1.
Introduction
With
counseling, support systems, stress management workshops, and other wellbeing
programs there will be an increase in emotional regulations, improvement in
social relationships, and reduction in the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and
stress which in return accelerates sustainable development (Smith & Jones,
2020). Educational institutions follow a standardized curriculum, the teacher
is the primary, if not the only, source of knowledge, and memorization and
examinations are the scale of the student's success. Instead, institutions
should change standardized curricula to prioritize sustainable development and
human well-being (UNESCO, 2018). Training teachers to integrate real-world case
studies and challenges for students to research and initiate changes is key
(Smith & Jones, 2020). Sustainability can be incorporated into school
projects such as recycling, reusing, and other eco-friendly practices.
Encouraging more field trips heavily enhances research through hands-on
experiences, allowing students to collect their data and understand the
complexity of studied subjects (Johnson, 2017). Exposure to new environments,
ecosystems, and cultures will spark new areas of interest for the researcher.
This exposes students to a variety of sources of knowledge, as well as,
provides them with opportunities to interact with communities and experts that
are relevant to the subject or research topic. With such diversity and
exposure, students will also mentally prepare themselves for the world once
they graduate which will reduce the stress, anxiety, and fear of holding big
responsibilities as an adult. By providing experimental learning, connection
with nature, and social interactions through field trips, students' well-being
will be significantly impacted physically and mentally. The paper will provide
two policy reforms, the Social Emotional Learning curriculum, and the Capacity
Build Program, to help switch the education system, the stakeholder’s mindset
and curriculum to integrate social and emotional awareness, and more field and
experiment-based learning. This will drastically improve well-being and
attraction to education and research and expedite sustainable progress.
The
purpose of this literature review is to explore the existing research on the
impacts of sustainable development policies in education systems. This review
will summarize key studies on educational reforms, analyze the effects of
emotional well-being on student performance, and highlight gaps in the current
literature that this policy aims to address.
Research
consistently shows that students' emotional well-being plays a critical role in
their academic success. Studies by Rattan, Good, and Dweck (2012) suggest that
a growth mindset can reduce anxiety and foster resilience in students.
Similarly, Blackwell, Trzesniewski, and Dweck (2007) found that students with
fixed mindsets are more likely to experience stress and avoid challenges,
leading to underperformance and disengagement in academic settings. Several
studies have explored how sustainable development can be integrated into
educational curriculums. For example, Wals and Jickling (2002) argue that
sustainability education fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills
in students. However, despite the growing awareness of the importance of
sustainable development, many educational institutions still rely on
traditional methods of teaching, which prioritize rote learning over real-world
application (Smith, 2010).
While
several studies highlight the importance of emotional well-being in improving
academic outcomes, there is a lack of empirical research on the long-term
effects of integrating well-being programs into standard curricula.
Additionally, most studies focus on Western education systems, leaving a gap in
the literature regarding how these findings apply to other cultural contexts.
Another significant gap is noted in the research process: I was unable to
conduct my findings and had to rely on the results provided by the Head of the
Section for Well-being at Al Mawakeb School. This reliance on secondary data
presents limitations in the research's depth and breadth, as it does not
incorporate firsthand observations or analyses that could provide more nuanced
insights into the well-being initiatives at the school. Consequently, this gap
may affect the paper's conclusions and implications for policy and practice, as
firsthand data collection is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the
effectiveness of well-being strategies implemented within educational institutions.
In
conclusion, the existing literature highlights the importance of addressing
emotional well-being and sustainability within educational reforms. However,
there remains a significant gap in the implementation of these programs in
diverse educational contexts. This policy paper aims to address these gaps by
proposing reforms that prioritize emotional well-being and sustainability in
education.
2.
Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset
According
to Carol Dweck, a Stanford University Psychologist, people with a fixed mindset
believe that humans are born with a certain level of intelligence, talents, and
abilities that are fixed and can't be changed (Dweck, 2006). With a fixed
mindset, you believe that your intelligence is static and a deep-seated trait
that's unchangeable. People with such mindsets avoid challenges because they
are afraid of failure, they give up easily because they assume that they do not
have the level of intelligence and can never reach it. People with such
mindsets are constantly trying to prove themselves by evaluating if they are
smart enough, intelligent enough, and successful enough. With a fixed mindset,
you are allowing a very limited space for your creativity and skills to expand
and grow. Throughout my personal experience and thorough research, it has been
very clear that this mindset is highly spread in the Arab region, especially in
schools.
One
way the educational system is stuck in a fixed mindset is because of its focus
on the results of test scores rather than the learning growth. The standardized
testing culture is the measure of the student's achievements. It focuses on
giving a score on the memorization of a narrow set of skills and procedures.
These tests are the same for all students regardless of the individual’s
strength and learning style. The format of these tests is multiple choice
questions and short answer formats. This limits the students from capturing the
full range of their abilities and potential. Despite all these factors
affecting the individual’s performance, you must get a good grade to be
accepted in college admissions, and future career opportunities and to avoid
any funding cuts or negative evaluations that are based on your grades. For
that, students see that grades are a reflection of their fixed intelligence
rather than a result of their efforts.
Another
way the educational system is stuck in a fixed mindset is the environment that
is created where failure is unacceptable and stigmatized. The traditional
grading system which often categorizes students into fixed labels (A+, A, B, C,
F) creates a belief that this is a student's potential and their level of
intelligence and therefore fosters a fear of "F" failure. College
admissions that accept applicants based on a score of a single examination adds
extreme pressure on the student which amplifies the stigma around failure.
Students fear the judgment of their peers, teachers, or parents if they make
any mistakes. The key stakeholders (faculty, educators, and policymakers) of
the educational system do not highlight the idea that making mistakes is a
natural part of the learning process. The system encourages a competitive
environment where students are constantly compared to one another to pick
students for awards and scholarships based on their test scores. This
comparison can intensify the fear of failure as students may feel the pressure
to a certain standard that they need to measure up to. Many educational systems
in the Arab region would expel students from school if they continuously do not
do well in their tests because they are ruining the class’s average. Instead,
they should be providing extreme attention, excess support, and resources to
recognize the challenge and address it. Fear of the consequences that may arise
with failing creates a great impact on the fear of failing and how unacceptable
it is. Stigmatization of failure can affect the students’ mental health
extremely. It causes anxiety, stress, and depression especially if the
institution does not promote one's wellbeing.
Most
curriculums used in education systems are fixed traditional curriculums that
prioritize memorization and testing rather than research, creativity, and
exploration. Students are not provided with enough resources and opportunities
to express themselves through creativity, critical thinking, and
problem-solving. Fixed curriculums in the Arab region are set topics that are
predetermined from areas outside the region. They do not necessarily include
the culture of the Arab world. It creates a limited mindset on topics that are taught
in schools. These curriculums are mostly focused on the memorization of facts
and repetition of information rather than encouraging alternative perspectives
and promoting critical thinking. “In eleven out of fourteen Arab countries,
two-thirds of students or more memorize formulas and procedures in mathematics
as a main learning activity in class” (Faour, 2012). Education systems mostly
follow the “spoon-feeding” concept. This concept is an instructional approach
where a teacher provides the students with all the information that they need
thus requiring little to no independent thought from a student. So, for
example, a teacher walks into class, teaches her subject, explains the problem,
gives the solution, and leaves. She does not encourage any critical thinking or
involve any other thoughts or perspectives. This approach doesn't give space
for independent learning and a sense of interaction and collaboration
throughout the learning process.
A
fixed mindset in the educational systems can impact humans’ well-being and
overall development significantly. As mentioned before, students will often
perceive failure as a direct reflection of their abilities and skills and
therefore create complete fear of making any sort of mistakes, and that can
cause anxiety, stress, and avoidance of any sorts of challenges. Research
indicates that this avoidance limits personal growth, as stepping out of one’s
comfort zone and learning from mistakes is essential for development (Dweck,
2006). This avoidance also limits their exposure to new experiences and the
development of adaptive, resilient, and strong personalities. This mindset
contributes to diminishing an individual's self-worth and their trust and hopes
of becoming leaders rather than followers. Moreover, students who perform
poorly in standardized tests will automatically link it to their level of
intelligence and that will lower their self-esteem and confidence and heighten
their levels of depression (Blackwell et al., 2007). This constant pressure to
prove intelligence through high scores and fear of failure contributes majorly
to mental health issues such as the increase in anxiety and depression.
Individuals who are in environments that support a fixed mindset will grow to
think that their abilities are fixed and therefore limit their career
opportunities and even their search for new hobbies or interests.
The
Healthy Minds Study is an online survey of common psychiatric symptoms, such as
anxiety and depression, designed for college campuses. This study was done at
Qatar University in Doha, and the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.
They randomly selected students, 6000 from Qatar University, 3000 from American
University of Beirut, and 1500 from Education City in Qatar. “The rates of
major depression, generalized anxiety, and eating disorder were very similar in
EC, QU, and AUB. The results were the following: "The corresponding rate
(SE) for major depression in EC was 40.5% (4.1), in QU it was 32.0% (2.7), and
at AUB, 38.6% (4.1). The corresponding rate (SE) for generalized anxiety
disorder in EC was 38.3%, (3.6), in QU it was 34.2%, (2.8), and at AUB 39.4%
(4.2). Similar trends were also noted for eating disorders, with corresponding
rates (SE) of 18.8% (4.2), 21.4% (2.4), and 18.6% (3.2) at EC, QU and AUB,”
(Kronfol et al., 2018). Even though Qatar and Lebanon have very different
demographic characteristics, the results were very similar and high in both
regions.
Teachers
play an important role in the student's relationship with school, education,
and learning. If the teacher has a traditional and unprofessional approach the
student will right away feel unsafe and therefore feel distant and unlikely to
want to continue or succeed in academics. The student will then just depend on
memorization of information to receive a good score and move on to the next
grade or some will drop out completely. The lack of proper and appropriate
preparation from the teacher is the cause of many negative and sometimes
traumatic experiences for students. The teacher must be trained and have
general knowledge of human psychology, classroom dynamics, and social skills.
According to the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), “half the Arab countries for which there are adequate
data are experiencing a shortage of trained primary school teachers.
Substantial proportions of teachers in most Arab countries at all school levels
lack pre-service training and readiness for the challenges of a changing
society,” (Faour, 2012). We cannot be teaching in a traditional fixed way when
our society is changing and we are facing far more challenges and obstacles
than before. “In four of the countries; Algeria, Morocco, Palestine, and Syria,
whose combined population totaled about 90 million – only 6.5 percent of eighth
graders, on average were taught by teachers who had professional training on
how to improve their teaching skills during the two years preceding 2007,”
(Faour, 2012).
“Unfortunately,
in much of the Arab world school climates are generally negative. Many students
do not feel safe physically, socially, and emotionally in schools,” (Faour,
2012). Faour believes that one of the causes of this issue is due to the large
number of teachers that have low academic preparation and proper appropriate
professional training. Classrooms are overcrowded, and reliance on rote
memorization, and limited resources to provide for the students are all
contributors to this issue.
2.1
Growth Mindset and Praise Culture
It
is important to change the traditional fixed mindset in the educational system
to a growth mindset. “As opposed to a fixed mindset, a growth mindset is the
belief that someone’s ability and intelligence can be developed over time,”
(Gouëdard, P., & Valle, R., 2021). A person with a growth mindset will develop
an understanding that effort is part of the learning process and that making
mistakes is an important way to learn and grow. “People with a growth mindset
are characterized by a greater passion for learning and a decreased anxiety
about learning linked to their positive conception of failure,” (Gouëdard, P.,
& Valle, R., 2021). It is the responsibility of the key stakeholders to
establish an environment that is a safe space for students to not feel judged
for making mistakes and therefore giving them the courage to always try and to
receive constructive feedback. PISA data indicates that students with a growth
mindset have higher levels of motivation to master tasks and lower levels of
fear of failure. They also value school much more, set ambitious learning
goals, and have higher levels of self-efficacy (Gouëdard, P., & Valle, R.,
2021).
3. Policy Recommendation
The
origins of social-emotional learning can be traced back to before the 20th
century by American psychologists and philosophers. However, SEL as a
structured educational framework was introduced in the early 20th
century. Organizations such as Collaborative for Academic, Social, and
Emotional Learning (CASEL), founded in 1994, played a significant role in
promoting SEL. CASEL has developed many frameworks and offered many resources
to support the implementation of SEL in schools across the United States. Over
the past decades, SEL has gradually become a part of the educational landscape
in the Arab region. As the research and evaluation on the importance and
effectiveness of SEL in education increased, policymakers and stakeholders in
the educational systems became more aware of it. Studies show that students who
took part in SEL programs had an 11% increase in academic achievements and an
improvement in behavior (Durlak et al., 2018). Organizations such as UNESCO
(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and
international NGOs were promoting SEL as part of their educational agendas.
These organizations then provided resources, training, and support to integrate
SEL into educational systems in the Arab region. The United Arab Emirates has
been the lead in educational reforms in the Arab world (Tabari, 2014). The
United Arab Emirates established many government bodies to be responsible for
the growth, direction, and quality of private and public schools. KHDA is an
example of these governmental bodies based in Dubai and caters to private
schools. KHDA supervises educational institutions to ensure high-quality
education as well as safe and comfortable learning environments. In the
inspection framework, KHDA has placed students' and staff wellbeing as a
priority.
Social-emotional
Learning Curricula and Programs create a better learning environment by
allowing students to understand, validate, and control their emotions. They
encourage students to develop self-management skills and make responsible
decisions. SEL programs implement a proven method for social-emotional learning
that works in community centers, mental health centers, and detention centers.
Social
Emotional Learning curriculum can be integrated within the school curriculum
and lesson plans. Teachers and administration should work closely to ensure
successful implementation and create an action plan. Key actions, lead person,
resources, cost, timeline, and success criteria should all be discussed
thoroughly written down, and practiced.
The
first area that can be integrated within the curriculum should be promoting a
"growth mindset" and "praise culture" to help reduce
assessment anxiety in middle and high school. The leading people to these
actions are the leadership team, a well-being team that can be led by a group
of students with a faculty to assist them, and the student council. The
following are suggested key actions to be implemented:
- Introduce additional praise systems in all
sections.
- Conduct focus groups in classes on the negative
impact on attainment levels.
- Implement additional methods of data collection.
- Conduct PD for teachers to develop strategies and
routines that engage students in productive struggle.
- Increase the opportunities provided for students
to voice their feelings
- Collaborate with Subject Coordinators to ensure
that the workload allows for a balance between students’ wellbeing and
academic attainment.
- Revise the assessment policy and procedures to
decrease the load on students with a focus on quality vs quantity.
- Involve parents in focus groups to discuss
methods of collaboration to ensure stress relief.
- Collaborate with external entities to conduct
workshops to promote human well-being and development.
- Initiate a mentorship program for teachers to
share best practices.
The
second area is to devise a plan for SEL integration and assess outcomes. It is
extremely important that once the curriculum is taking place, programs, and
resources are properly integrated and outcomes are visible. To do so we need to
follow the below action plans:
- Conduct surveys to determine specific
social-emotional skills from the five competencies to be targeted in the
school plan.
- Select evidence-based SEL programs, materials,
and resources that align with the identified goals.
- Adapt lesson plans and activities that can be
integrated into Moral Education lesson plans.
- Provide training and support to teachers and
staff on SEL concepts, strategies, and implementation techniques.
- Determine appropriate assessment tools and data
collection methods to measure the outcomes of SEL integration
- Monthly Check-ins.
- Learning Check Reflection.
- Microsoft Reflect Platform.
- Well-being Walkthroughs.
- Parents Focus Group.
- Surveys.
The
third area is to focus on creating extra-curricular opportunities for students
to practice effective SEL and promote wellbeing. This area can be led and
planned by the students which allows them to feel a sense of responsibility and
remove the fixed mindset of constantly receiving information and orders from
their teachers. Below is a list of key actions that can cover this area:
- Allow students to speak about personal
developments and human well-being during the morning assemblies.
- Assigning specific days for specific mental
health issues to raise awareness and for those who suffer to feel a sense
of belonging and acknowledgment.
- Create wellbeing clubs, and develop the
initiatives conducted by them.
- Increase the number of Model Federal Council
sessions that target the promotion of SEL.
- Conduct class activities that promote the social
and emotional competencies identified as a target from well-being
walkthroughs.
The
fourth area is to enhance the well-being of the school staff. It is extremely
important for the school staff to feel safe, healthy, and acknowledged, as they
play an important role in the school. If the staff is not satisfied that will
reflect on the students and therefore create a toxic environment for everyone.
The following are different key actions to promote the well-being of the staff:
- Create a staff well-being calendar where all
staff are engaged in well-being activities.
- Create “A place for all” with barcodes that
provide digital spaces for staff to speak about any of their concerns.
- Use well-being surveys for staff created by
well-being club heads to solicit data.
- Continue to conduct staff mindfulness and
stress-managing activities.
- Conduct professional development on social and
emotional learning for teachers to improve self-awareness and
self-management.
- Create opportunities for talented teachers to
conduct internal professional development workshops.
In
2023, Al-Mawakeb Schools started the integration of the Social and Emotional
Learning curriculum, aiming to enhance the students' and staff's well-being.
Several data collection methods were deployed to assess the success of this
integration and review purposes. One of the methods used was through surveys
that were conducted to middle school students during class time, ensuring
comprehensive participation. The success of SEL integration is evident in the
results of the surveys, particularly in fostering students' emotional
well-being and social skills. According to the survey, 307 out of 499 responded
"Frequently” or “Often” to feeling positive about themselves, indicating a
high level of self-esteem and self-awareness. Additionally, 379 students
reported building friendships “Most of the time” or “Always,” highlighting
their social awareness and ability to cultivate relationships. Moreover, a
significant proportion of students (424) agreed with the importance of planning
and making educated decisions, reflecting their readiness for responsible
decision-making. Furthermore, the survey revealed that 362 students feel
capable of expressing their emotions appropriately, showing the importance of
effective communication and self-awareness. Moreover, social awareness emerged
as a prominent theme, with 450 students affirming their acceptance of
diversity, highlighting the significance of understanding and respecting
differences as students transition into adulthood. Overall, the survey findings
provide compelling evidence of the positive impact of SEL integration at
Al-Mawakeb Schools, nurturing students' emotional intelligence, interpersonal
skills, and inclusive attitudes essential for their personal and academic
growth.
Another
data collection method that they used was Microsoft Reflect to ensure
engagement with the curriculum and gain feedback. Microsoft Reflect is a
platform designed to facilitate meaningful check-ins with educators and
students. These check-ins aim to gather insights into the overall well-being to
create a healthy and happy learning community. It is primarily used in
classrooms and staff teams within the Microsoft Teams platform. The graphs
below show the feedback of the middle school students on Microsoft Reflect.
These results were able to point out the success of this platform. As shown in
the graphs below, 87.96% of the students participate regularly in Reflect
Check-in, which shows the ease and comfort of using this platform. Furthermore,
82.72% of the students feel safe to share their emotional status and the same
percentage feels heard by the teacher when sharing concerning emotions. These
results are important to keep track of because, through the use of such
platforms, you can rate the success of the SEL implementation and gain insights
from the students.
The
Capacity Building Program is the first research-based design that aims to
enhance leadership skills within the lead teams of educators in schools.
Simultaneously, it lays the groundwork for fostering extensive leadership
capabilities, involving students, parents, and community partners on a broader
scale. This program was generated by the TAMAM Steering Team which is an
educational movement in the Arab region that was initiated by a collaboration
between the Arab Thought Foundation and the American University of Beirut. This
model embeds research directly into the process of school improvement. Unlike
the case of traditional research, where research is sent for publication hoping
that its results will tackle out to affect practice, use is made of the
teacher-directed and school-based research results right away. The
capacity-building program was designed under eleven pillars called the TAMAM
Pillars. These pillars are a combination of theoretical knowledge, skills, and
attitudes that are required to improve the educator's performance and to commit
to a leading and sustainable school-based improvement. During the last workshop
on placing these pillars, a session was dedicated to experimenting with their
translation to Arabic. These pillars, thereafter, became the foundation of the
project design, ensuring a shared vision both of the reform approach and the
school culture promoted by TAMAM. The capacity building program is designed
under the following pillars:
a. Inquiry.
b. Evidence-based Decisions.
c. Decisions & Actions Driven by Needs.
d. Reflection Dialogue & Practice.
e. Evolving Design Planning.
f. Participative Leadership for Continuous
Improvement.
g. Professional Collaboration.
h. De-privatization of Practice.
i. Mentoring Approach.
j. Job-embedded Experiential Learning.
k. Systematic Documented Practice.
This
program has strategies to train and guide educators to initiate, plan,
implement, monitor, and evaluate an innovative improvement project of their
choice based on the collective that aligns with their school’s vision and
mission. It allows for organizational and cultural transformations that result
in environments that are flexible in structure, adaptive to change, and
innovative. TAMAM transforms the school into a professional learning community
that leads reform and improvement effectively. Every participating school is
asked to form a team that consists of decision-makers and educational
practitioners. With the help of the TAMAM Steering team which consists of
academic experts, the school team plans the innovative improvement project of
their choice. They initiate, plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate a project
that is based on an urgent need to improve student learning and what aligns
with their school's vision and mission. The importance of the TAMAM project is
that it builds a bridge between the three key stakeholders in the education
system which ensures effective improvement. The three key stakeholders are
policymakers in the minister of education and private educational institutions,
faculty members in each country, and the schools and participating educators.
TAMAM is a great team that provides scientific, academic, and moral support.
There
is a successful project that was done with TAMAM in 2013 at Hariri Secondary
High School in Lebanon. The project was focused on preparing well-rounded
students by merging the concept of integrated education with the theory of
multiple intelligence. According to Katia Kazma, a preschool English
Coordinator, she mentions that the project helped them identify each child's
strengths and allowed them to improve the child’s balanced growth in four
development domains. Another successful project is from Al-Ezdihar School for
Basic Education in Sultanate of Oman which was called “I read with my family.”
The project aims at improving and developing the students’ reading skills and
engaging the family in the process. One of the ideas implemented in the project
was the idea of “the mobile cart.” This idea was to make a mobile cart as a
mini moving library that contains many interesting books and can visit classes
where students choose a book to borrow. Badria Nasser Al-Arimi, Information
Technology Teacher, evaluated that due to the repetitiveness of the cart
entering classrooms, students' tendency to pick up a book to read increased
with time. The term “well-being” emerged from social science studies on
happiness and life satisfaction in the late 20th century (Diener & Chan,
1999). According to Al-Ezdihar's report that was submitted to TAMAM, after
implementing the “mobile cart,” there was a rise of 30% in students who started
borrowing books to read.
It
is extremely important to focus on the student's well-being and development at
a young age to build confident, independent decision-makers and leaders. Being
stuck in the traditional and fixed mindset will only build followers who are
unmotivated and scared of challenges. Whereas, a person with a growth mindset
will be more likely to embrace challenges and take risks. Standardized tests,
stigmatization of failure, and spoon-feeding are all traditional ways of
teaching that should be studied carefully and reformed. These approaches are
not only affecting the overall intelligence and capabilities of a student but
also causing high levels of mental health issues and slow development in the
Arab region. Teachers and proper training play a critical role in providing an
environment that is welcoming to the development of a growth mindset. Teachers,
with parents and other faculty members, need to show their constant support,
encourage challenges and appreciate learning processes. Social-emotional
Learning and the TAMAM reform approach are two of many policy recommendations
the educational stakeholders can implement or work with to promote human
well-being and a growth mindset. Educational institutions, such as Al-Mawakeb
School and Al-Ezdihar School, that integrated these reforms have shown evident
success in the implementation. The Arab region faces many challenges and
therefore the educational stakeholders, policymakers, and governments should
work closely together consistently to implement policies that will improve the
educational systems. Although there are enough resources that can support
improvement, the Arab region still lacks where and how to allocate and use
these resources properly. As long as key stakeholders, policymakers, and any
entity that can improve a student's education in the Arab region, regardless of
their location, invests their time and effort in providing each student the
same opportunity and support to develop a growth mindset then we will start to
see vivid improvements in the education system.
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