Abstract
The study discusses the transition of schools in the Emirate of Sharjah from a five-day workweek to a four-day workweek at the start of January 2022, and explores results of surveys conducted to assess satisfaction of stakeholders and challenges that educational institutions and communities faced with this transition. The survey sought to understand the impact of this change on critical variables such as productivity, family financial impact, student learning, work-life balance, wellbeing, health, and school operations. The results released in May 2023 showed high level of parent satisfaction and financial savings, high motivation and satisfaction among school employees, and improved physical and emotional wellbeing of student skills and their ability to be more self-directed; to engage in socialization leisurely activities after school. The results also revealed certain challenges that teachers and professional staff reported in finding sufficient time to cover the required school curriculum, prepare lesson plans and attend professional development during the reduced school week. With global interest across all sectors in reducing the work week from five days to four, it is imperative that educational researchers and regulators understand how the Western literature can have either positive or negative impact on policy borrowing across Western, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Eastern cultures. This paper provides early guidance to policymakers, practitioners, and scholars on these matters.
Author Information
Ahmed Aly Shaban Abdelmoteleb, Sharjah Private Education Authority, United Arab Emirates
Matthew Robby, Sharjah Private Education Authority, United Arab Emirates
Ted Purinton, Sharjah Education Academy, United Arab Emirates
Suleiman Hamdan, Sharjah Private Education Academy, United Arab Emirates
Mokhtar Bourchak, Sharjah Private Education Academy, United Arab Emirates
Paper Information
Conference: ACE2023
Stream: Educational Research
This paper is part of the ACE2023 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Abdelmoteleb A., Robby M., Purinton T., Hamdan S., & Bourchak M. (2024) Supporting Schools, Educators, Students, and Families in a Transition to a Four Day Week ISSN: 2186-5892 The Asian Conference on Education 2023: Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5892.2024.16
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5892.2024.16
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