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Academic Staff in the UAE: Unsettled Journey

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Abstract

This study investigated how instructors in United Arab Emirates higher education institutions view their professional employment, the extent of their identification and engagement with their institution, and how their views are shaped by the national and institutional contexts in which they work. Many interviewees felt their professional contributions were valued and they were respected as individuals, but, at the same time, they were regarded by their employing institution as transient and easily replaceable. Findings suggest that the extensive use of expatriate staff on short-term contracts can work against the development of institutional loyalty or commitment. Results of this study hold broader implications for universities in other countries that see increasing their reliance on expatriate instructors as a prudent course of action.

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Notes

  1. The terms faculty and academic staff are used interchangeably to indicate those individuals employed by higher education institutions to deliver instruction and conduct research.

  2. A total of 135 instructors, randomly selected from a university contact list at each of the institutions, were invited to participate in the study. Of those contacted, 49% did not respond, 14% declined, 10% confirmed but cancelled the appointment before the interview, and the remaining 27% were interviewed.

  3. Three of the 37 instructors and one of the five administrators declined to have their interview recorded. In these cases, interviewers relied on interview notes and summaries of each interview recorded by the researcher following those interviews.

  4. Emiratization is a government initiative set up over 10 years ago to increase private sector employment of Emiratis.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, 330 Wulling Hall, 86 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, 55455, MN, USA

    David Chapman & Elisabeth Wilson

  2. Department of Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education, 419A Erickson Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, Michigan, USA

    Ann Austin

  3. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, P.O. Box 12050 Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

    Samar Farah & Natasha Ridge

Authors
  1. David Chapman
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  2. Ann Austin
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  3. Samar Farah
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  4. Elisabeth Wilson
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  5. Natasha Ridge
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Chapman, D., Austin, A., Farah, S. et al. Academic Staff in the UAE: Unsettled Journey. High Educ Policy 27, 131–151 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1057/hep.2013.19

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