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Students in Kuwait

 
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sheema.doshi



Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:02 pm    Post subject: Students in Kuwait Reply with quote

Could someone please let me know what the reputation of the students at the Kuwait university are like?
Thank you, Sheema
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is an impossibly broad question that really can't be answered. But, I know from another post that you are interested in how they compare to your Korean students. Well... it depends on their major.

As I understand, Korean students are very serious and hard-working. Arab students have the reputation of being rather laid-back or not serious or even lazy. And it is true of many of them, of course. But, you are applying in the Health related field I noticed. That is quite different and you will find that most of these students have more of a goal in life and thus usually work pretty hard. Cool

The major difference will be the strengths and weakness differences. The Arab students will talk your arm off... at quite an acceptable level of English... and will hardly be able to write a grammatical sentence or read at even 50 wpm with any retention. So, your teaching emphasis will change dramatically.

VS
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15yearsinQ8



Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 462
Location: kuwait

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:43 am    Post subject: kuwaiti students reputation Reply with quote

reputations are like stereotypes or finding the 'typical' kuwaiti student - the whole concept must be taken with a grain of salt

but you asked for it, so

the reputation of kuwaiti students are
1) lazy - doing the minimum for the grade. MINIMUM in their opinion see point 3)
2) arrogant - having no concept of laws - instead they have 'wasta' or connections which get them out of anything from a ticket, an assignment or having to wait in line or come to class on time or at all
3) cheaters - related to points 2 and 3. in my time at KU, there was a student found cheating every term, but none them failed....
4) immature and parochial - but thinking highly of themselves and kuwait
5) narrow minded - they can't conceive of thinking outside of the 'box' because they are not aware of anyone thinking differently (with any value) than they
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kllamb



Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:44 am    Post subject: Students in Kuwait Reply with quote

Again, I must disagree with 15 years in Kuwait. Yes, there are all types of students a KU as there would be at any university, but I do not find my students to be anything like you describe. That they have not had a lot of practice at critical thinking is true, education here is for the most part done by memorization. Once given an opportunity, however, students do begin to think critically. I have had very few cases of cheating and have not had a student be rude to me.

Perhaps, 15 years in Kuwait has been too long for you.
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15yearsinQ8



Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 462
Location: kuwait

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:31 am    Post subject: students in Kuwait Reply with quote

put it on the survey
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skeptic



Joined: 30 Jun 2004
Posts: 73
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 6:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KLLamb has the right of it. I had a very positive experience in Kuwait.
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GulfProf



Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Posts: 26
Location: Kuwait

PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are a lot of things that I would say about Kuwait that are negative but about my students I have only positive things to say. By and large I have enjoyed teaching here immensely. I find my students to be interested, engaged, intelligent, and honest. There is the odd cheater or slacker every semester but I had a lot of those in the States too.

When I leave Kuwait it will be for the total lack of social life, not from the pleasure I gain in the daily teaching of my students.
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grab-bag



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 104

PostPosted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've worked in Kuwait for more than 15 years and I've had every type of student imaginable. By and large I find them lazy and arrogant, yet intelligent and opinionated. They are fairly open to new experiences and other cultures. Like everywhere in the Gulf, too much money breeds arrogance and disdain but on the other hand there are a lot of middle class and lower middle class Kuwaiti students who want to make something of themselves. They don't come from money and they know that education is one way to get up in the world. They don't come from big families and they don't have wasta. These are the students worth teaching.

Every Gulf country has its good and bad students but having worked in a couple of countries I would say that the Kuwaiti students are the most
determined. The country was messed up by Saddam and some people are still feeling the aftershocks. Kuwait will never shake off the problems caused by its big neighbor until things there are resolved. So it's no wonder a lot of Kuwaitis live on the edge.

Just learn to disregard the arrogant students and focus on the ones who want to learn.
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