The Gulf Comparative Education Society’s Fourth Annual Symposium on Bridging the Policy/Research Divide in Education in the GCC

"The Gulf Comparative Education Society (GCES) held its fourth annual symposium under the sponsorship of the Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research in collaboration with the Sultan Qaboos University from March 16 to 18, 2013. Entitled “Bridging the Policy/Research Divide in Education in the GCC,” the symposium was held at the Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman. It consisted of a pre-conference workshop, one keynote address, three featured panels, and 20 breakout sessions with a total of over 70 presentations by both invited speakers as well as those who had submitted abstracts. The speakers came from a wide variety of countries, including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Switzerland, England, Australia, Germany, and the United States, and represented different voices in the education sector, such as policy makers, academics and researchers, school providers and leaders, consultants, and teachers. The purpose of this year’s GCES symposium was to examine the potential for policy makers in the Gulf region to devise evidence-based policies through utilizing local research in the education sector with a focus on the promise and possibilities of comparative education research to policy-making. Delivering the keynote address on the relationship between educational research and policy and practice was Professor Fernando Reimers, Ford Foundation Professor of International Education and Director of the International Education Policy Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The featured panels and breakout sessions addressed the following topics: • Linking Research to Educational Policy • Implications of Technology in the Classroom • Lifelong Learning • Applying Transnational Models of Education • Evaluating and Transforming Educational Systems • Regional and International Youth Challenges • Improving Educational Quality • Research in Higher Education in Oman • Student Leadership and Development • Promoting an Education Research Culture • Perspectives on Teaching and Learning • Trends and Innovations in Education In addition, the symposium brought together over 400 participants working in a range of organizations across Oman, the Gulf States, and beyond, all of whom shared an interest in comparative education in the GCC. Following the symposium, presenters were asked if they would like to submit a 1,500 - 3,000 word paper on their presentation. This volume is the compilation of those papers that were submitted. While it does not cover all of the presentations that were made at the symposium, presentation slides for all the presentations are available on the GCES website (www.gulfcomped.ning.com). Dr. Hamood Al-Harthi - President Dr. Christina Gitsaki - Vice President Dr. Natasha Ridge and Soha Shami - Secretary Verena Woeppel - Proceedings Editor"