Journal of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies

• Published by Scientific Publication Journal – Kuwait University.
• Acting Editor Chief Prof. Benyan Saud Turki.
• Contributors are academic faculty members from various universities and faculties in both Arab and Muslim World.
• It's newly published the Journal No. (165) for the month of April 2017. It includes Ten academic researches about different issues :

First Research : Kuwaiti Secondary School Principals' Attitude Towards Implementing School-Based Management  .

Dr. Mohammed M. AL-Sharija - Dr. Mutlaq M. AL-Anzi - Dr. Maha T. AL-Azmi

     The study aimed to identify Kuwaiti secondary school principals' attitude towards implementing School-Based Management. Also to find whether these trends are varying according to the variables of: sex, and experience, or not. To achieve the objectives of the study, survey was developed, consisting of (37) items and spread over six dimensions, namely: administrative affairs, curriculum and instructions, personnel affairs, student affairs, school facilities, and budget affairs. After ensuring the validity and reliability of the instrument, forty six surveys were randomly distributed. Only 32 principals (male and female) responded. After analyzing data, results showed that the principals hold positive attitude towards the implementation of School-Based Management in all dimensions, except the curriculum and instructions dimension. Data also revealed that there were differences in the responses of principals depending on their experience in administrative affairs, student affairs, school facilities, and budget affairs.

Second Research : The Possession Extent of Teaching Staff in the Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies of Teaching Competencies in Qassim University .

Dr. Ali Bin M. Rababah

     This study aimed at identifying the extent to in which the teaching staff members of the Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies at the University of Qassim in Saudi Arabia for possession of educational competencies in light of the academic rank and experience variables. The study sample consisted of 97 faculty members chosen randomly from the study's society (220) faculty member. The another constructed an instrument to measure the degree to which the slabiech, possess of these competency. The instruments have been verified by two independent referees. Cronbach's alpha equation was used to calculate standers, where these ratios were considered suitable for the purposes of this study.
     The study results showed that the possession of members of the faculty of the three educational adequacy: planning, implementation, and evaluation perspective, was elevated to varying degrees. Where implementation ranked first, followed by the field of planning in second place and came in the last rank field of the evaluation. The possession of members of the faculty of educational adequacy between the professor and assistant professor in the areas of implementation, and evaluation was the tool as a whole came in favor of the professor, associate professor and assistant professor in the field of implementation were in favor of Associate Professor, and the possession of members of the faculty of educational adequacy among those who experience more than 10 years and who experience between (5-10) years for the benefit of their experience more than 10 years.
     The study recommended the proposal for the establishment of workshops for faculty members to train on "Building the implementation of teaching plans". Our Universities must cope with the latest global developments in the field of effective university teaching, and employ modern technology in increasing the effectiveness of the setup and enriching the vocabulary programs, and encourage the teaching innovation faculty members in teaching and learning processes, and providing training programs that will help them shift from being carriers of knowledge to the participants and developers have, and are able to constant lynteract with their transformations. Also Conduit research studies to evalued teaching performance faculty member at the university from the student perspective.

Third Research : Causes and Indicators of Land  Degradation in the Terrestrial Environment of Kuwait .

Prof. R'afat F. Misak - Dr. Fatma M. AL-Ghazali

     The main objectives of the current study are to evaluate and classify the causes, indicators and causes of land degradation in the terrestrial environment of Kuwait. The study was based on field survey for 21 sites representing the open desert areas of the terrestrial environment .These sites cover 525 km2. Land degradation maps were prepared for selected five sites using IKONOS images, GIS and ground truth. It was observed that causes and in turn indicators of land degradation vary from one land use to another. In the open desert area (rangeland grazing) which constitutes 51% of Kuwait, the main causes of land degradation are overgrazing, removing grasses and shrubs, spring camping and military exercises. The indicators of land degradation in this type of land use include degradation of vegetation cover, loss of biodiversity, loss of  top soil (by both wind and runoff). In case of agricultural areas which constitute 2.7% of Kuwait, over-exploitation of irrigation water is the main cause of land degradation. Soil Stalinization and water logging and in turn loss of agricultural production are the main indicators of land degradation in this type of land use. One of the outstanding results of this study is that all forms of land degradation, regardless of the nature and magnitude, are prevailing in the 21 sites. In 16 sites representing 76% of total area of studied area are more vulnerable to wind erosion as they are located inside or in the peripheries of natural wind corridors. Three cases of land degradation are identified in the terrestrial environment of Kuwait. These are very severe (28% of the total area of studied sites), severe (52% of the total area of studied sites) and moderate (19 % of the total area of studied sites).
     As mentioned in literature, climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of drought and in turn dust storms and sand movement. Globally, the proportion of Earth's surface in extreme drought is projected to rise from about 1percent today to around 30 percent by late this century (if heat emissions continue to rise at high rates). Modeling of climatic components, vegetation cover and land use indicates a remarkable decrease in vegetation cover and in turn increase of land degradation.

Forth research : The Modern Use of the She-Camels' Theme in Contemporary - Nabati Poetry .

Dr. Hamad O. AL-Ajmy

     In this paper I attempt to discuss the development of the she-camel's motif in the Nabati poetry using some poems composed during the last thirty years. The motif of the she-camel exists in both classical and modern poetry and in both formal (Fasih) and colloquial language. However, this paper argues that the motif of the she-camel has changed from the biological description of the she-camel that existed in the classical Arabic poem, to a mere symbol of the poem itself in the modern Nabati poem.
     The challenging task was to track the change in the motif of the she-camel in the classical poetry and modern Nabati poetry within the historical and cultural contexts of each poem. I will use the concept of (orality and literacy) that Walter Ong and Ruth Finnegan used to understand the reason behind the modern use of the theme of the she-camel in contemporary Nabati poetry.

Fifth research : Kuwaiti Periodicals Digitization Projects and Initiatives: A Survey Study .

Dr. Amal M. Abd-Elwahhab - Prof. Yousria A. Zayid

     This study addresses the subject of digitization projects and Initiatives for Kuwaiti periodicals, their goals, strategies, practices, and the challenges they face, through a survey of these projects. To achieve the goals of this study, the survey's approach was used, and a checklist was developed for a data collection. The study showed that there are three Institutions that have four existing digitization projects for Kuwaiti periodicals. Two projects are implemented by the Central Agency for Information Technology and the other two are implemented by both National Library of Kuwait and the Public Authority for Industry. These projects are the focus of this study. In addition to these four projects, there were three other digitization trials, which were limited to the scanning process. The study recommended that, the digitization projects must be adopted by a National Bibliographic center, which is National Library of Kuwait.  This will allow for accurate planning and better outcomes. In addition, a database for digitized Journals should be developed in cooperation with the authorities and institutions involved in the State of Kuwait and make them available through the Internet.

Sixth research : Landslides Hazard and Risk Vulnerability for Dahrwadi (West of Sana'a) Using the Geographic Information System (GIS) .

En. Saleh A. Magohan - Dr. Aref  M. AL-Jabali

     The study area is located in the western part of Sana'a. (the  capital city foemen) and 14 km from the center of the city. This area characterized by an urban expansion and tourism location. Therefore, it was essential to prepare and produce the landslide Hazard and Risk Vulnerability maps for this area using the Geographic Information System (GIS). The study area is divided into Pixels through satellite images, geological and topographic maps. Each pixel represent 125m2 on earth. Thus, Rock Type, Geomorphology, Slopes, Intensity and Trends of Joints, the annual rainfall, Seismic events and human activities contributed to the lack of the stability of Slopes. As a result of all these works, landslides Hazard map is produced that classified the area into very high, high, moderate, low and very low. It was recognized that about (56.14%) of the study area are located in the very high and high Hazard levels. The very high level Hazard represented  by rock Fall, the high level Hazard represented by Toppling and Rolling, the moderate level Hazard represented by Planer Slide.
     Also, the rock vulnerability and the degree susceptibility maps were produced using the (GIS). Risk levels were calculated and identified the expected human and material components in the area. The study concluded that the government must carry out geo engineering studies to decrease the potential Hazard in the area.

Seventh research : A Vision of Transforming the City of Taiz into the Knowledge City Concept .

Dr. Ali M. Amer

     Knowledge-based economy is a new development field,  that began recently, and many cities around the world have headed toward knowledge-based economy activities achieving economic, developmental and environmental excellent results. This treual has encouraged other cities to follow its steps, especially as we live in the 21st century, which is the epoch of knowledge and knowledge cities. This research discusses the importance of the knowledge economy in order to solve economic and social development problems in contemporary cities. The research aims to clarify the possibility of transforming the city of Taiz into knowledge city, where its economy is based on knowledge production and scientific research. The research methodology is based on a theoretical study of the concept of the knowledge economy and its impact on the planning strategies of urban and functional formation of city, analyzing knowledge cities cases and a review of their results, and the ability and the potential of Taiz city to move into this trend.
     The research presents a vision of the mechanism that helps the city administration in the process of transformation into knowledge-based economy, and a proposal of converting the University of Taiz and the surrounding area to knowledge city as a beginning of directing the city to a knowledge-based economy. In addition, this research is the springboard point to discuss the idea of - Taiz knowledge city- in reality, and to assist the administration of Taiz city to set its own strategy of becoming a knowledge city, and, to realize the principles of community participation and sustainable development, which the city aspires to.

Eighth research : The Views of WhatsApp Users among Kuwait University Students: Social and Educational Aspects .

Najlaa G. AL-Azmi - Dr. Khaled M. AL-Rumaidhi

     This study aimed to identify the views of users of "Whats App" of Kuwait University students in relation to social, educational, political and faith variables. The following descriptive analytical. To achieve this objective a survey consisting of 40 paragraphs distributed over 4 axes was used. The four axes are Social, Faith, Educational, other variables. The sample size was 650. The results of the study showed a positive trend between respondents on the contribution of whats App  in social aspect and aspect of faith, and there is a difference between respondents on the contribution of whatsApp in both political and also, the results showed statistically significant differences between respondents according to the gender variable in the political aspect in favor of males. Also the existence of significant differences between respondents in accordance with changing social situation in the social aspect and married, and the existence of significant differences between respondents according to variable theme in the faith and in the interest of moral discipline. Lack of significant differences between respondents according to variable maintenance in any area of study and the researcher had submitted at the end of the study a set of recommendations.

Ninth research : Job Satisfaction of the Administrative Employees at Kuwait University : A Field Study .

Dr. Nabila Y. AL-Kandari

     Many higher education institutions have become interested in developing the performance level of employees through the achievement of job satisfaction. This study was designed to assess the level of job satisfaction among administrative employees at Kuwait University. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 300 male and female employees. The results showed that employees possessed a high level of satisfaction win their relationship with their boss, job duties, colleagues, promotions, bonuses, and salary. Staff expressed a medium level of satisfaction regarding empowerment and participation in decision-making, motivation for creative work, recognition of talented employees, and training course provided, The results showed no statistically significant differences in the views of the staff based on gender, nationality, age, years of experience, and qualifications However, statistically significant differences were found between the views of employees depending on their functional level and supervisory status. The study also evaluated many proposals for developing the performance level of staff, including creating a management or an ethical culture, building intellectual capital in light of its competitive advantages, and applying contemplative management strategies, The study recommended honoring outstanding employees to encourage them to pursue creative work as an important strategy.

Tenth research : Phases of Marital Conflict among Married Kuwaiti Women from the Perspective of Clinical Social Work .

Dr. Hend B. AL-Ma'seb

     Gottman proposed a model of marital conflict with three phases: Agenda-Building, Arguing, and Negotiation. Among a sample of 520 married Kuwaiti women, this study examined the relationship between these phases and the following demographic variables: Level of education, Family income, Health, Occupation, and Tribal affiliation. In addition, the study 1) investigated the marital conflict phases the participants reported having experienced or are currently experiencing and 2) identified the variables that predict one of these conflict phases. The results showed a significant relationship between the following: 1) the Agenda-Building phase and Health; 2) the Arguing phase and Family income, Occupation, and Tribal Affiliation; and 3) the Negotiation phase and Level of education. In addition, a linear regression shows a substantial correlation between the two predictor variables (Level of education and Health problems) and the Agenda Building and Negotiation phases and 5) another substantial correlation between Family income and Arguing.                                                  

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