus for a longer time during a regular daily learning schedule which requires a lot of attention or concentration (Ericsson, 2009). In their analysis of gifted education in nine Asian countries, Vialle and Ziegler (2016) mentioned that one of the objectives in the area of gifted education is to assist gifted students reach their potentials, but the implemented procedures are still inadequate to meet this goal. They concluded that in the extensive survey of the relevant research, they did not spot any reference that “attention management” represents an objective of gifted and talented education in those countries.

18. Conclusion and recommendations

The improvement of learning outcomes and the entire educational system within a particular country will in the first place depend on the availability of concrete information and rigorous research results to assist the educational authority in making appropriate decision. Based on this fact, the current research paper was designed to contribute to the provision of some reliable information. Eventually, this study reviewed the current situation of UAE’s gifted education from a learning resource perspective. It also attempted to identify and discuss the place and function of gifted education within the overall general educational system hierarchy of the country. Gifted Education has gained a lot of importance in the country, but it is also very important to consider the implementation of a specific policy in a systematic and consistent way. The absence of such policy for gifted education may disrupt all existing efforts and slow down the steady progress that the country has already maintained.

Examining learning resources whether internal or external to the individuals represents one of the key cornerstones in any educational reform, including gifted education. The UAE has been continuously reviewing and adjusting its educational policies and systems benefitting from the international experiences of other countries whose efforts have very much contributed to develop their educational systems and improve learning outcomes. A recent comprehensive reform initiative was reflected in a general policy known as the “UAE National Educational System”, which included a reference to gifted education. It recognized the right of every student to get good education, and at the same time it emphasized that each student should be exposed to opportunities to assist her or him to develop herself or himself to the maximum extent of their abilities. Gifted and talented students do not go to special schools, but they are integrated in regular classes along with other students, including students with special needs as the UAE values the concepts of both “inclusion” and “equity”. Nevertheless, this policy of inclusion might also have some negative impact on the learning outcomes of all students, including gifted and talented students. It may, for example, slow down the learning of students with high abilities and at the same time it may disrupt the flow of the learning environment and the accomplishments of the desired learning outcomes of different students. Hence, it is worthwhile reconsidering this policy based on a comprehensive evaluation and best practices in other similar contexts.

The results of the study revealed that the current programs and activities offered to gifted students in their schools are overseen by the MoE and the local educational authority within each emirate. In schools, high achievers are offered with extra opportunities to develop their potential, mostly in the form of enrichment materials. Other students who possess special talents in areas, which are not part of the school regular curriculum, are sporadically receiving some support depending on the availability of facilities and specialists in their areas. Nonetheless, those students may practice and work on developing their talents outside the schools in public or private premises where facilities and specialists are available such as sports clubs, gymnasiums, etc. Gifted students can also seek help in the premises of specialized centers or associations that offer services and programs and have facilities and equipment for them to practice and develop their potentials. It was reported that those places have some staff with very limited knowledge and training in gifted education and in mentoring students with different talents. In summary, gifted students are getting support and opportunities either inside or outside their schools to advance their talents and reach their potentials. However, key results revealed that more opportunities are needed to be offered to individuals based on their specific talents.

In brief, the current study is the first of its kind in the country since it adopted a learning resource theoretical model to review the existing situation of gifted and talented education in the UAE. The use of this model may enlighten the educational authority to look at the current status of gifted education from different angles. When evaluating gifted and talented students learning outcomes we need to consider both internal and external factors that reside within the individual such as motivation, attention, etc., and environmental factors such as the social context, infrastructure, materials, caregivers, etc.

When drawing a comparison with other countries in the region, it may be concluded that the UAE has somehow better and more experience in caring for its exceptional youths as it is reflected by its continuous efforts to reform and improve the whole educational system. However, based on the study’s key results, the following recommendations may offer some clues to reconsider the status of gifted education in the country. In the first place, the existing situation of gifted education needs to be thoroughly examined and evaluated. Thus, a practical and systematic assessment procedure needs to be developed and adopted in order to obtain valid and constructive results to assist continuous improvements. Also, there is an immediate need to develop a unified national policy and system for gifted education and to reconsider the existing inclusion policy.

Although several associations and centers are making a lot of efforts to serve and support gifted students, there is no clear coordination between them. An example of coordinating these efforts is to establish a virtual national mentoring platform to provide UAE’s gifted students with continuous support to nurture their talents as they may stop progressing or quit if they do not receive continuous services and support and their expectations are not met. Students with special talents in an area need to be offered systematic opportunities or programs relevant to their specific interests in order to improve motivation and performance. One of the possibilities of improving learning outcomes is to offer independent elective and advanced courses in schools relevant to students’ talents and interests. Since teachers are viewed to greatly contribute to the school improvement, it is very essential to create specialized professional development opportunities for them, including all individuals who are working with gifted students. National colleges and universities may contribute to prepare qualified teachers by offering specialized degree programs in gifted education. Lastly, gifted students should be offered more incentives and scholarships like their high achieving counterparts.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Sadiq A. A. Ismail

Dr. Sadiq Ismail is a senior researcher at the World Giftedness Center, Hamdan Foundation since August 2019. He obtained his PhD from the College of Education, Florida State University. Previously, he was an associate professor at the UAE University for many years. His research interests include teacher education, curriculum development, language-education, and gifted/talented education. He published many research papers.

Mariam Ali Alghawi

Dr. Mariam AlGhawi is the Director of Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation, Hamdan Foundation. She pursued postgraduate degrees in Inclusive Education at the British University in Dubai. Earlier, she worked as a teacher, special education supervisor, and Deputy Director of the Special Abilities’ Department in the UAE’s Ministry of Education.

Khalifa A. AlSuwaidi

Dr. Khalifa AlSuwaidi held a number of teaching and administrative positions in different sectors at the UAE University (Dean, University College; Deputy Dean, College of Education). He is a member of the advisory board of the Global Talent Mentoring, and the Steering Committee of Task Force on Teachers UNESCO. He authored five books and published many papers. He obtained his Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction, USC, LA, USA.