All fine with dad and
me: Beyonce
v Page 13
I’m not the heroine in
Heroine, says Ash
v Page 28
Rachel flaunts
Indian jewels
v Page 26
Solar-powered aircraft lands
in Brussels
v Page 13
To Oman with love and
appreciation from Japan
v Page 27
Fea ures
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Strategic Research Grant for six proposals
and formulation of a national policy for autism; (3)
Biochemical exploration of the potential role of
breast milk, glutathione, and cysteine metabolism
on the occurrence of autism in Oman; and (4) Exploration of functional genomics of autism candidate genes among Omani population.”
He points out that “the results of these studies
are expected to advance the infrastructure of autism research, clinical management, and community services in Oman, and lead to better understanding of autism etiology.”
Measuring Against
Expectations
The study entitled
“Measuring Against Expectations: Development
of a Multidimensional
Profile of College Readiness of Sultan Qaboos
University Intake 2010
— 2012” conducted by
Dr Thuwayba al Barwani from the Curriculum and Instruction Department of the College
of Education is a descriptive and correlational research study that analyses cross-sectional quantitative data from several tests and surveys.
Dr Barwani points out the significance of this
project saying: “the study will enhance our understanding of: (1) the knowledge, motivation, skills
and attitudes of students entering Omani higher
education institutions in 2010-2012; (2) the differences in academic performance between the General Education and the first students to have completed 12 years of Basic Education curriculum; and
(3) the knowledge and skills that contribute positively to higher education academic success.” She
adds: “understanding these areas will enhance the
ability of faculty to design and implement degree
programmes that prepare graduates who are ready
to meet the social and economic goals of Oman
as documented in 2020Vision (MoNE, 1995). To
identify student knowledge, skills and attitudes,
we will use SQU as a case study and will collect
and analyse data from several sources including
school diploma test scores, foundation test scores
and the results of three instruments.” She clarifies that “these three instruments focus on critical
thinking skills, motivation, study skills and social
factors that have been shown in prior research to
affect academic success. The data will be analysed
against the students’ academic performance during the first two years at SQU. With university
GPA as the dependent variable, researchers will
use multiple regression analysis to identify which
independent variables most affect or possibly predict university success.” Dr Barwani concludes
“the sample for this study is the population of all
SQU first year students for 2010, 2011 and 2012
(approximately 2,700/year X 3 years = 8,100 students). Lastly, as a follow-up to an earlier study,
faculty will be surveyed about their perceptions of
the students’ readiness skills. By using SQU as a
case study, the research team will not only develop
the database about SQU students but will also validate the research protocol, instruments and statistical programming which can then be used by all
higher education institutions.”
This year’s winning
research projects
cover important
sectors in the society
and it is expected that
the outcomes of such
research projects will
contribute to finding
solutions to many
problems
Selection Procedure
About the selection procedure Dr Reginald Victor, Dean of Research, says: “This year we received
19 proposals from different colleges covering the
following areas: medicine, agriculture, environment, marine sciences, economics, education and
tourism. The selection procedure is based on three
main sources of input. First, assessments of relevant external reviewers (from outside the Sultanate) are solicited. These academics are prominent
and specialised professors from renowned universities. Second, assessments of relevant government
institutions on these research proposals are also
requested. The aim of this second form of input is
to make sure that the research proposals actually
fulfil a pertinent need in the social and economic
development of the Sultanate. Third, the University’s assessment provided by the Academic Council is also called upon. The principal investigator
makes a presentation showing the aims and objectives of the project, methodology and the expected
outcomes and the significance and role of such outcomes in supporting research in the Sultanate.
trategic research is funded by His Majesty’s Annual Trust Fund Grant which began
in 2000. Research projects funded by this
scheme are one of the most important research efforts conducted annually at Sultan Qaboos University. This scheme gave a significant boost to the
University’s research programme. The findings of
such projects are expected to lead to significant
breakthroughs and technological excellence in the
long run and will bring important economic benefits for the Sultanate.
University academics from all colleges and
disciplines — medicine, engineering, agriculture,
environment, education, science and arts — compete annually to win these strategic research grants.
With this year’s six research proposals winning
grants, the total number of research projects funded
by this scheme so far reaches 53.
The winning research proposals for this year
address topics related to medicine, agriculture,
education, environment and arts and social sciences. The winners are: Dr Yahya Mohamed
Al Farsi (College of Medicine), Dr Thuwayba
Ahmed Isaa Al Barawania (College of Education),
Dr Azza Habib Mustafa (College of
Education), Dr Othman Abdul Khaleq (College of
Science), Professor Mohamed Shafiur (College of
Agriculture and Marine Sciences) and Dr Anwar
Mohamed Al Rawas (College of Arts and Social
Sciences).
The study entitled
“Autism in Oman: Epidemiology and Etiology”
conducted by Dr Yahya
al Farsi from the Department of Family Medicine
and Public Health in the
College of Medicine
aims to identify the estimation of prevalence
in Oman, quantification
of malnutrition among
autistics and verifying the potential relationship
between lack of breastfeeding and autism. On this
Dr Al Farsi says: “Until recently, little information
has been known about autism in Oman, so Autism
Research Group (ARG) at SQU initiated in 2008
research activities on this disorder and was able to
make a significant progress in its activities.” He
adds: “in order to know more about this disorder
and its causes and how to deal with it, I suggested
in the proposal submitted that this project aims to
conduct an array of research studies and infrastructure development of autism services. The studies
are: (1) Situational analysis of hampering factors
in notification and timely-diagnosis of autism,
namely knowledge, attitude, and practice among
The study entitled
healthcare providers and school teachers; (2) Eval- “Early Childhood Eduuation of the social and economic burden on autism cation: Towards Quality
families in order to facilitate transnational research Early Childhood Education in Oman: Moving
from Licensure to Accreditation” conducted
by Dr Azza Habib
Mustafa, from the Early
Childhood Education Department, College of Education aims to (1) construct and validate a standardised instrument that
measures quality in Early Childhood Programmes
in Oman and (2) provide empirical data of the quality of early childhood programmes in Oman. As
to the study profile, Dr Mustafa says: “the study
will involve a 50 per cent stratified sample of kindergartens and head teachers in those classrooms
from all regions of Oman. Needed data will be
collected using a culturally adapted version of The
Early Childhood Classroom Observation Scale
(ECCOS; National Association for the Education
of Young Children, 1991) to collect observational
data from kindergarten classrooms, the Classroom
Demography Information Sheet to obtain information regarding programme characteristics, and the
Teacher Questionnaire and interview to assess kindergarten practices involving parents.”
S
Autism
Early Childhood
Education
Groundwater
The study entitled
“Estimating
natural
groundwater
recharge
and discharge in North
Oman using Hydrochemical and Modelling
Approaches” conducted
by Dr Othman Abdul
Khaleq from the Earth
Sciences
Department,
College of Science, aims
to estimate temporal and
spatial recharge/discharge rates in North Oman using Hydrochemical and Modelling Approaches. Dr
Othman maintains that the study also aims to assess groundwater residence time and identifies areas of replenishment and depletion because groundwater recharge and discharge fluxes are important
components in any hydrologic cycle and they are
necessary for water budget analysis, especially in
arid areas like Oman. Reasonable assessment of
these fluxes will provide key information for water
development/management plans and water legislations and abstractions.”
Biomaterials
The study entitled
“Value Added Functional
Products from Less Utilised Biomaterials Locally Available in the
Sultanate” conducted by
Professor
Mohamed
Shafiur, from the Department of Food Science and
Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences aims to explore the
possibility of developing
value added functional products using waste or less
utilised local bio-materials. On the significance of
this study professor Shafiur says: “the development
of these types of functional products usually does
not require mass production and does not utilise excessive resources since the source of raw materials
already exists locally. However significant research
activities need to be conducted in order to develop the new technology and to assess its structural
characteristics, functionality and safety for human
consumption.” As to the objectives of this research
project, Professor Shafiur adds: “they are to develop
functional products using less utilised bio-materials
available locally in the Sultanate. In this project
only 3 locally less utilised bio-materials (date-pits,
seaweeds, and pomegranate skins and seeds) will
be used to develop value-added functional ingredients or products. He continues: “several functional
products (such as food ingredients as fibers, biodegradable packaging materials, and fuel source for
fish smoking) will be developed using less utilised
date-pits. Different treatments will be performed on
the date-pits in order to change its structure for desired functionality.”
Media and Socialisation
The study entitled
“The impact of the New
Media on Socialisation:
An Interdisciplinary study
on Oman” conducted by
Dr Anwar al Rawas,
from the Department of
Mass
Communication
aims to achieve a number
of objectives: (1) to identify Omani families patterns of use of the new
means of communication, (2) to explore the cultural
impact of new media (satellite channels, Internet,
and mobile phones) on the young generation, (3)
to examine the impact of some demographic variables such as family size and level of education on
the socialisation process, and (4) to set criteria and
standards that can direct new media to play a more
positive role in the socialisation process. This study
is based on the General System Theory, Cultivation
Theory and Gratification Approach. As to the motives of this study, Dr Al Rawas says: “Socialisation is one of the most important processes in all
societies. It has, therefore, been an essential topic
of inquiry in different fields of social sciences. With
the enormous scientific and technological developments in media and telecommunications in the last
quarter of the twentieth century and the beginnings
of the new millennium, new media means (satellites, the World Wide Web, and mobile phones)
and their multiple applications have emerged as a
serious challenge for the family and other institutions of socialisation. We believe that examining
these variables is important to identify their degree
of influence on the socialisation of individuals in
the society.” Dr Al Rawas adds: “The present study
is a descriptive study based on a survey distributed
in all regions and governorates of the Sultanate
of Oman to a random sample of 8,000 students in
the age group (6-16), 2,000 parents, represented in
the parents’ boards, and a number of experts in the
fields of media and socialisation.”