Pedagogy, Policy, and Praxis in the GCC
GCES Symposium 2025
The 11th Biannual Gulf Comparative Education Society Symposium
As we approach a new quarter-century, the 11th anniversary of the Gulf Comparative Education Society (GCES) Symposium invites scholars, thinkers, and educators to reflect on dominant discourses related to educational challenges in the Gulf.
While acknowledging existing hurdles, researchers are encouraged to critically examine how we can disrupt normative frameworks surrounding EdTech, teacher
qualifications, and assessment and accountability. Comparative studies reflecting on the global educational landscape are welcome for submission to the Society.
The 2025 GCES Symposium calls for papers exploring, but not limited to, the following areas:
- Global education governance, policy, and stakeholders
- Educational hegemony, marginalization, and power dynamics
- EdTech, artificial intelligence, and distance learning
- Pedagogy, teachers’ qualifications, and professional development
- Teacher retention/attraction policies, regulations, and accountability
- Nationalization policies, educational visions, and Gulf policies
- Learning outcomes, international assessments, and quality assurance
- Alternative educational models (e.g., homeschooling, unschooling)
Keynotes and Guest Speakers
Pre-Conference Workshop 1: "Navigating the Publication Landscape: Getting Research Published in Journals"
Dr. tavis d. jules, Loyola University Chicago
Sponsored by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation
Background
Publishing research in academic journals is a crucial step in the research process, allowing scholars to contribute to their field and share their findings with a broader audience. However, the process of getting research published can be complex and challenging. This workshop aims to demystify the journal publication process and provide participants with practical strategies to enhance their chances of success.
First and foremost, participants will develop a keen understanding of the scholarship landscape of their respective academic fields through this workshop. With the help of guiding questions and targeted searches of high-quality peer-reviewed journals, participants will be able to articulate the key debates happening in their scholarship landscape and develop strategies to evolve their research praxis to meet the upcoming demands of their field. Without a deep understanding of how and why one’s research could be meaningful and impact extant scholarship, desiring to publish in journals will be largely unfulfilled.
Secondly, this workshop will inform participants on how to write compelling abstracts. Selected abstracts by competitive journals look for a nuanced blend of original scholarship, adept utilization of keywords, sound methodological practices, and effective theoretical engagements.
Thirdly, participants will also learn how to prepare a comprehensive writing plan to submit their articles post-abstract acceptance. From outlining the common challenges academics face in the journal writing process to common formatting errors, this workshop will take participants through the entire manuscript preparation process and share valuable strategies to optimize writing time.
Next, participants will likely be working with collaborators in their publishing journey, and negotiating these working relationships will come with their own set of challenges. For instance, navigating field-specific conflicts in terms of applying differing theoretical frameworks or research methodologies, deciding on the order of authorship, and contrasting writing styles could all pose roadblocks in the process of completing the manuscript. To that end, this workshop will present helpful tools to participants to enhance their working partnerships with collaborators to improve their chances of publishing while minimizing conflicts.
Lastly, the individual contributor’s timeline for publishing a journal article may vary depending on the quality and fit of the manuscript with the journal editors. As such, learning how to receive negative feedback from reviewers, navigating potential requests for changes in article focus to better fit the overarching journal theme, and managing delays in the publishing process are all part and parcel of successfully publishing an article. Participants will be pre-empted of such possibilities and will have the space to discuss best practices to deal with these challenges adeptly.
Workshop outline
This interactive workshop combines presentations, discussions, case studies, and practical exercises to give participants hands-on experience and actionable insights. Participants are encouraged to bring drafts of their research papers for individualized feedback.
Target Audience:
- Early-career researchers looking to publish their first journal articles.
- Established academics seeking to improve their publication success rate.
- Graduate students interested in understanding the publication process.
- Researchers from diverse academic disciplines.
Duration:
This half-day session allows for in-depth exploration of each topic and ample opportunities for participant engagement.
Key Takeaways:
By the end of the workshop, participants will have gained the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the journal publication process successfully. Upon completing this workshop, participants will comprehensively understand the journal publication process and be well-prepared to contribute valuable research to their respective fields. Participants will have the tools and knowledge needed to successfully navigate the intricate world of academic publishing and maximize the impact of their research within the global scholarly community. They will be better equipped to prepare and submit research manuscripts that meet the standards of academic journals and enhance their research impact.
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Presenter
tavis d. jules (written in lower case) is a Full Professor of Cultural and Educational Policy Studies and Higher Education at Loyola University Chicago; his focus and expertise lie in comparative and international education, specifically on issues of race, terrorism, regionalism, and dictatorial transition. He is the immediate past-President of the Caribbean Studies Association, Book and Media Reviews Editor for the Comparative Education Review, an International Institute of Islamic Thought Fellow, and a Senior Fellow at NORRAG. He is the author of over 50 refereed articles, and his most recent books include: The Bloomsbury Handbook of Theory in Comparative and International Education (with Robin Shields and Matthew A. M. Thomas, Bloomsbury 2021), The Educational Intelligent Economy: Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and the Internet of Things in Education (with Florin D. Salajan, Emerald 2019); Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces: Islam, Security and Social Movements in Tunisia (with Teresa Barton, Bloomsbury 2018); Re-Reading Education Policy and Practice in Small States: Issues of Size and Scale in the Emerging Intelligent Society and Economy (with Patrick Ressler, Peter Lang 2017); and The New Global Educational Policy Environment in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Gated, Regulated and Governed (Emerald 2016).
Pre-Conference Workshop 2: "Designing Mixed Methods Research"
Dr. Seungah Sarah Lee, New York University Abu Dhabi
Sponsored by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation
Background
Social scientists are often interested in untangling complex social issues, which require expansive data and methods to address. Thus, it is unsurprising that the use of mixed methods in social science research has increased over the past few decades. Mixed methods research typically refers to research that combines qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis
techniques. However, there still remains considerable debate about how to best define and use mixed methods.
The goal of this workshop is to introduce participants to conceptual and practical frameworks and considerations for designing, implementing, executing, analyzing, presenting, and writing up mixed methods research. First, the workshop will discuss the varieties of mixed methods research and ask, “why (not) mixed methods?” Following, the participants will walk through the steps of designing a mixed methods research project. Upon gaining a foundational understanding
of mixed methods research design, participants will examine and evaluate applications of mixed methods research and consider the pitfalls and limitations of mixed methods research.
Further, participants are encouraged to bring ideas, drafts, and questions about their own mixed methods project including dissertations, prospectuses, funding and grant proposals, or other plans for implementing this type of research. Time will be dedicated to allow participants to give and receive feedback.
Workshop Format
This interactive workshop combines presentations, discussions, and practical exercises to give participants hands-on experience and actionable insights. Participants are encouraged to bring their research proposals and ideas to the workshop for feedback.
Target Audience:
- Researchers in diverse academic disciplines and in various industry settings
- Graduate students interested in using mixed methods in their work
Duration:
This 3-hour session allows for the exploration of mixed methods and ample opportunities for participant engagement.
Key Takeaways:
By the end of the workshop, participants will understand the different types of mixed methods research design and the benefits and limitations of such design. Upon completing the workshop, participants will have the tools and knowledge needed to effectively design a mixed-methods study.
Presenter
Dr. Seungah Sarah Lee received her PhD in Organization Studies and International Comparative Education from Stanford University. Her research broadly explores how global models, scripts, and norms for development become transmitted and adapted to influence organizational forms, practices, and change.
Her primary project explores how Arab Gulf states foster a culture and environment for entrepreneurship and innovation as a part of their national development visions and the role various organizations (e.g., government, semi-government, private, universities) play in facilitating this process. Most recently, she has been involved in a community research partnership that examines how a quasi-governmental organization brokers and facilitates collaborative relationships between startup ventures and schools through edtech testbeds to encourage education innovation and development in Qatar.
Her work has been funded by the Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, and the Stanford Abbasi Program on Islamic Studies and published in journals such as Research in the Sociology of Organizations, World Development, Prospects, in numerous book chapters, as well as policy research reports.