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This study stresses and reflects a professional concern for the state of architecture in Kuwait, with a specific emphasis on the development of competence of architectural students and recent graduates on professional knowledge areas/skills. Professional practice in Kuwait is perceived as a recent phenomenon that reflects the development of architecture and architects in the country. The apparent problem of the evolution of a professional base for the education and practice of architecture in Kuwait is the lack of professional development systems. Internship (being one professional development system) is not a requirement for graduation from the architectural program at Kuwait University or to practice architecture in Kuwait and to earn professional status. No formal internship model exists within the architectural field (education and practice) in Kuwait. Therefore, this study assesses the importance (perceived value, perceived need, and recommended time period) of internship programs in Kuwait and proposes recommended knowledge areas/skills for this architectural internship experience, before and after graduation from college. For the purpose of this study, the internship experience during college is defined as academic internship and the internship experience after graduation as practical training. The knowledge areas/skills recommended in this study could act as a base of information for designing local curricular guidelines for the initiation of future internship programs in Kuwait as integral parts of a professional architectural practice model. The study utilizes a descriptive survey design, which was quantitative in nature (utilizing a self-administered questionnaire) with an introduction of elements of qualitative research procedures (follow-up interviews) to support the objective data in a subjective manner. Based on the results of the study, four conclusions were drawn: (1) internship programs are perceived to be of value for students and recent graduates, (2) a perceived need exists for internship programs in Kuwait, (3) the recommended time period for an academic internship program ranges from 2-10 months and the recommended time period for a practical training program ranges from 1-2 years, and (4) agreement exists among the surveyed population on several knowledge areas/skills necessary for architectural internship programs in Kuwait.

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Kuwait is an arid small country with a severe climate, but an interesting and diverse biological heritage. Historically Kuwait was the home for 28 mammalian, over 300 bird, and 40 reptilian species. Expanding human population and technology are increasingly altering Kuwait's natural habitat. Currently, 8 mammalian species are locally eradicated from Kuwait, but available elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. On the endangered list is 4 mammals, 5 birds. The status of most reptiles is unknown. A comprehensive overview of Kuwait's historic and contemporary wildlife is described. Major wildlife habitat types are identified and mapped. A conservation strategy addressing the wildlife and their habitats in Kuwait is suggested. The key to a successful strategy is habitat restoration and protection combined with legal protection of the wildlife. In addition, a program for re-introducing locally eradicated species to their historic range in Kuwait is suggested.

Tribal solidarity is an important feature in the national election for Kuwaiti parliament as tribes practice it as a concrete reality through their competition with each other or with other Kuwaiti groups. By utilizing participant observation and applying the theory of interpretive anthropology, this study interprets how and why tribal members demonstrate such solidarity. In this sense, the thesis concentrates on interpreting the meanings of social actions and thoughts of these tribal members toward their collectivities and, then, on what kinds of benefits these tribal collectivities may provide. The study also indicates the interrelationships between tribal solidarity and other sociocultural systems (political, economic, psychological, social systems, etc.), which together show how tribal people modify and justify their actions and thoughts to benefit from their solidarity in the national election for parliament and other social contexts. In conclusion, Tribal solidarity is a part of large symbolic system, the Bedouin culture, which exemplifies a historical and social attachment between one and his tribe. It also reflects such political and economic benefits for members of a tribe in their daily cooperation with one another. / Department of Anthropology

Over the last twenty years, there has been a rapid expansion of Islamic financial institutions that do not deal in interest-based transactions. The financial information of Islamic financial institutions issued in their annual reports is different in certain features from the annual reports offered by conventional financial institutions. This study attempts to investigate the usefulness of annual reports produced by these institutions to investors. In particular, the study is concerned with the perceptions of both institutional investors and customers in Kuwait about the annual reports of Islamic financial institutions. In addition, the study investigates the opinions of the preparers of annual reports of Islamic financial institutions in GCC countries regarding various aspects of the annual reports that could help investors make their investment decisions. To achieve the above objective, two types of questionnaires and interview were designed. The first type of questionnaire was carried out to solicit the investors' perceptions of annual reports, the importance they attached to them and the uses of these reports in their investment activities. The second type of questionnaire was specifically used to investigate the opinions of the preparers of annual reports regarding various aspects of annual reports that could help investors make their investment decisions. The interview method was mainly used to identify the customers' perceptions of Islamic financial institutions in Kuwait about the usefulness of these annual reports. The results of the questionnaire and the interviews indicated that the annual reports are considered by customers and investors to be the main source of information for investment decisions. The results also revealed that the timeliness and credibility of information were perceived by respondents as the most important qualitative characteristics that might affect the usefulness of information sources about the performance of Islamic financial institutions. Regarding the accounting regulation of financial information of Islamic financial institutions, the results indicated that there is a need for accounting information to be regulated in order to enhance the credibility of financial statements produced by these institutions and increase their comparability and transparency to the users.

The problem on which this research was based was that little data were available for describing the Adult Basic Education (ABE) teachers--how they teach and how certain variables contribute to their teaching. Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to describe ABE teachers in Kuwait--who they were, how they taught, and how they were viewed by adult Kuwaiti students. This description was organized around four questions:1. How does the culture of the ABE teacher—educational background and training, language, habits and customs-contribute to what happens in the classroom?2. How does the planned curriculum--goals, objectives, materials, instructional approach, evaluation--contribute what happens in the classroom?3. How does the ABE teachers' role in Kuwaiti society contribute to what happens in the classroom?4. How does Quality of Personal Life contribute to what happens in the classroom?A variety of methods were used to gather data-teacher and student surveys and interview guides, a classroom observation instrument and a diary. Forty-one teachers and 155 students were surveyed. Ten teachers and thirty-six students were interviewed. Sixteen teachers were observed on one occasion. Three teachers were observed on three different occasions--at the beginning, the middle and the end of the study--over an eight-week period. A diary was kept on a daily basis.Mean scores on each item and a composite score for all items were tabulated for the surveys. Raw scores and percentages were tabulated in all other cases. From the analysis of data, major findings included:1. The cultural background of ABE teachers--language, customs, habits--does not interfere with their teaching because most of the teachers have been in Kuwait long enough to have adopted the Kuwaiti culture or to have adjusted to the culture.2. The ABE classroom involves a limited amount of planning, narrowly defined as use of textbook, chalkboard and lecture.3. ABE teachers see themselves as having an important role to play in Kuwaiti society, related to the development of the country. Whereas students view the teachers as respected, however, the teachers do not believe they are.4. In terms of Quality of Life--defined as the ABE teachers' perceived level of satisfaction--the ABE teachers felt underpaid and expressed resentment about differential treatment as compared to Kuwaiti ABE teachers.

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