<p>Tens of thousands of migrant domestic workers, women working and residing within Kuwaiti households, have taken shehadeh, the Islamic testament of faith over the past decade. Drawing on 21 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Kuwait, and 2 months of research in Nepal, this dissertation analyzes the processes through which South Asian domestic workers develop newfound Islamic pieties, processes that underscore the importance of the household as a site of intersection between transnational migration and globalizing Islamic movements, and that point to the limitation of conventional understandings of wage labour and religious conversion.</p> / Dissertation

The thesis investigated nicotine levels and their effects on hypertensive subjects and whether aspirin could be used in the treatment of hypertension to bring about not only an anti thrombotic effect but reduce the systemic blood pressure especially in those individuals who smoke cigarettes. The study, which also audits the use of aspirin, was conducted in Kuwait and so provides an insight of hypertensive patients very rarely considered in the literature The thesis begins in Chapter One with an extensive literature review which analyses the properties and problems that nicotine causes and its ability to cause hypertensive changes along with its multitude of other events. The physiological and pathological problems caused by nicotine are reviewed on the basis of its chemistry and pharmacological properties using a worldwide perspective rather than just focus on Kuwait. The second Chapter uses extensive analysis of the literature to determine the pharmacological properties of aspirin and its use in cardiovascular disease. The pharmacokinetics and therapeutic effects are presented with emphasis to its inhibitory effects on platelet activation which is central to the development of serious cardiovascular consequences such as stroke and myocardial infarction. The third Chapter returns to consider the literature in detail and why nicotine has specific effects on the cardiovascular system in terms of receptor stimulation and how aspirin may be able to reduce nicotine's cardiovascular effects and concludes with the Aims and Objectives of the thesis. The fourth Chapter investigates urinary nicotine levels in smokers from cigarettes available in Kuwait to indicate the actual levels which could be achieved by smokers in this study. This established that the levels would cause pharmacological effects demonstrating also the effects of passive smoking. The number of cigarettes smoked per day has an unpredictable effect on metabolism and urinary output of nicotine. The fifth Chapter is the major investigational section of the thesis and considers if aspirin ability to reduce cardiovascular effects, may be useful in terms of diastolic blood pressure and lipid levels in the 4 blood. The effects were suggestive that aspirin did reduce the blood pressure in hypertensive subjects but was not universal and was limited to those suffering from mild - moderate hypertension. It was determined that aspirin should be sued at the earliest age possible in these patients. The sixth Chapter involved a large scale trial of the effectiveness of aspirin treatment in hypertensive patients over a one year period in Kuwait. This used ambulatory blood pressure measurements to determine the effectiveness of daytime and nightime changes in blood pressure in patients with and without aspirin treatment. The overall conclusion was a reduced relative risk of suffering cardiovascular events in mild to moderate hypertension when aspirin (75mg/day) was administered. Specifically in smokers, aspirin lowers the systolic daytime BP and diastolic nightime BP. To support this work a comprehensive audit is provided of the use of the current use of aspirin in Kuwait hospitals.

Introduction: Medication errors are a major cause of illness and hospitalization of patients throughout the world. This study examines the situation regarding medication errors in the Armed Forces Hospital, Kuwait since no literature exists of any such studies for this country. Several types of potential errors were studied by physicians, nurses and pharmacists. Their attitudes to the commission of errors and possible consequences were surveyed using questionnaires. Additionally, patient medical records were reviewed for possible errors arising from such actions such as the co-administration of interacting drugs. Methods: This study included direct observations of physicians during the prescribing process, pharmacists while they dispensed medications and nurses as they distributed and administered drugs to patients. Data were collected and compiled on Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyses were performed using SPSS. Where applicable, results were reported as counts and/ or percentages of error rates. Nurses, pharmacists and physicians survey questionnaires: From the 200 staff sent questionnaires a total of 149 respondents comprising nurses (52.3%), physicians (32.2%) and pharmacists (16.1%) returned the questionnaires a total response rate of 74.5%. All responses were analyzed and compared item-by-item to see if there were any significant differences between the three groups for each questionnaire item. All three groups were most in agreement about their perception of hospital administration as making patient safety a top priority with regard to communicating with staff and taking action when medication errors were reported (all means 3.0 and p > 0.05). Pharmacists were most assured of administration support when an error was reported whereas nurses were least likely to see the administration as being supportive ( p < 0.001), and were more afraid of the negative consequences associated with reporting of medication errors (p = 0.026). Although nurses were generally less likely to perceive themselves as being able to communicate freely regarding reporting of errors compared to pharmacists there was no significant difference between the two groups. Both however were significantly different from physicians (p< 0.001). Physicians had the most favorable response to perceiving new technology as helping to create a safer environment for patients and to the full utilization of such technologies within the institution in order to help prevent medical errors. Scenario response - Responses to two scenarios outlining possible consequences, should a staff member commit a medication error, tended to be very similar among the three groups and followed the same general trend in which the later the error was discovered and the more grievous the patient harm, the more severe would be the consequences to the staff member. Interestingly, physicians saw themselves as less likely to suffer consequences and nurses saw themselves as more likely to suffer consequences should they have committed a medication error. All three groups were more likely to see themselves as facing dismissal from their job if the patient were to die. RESULTS OF ALL THREE OBSERVATIONS: Result of Nursing observations: For 1124 doses studied, 194 resulted in some form of error. The error rate was 17.2% and the accuracy was 82.8%. The commonest errors in a descending order were: wrong time, wrong drug, omission, wrong strength/ dose, wrong route, wrong instruction and wrong technique. No wrong drug form was actually administered in the observational period. These were the total number of errors observed for the entire month period of the study. IV Result of Pharmacist observations: A total of 2472 doses were observed during the one month period. Observations were done for 3 hours per day each day that the study was carried out. The study showed that there were 118 errors detected which were in the following categories respectively: 52 no instructions, 28 wrong drug/unordered, 21 wrong strength/dose, ignored/omission 13, shortage of medication 3 and expired date 1. Result of Prescribers in Chart review for drug-drug interactions: The analysis of the drug-drug interactions showed that out of a total of 1000 prescriptions, 124 had drug-drug interactions. None were found to fall into the highest severity rating i.e. 4 (contraindicated). Only twenty-one interactions were rated 3 (major), 87 interactions were rated moderate and 15 interactions were rated minor according the modified Micromedex scale. Patient education: All health care such as physician, pharmacist, and nurses have a responsibility to educate patient about their medication use and their health conditions to protecting them from any error can occur by wrong using drugs. Conclusion This study has contributed to the field of medication errors by providing data for a Middle Eastern country for the very first time. The views and opinions of the nurses, pharmacists and physicians should be considered to enhance the systems to minimize any errors in the future.

Promoting economic diversity is important for states reliant on natural resources as the major source of economic development. Many of these states suffer from the Dutch disease leading to negative effects, which hinders economic diversification. One of the ways to reduce dependency on national resources is to encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows, which aids diversification by the transfer of technology, the creation of new employment opportunities, and the adoption of modern management practices. The Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) countries recognised the necessity and benefits of FDI as an aid to economic diversification; it seems, however, that Kuwait is lagging behind in this endeavour. The government of Kuwait has engaged in a series of policy measures to induce Multinational Companies (MNCs) to invest in Kuwait, but the results, thus far, have been disappointing. The formal and informal institutions interact in a variety of ways. However, ineffective formal rules can create different outcomes; particularly, in the presence of strong informal institutions. In such a case, formal rules and procedures are not enforced systematically, that is, enabling actors who are involved in the policy process to ignore or violate them, which subsequently results in a failure to attract inward FDI to a host country. Thus, this study investigates the reasons behind this failure by examining the role of formal and informal institutions on FDI policy and on decisions on whether to grant FDI licences by means of using a New Institutional Economics (NIE) approach. The conceptual framework is used as a guide for an inquiry into the subject of study by constructing a category of intellectual scaffolding, which would provide a coherent structure (Schlager, 2007). The conceptual framework in this study systematically organises the investigation into how a MNC examines a potential investment location by dividing the host country assessments into four distinct 'stages'. When systematically conducted, the respective approach is grounded in the existing literature, which provides theories regarding the behaviour of MNCs in relation to their decision-making processes for considering locations for their FDI projects. The research questions derived from the conceptual framework are answered using a mixed methods research approach that uses three sets of data survey, semi-structured interviews, and secondary data. Firstly, the findings show that almost that all MNCs in the Gulf region have a limited awareness regarding investment opportunities in Kuwait, FDI laws and regulations. Secondly, the findings reveal a number of attractive and unattractive locations, and institutional factors of Kuwait. Finally, it is discovered that the high rejection rate of FDI applications is linked to unsuccessful policy implementation, which is a result of interaction of both formal and informal institutions in Kuwait. Subsequently, the results are utilised to make a number of recommendations for government policy makers, administrators, and for MNCs regarding how to improve FDI inflows into Kuwait. The results are also used to contribute towards the international business literature concerning the institution based view of FDI, and for government policy connected to attracting FDI.

This study aims to identify the effect of using the blended learning method on students' academic achievement and satisfaction level in a university course for female student teachers who follow the General Teaching Method Course (304) at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. The content of the course (304) was based on the five stages of the ADDIE instructional design model, comprising five phases: (1) Analysis, (2) Design, (3) Development, (4) Implementation, and (5) Evaluation. The research questions of the study can be summarised in two main questions: 1. What is the effect of using the method of blended learning in the General Teaching Method Course (304) on students’ academic achievement, compared to using face–to–face approaches to learning alone? 2. What is the effect of using the method of blended learning in the General Teaching Method Course (304) on students’ satisfaction, compared to using face–to-face approaches to learning alone? The researcher answered these questions through a mixed method research approach using the Explanatory Sequential Design, in order to determine the nature and objectives of the study. In this, the researcher started with the collection and analysis of quantitative data (using a quasi-experimental approach), which has priority for addressing the two research questions, and then followed this with the collection and analysis of qualitative data (using group interviews) to help explain the quantitative results. The researcher identified the study sample as 96 female students’ teachers at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. The sample consisted of a first experimental group (n= 39)who followed the General Teaching Method Course (304) by blended learning using virtual learning environment (VLE) of Blackboard, a second experimental group (n=31) who followed the course (304) by blended learning using personal learning environment (PLE) of Facebook, and the control group (n= 26) who followed the course (304) using face-to-face approaches to learning alone. The dependent variables were academic achievement (as assessed in the course’s midterm, final and practical exams) and students’ satisfaction (as assessed by the questionnaire, giving a total mark and 3 sub-marks in reference to the students’ satisfaction about the teaching method of the course, the content of the course, and the instructor's support during the course). When answering the first question of the research, the study found that there was a significant difference in both mid-term and final tests between the first experimental group (studying through the blended learning method using VLE of Blackboard) and the control group (studying through face-to-face learning alone). However, there was no significant difference in both mid-term and final tests between the second experimental group (studying through the blended learning method using PLE of Facebook) and the control group. And there was also no significant difference in the practical test between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group. When answering the second question of the research, the study found that there was a significant difference in the teaching method dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group. And there was also a significant difference in the instructor’s support dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the first experimental group and the control group, but no significant difference was found between the second experimental group and the control group. There was also no significant difference in the course content dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group.

Following the 1973 rise in the price of oil, the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations of the Middle East became hosts to hundreds of thousands of foreign workers taking part in the economic development of the region. From the beginning, the employment of migrant workers was seen as a temporary measure, necessary to compensate for the small indigenous populations in the Gulf. The numbers of foreign workers has become so great, that the migrants now constitute a majority of the population in several of the GCC countries. The relative permanence with which foreign workers have now established themselves is of great concern to the host governments. It appears that the insufficient skill-levels and sizes of the national workforces, together with the position the extensive and growing migrant communities hold in the growing Gulf economies point to the continued presence of large foreign populations for some time to come.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of using a suggested mathematical word-problem training programme on Primary 4 pupils' performance in mathematical word-problems. The study had a pre-post control group design. A treatment and a no-treatment group were exposed to pre-post methods of gathering data (a mathematical word-problem achievement test and a mathematical word-problem attitude scale). The treatment group was given direct and explicit training on how to solve mathematical word-problems, while the pupils of the no-treatment group received no such training; they were taught the same material they study at school. A "t" test was used to compare the means of scores of the control group pupils and those of the experimental group in the pre-post measurements. Results of the study revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group pupils' performance in mathematical word-problems because they had attended the suggested programme. Results also revealed that experimental group subjects' attitudes towards mathematical word-problems underwent an exceptional change because they had attended the suggested programme. Their attitudes towards mathematical word-problems became more positive than before. In the light of the results of the study, some recommendations were made for improving mathematics teacher training programmes, for mathematics teaching, and for further research.

The educational system in Kuwait is intended to provide primary and secondary students with required skills in order to operate in the technical careers commonly undertaken. However, mathematics education lags significantly behind other countries in Kuwait. In the 1997 and 2008 TIMMS international studies of primary and secondary mathematics achievement, Kuwait ranked near the bottom on almost all scores. Thus, improving mathematics education in Kuwait is an issue of serious concern. This research focuses on the question of whether mathematics teaching and learning in Kuwaiti primary schools (grade 4) can be improved through the use of computer-based tools for practice drills and constructive mathematics play. An observational intervention was used in a classroom of 24 children, where students took a pre-test for mathematics achievement, then engaged in a series of exercises through the term and were retested at the end of the term. This was accompanied by a series of in-services and teacher interviews that were conducted within the school, in order to discover attitudes about mathematics teaching and learning and to train teachers in the suggested approaches and techniques. A combined qualitative and quantitative approach included analysis of test scores and interviews with teachers and students. The overall outcomes of the study did show a slight increase in mathematics achievement scores. However, more importantly it showed an improvement in children's and teacher's attitudes to mathematics learning related to the introduction of constructive play activities (derived from the Cambridge University N-RICH program and selected for students based on level of achievement) Overall, the importance of this study is that it provides pragmatic information for Kuwaiti teachers and curriculum designers on improving mathematics teaching and learning.

This thesis reports results of a research study into the information behaviour of Kuwaiti legal professionals. The main aims of the research were to investigate the information behaviour and the information needs of Kuwaiti legal professionals, and examine whether the existing legal information sources and services meet their needs. The theoretical framework for this research was derived from the investigation of information behaviour in general, and studies of legal professionals in particular. Wilson's (1996) model of information behaviour was also used to develop the conceptual framework of this research. This model takes into account four types of information seeking behaviour: active search, passive search, passive attention and ongoing search. This model helped in formulating research questions and hypotheses and the design of data collections methods. It was used also as a tool for organising the interpretation and discussion of the research findings. The research methods were designed from a user-centred perspective, including using data collection methods that are supportive of user-centred research. Triangulation was used in data collection by the use of questionnaires, interviews and critical incidents technique. The participants of the research included legal academics, legal practitioners such as state lawyers, prosecutors and private lawyers, law librarians, legal publishers and legal database producers in Kuwait. The results showed that a personal collection is the source used most by Kuwaiti legal professionals. The majority did not use electronic sources such as databases and the Internet. A large percentage also did not use law libraries. The majority of academics sought information themselves, whereas the majority of practitioners relied on the assistance of others. The majority of respondents had no training on the use of information sources. The majority also relied on internal communication as a channel for information exchange more than external communication. The majority of respondents scanned between one or two journals, although journals should be among the major information sources for legal professionals. On the other hand, newspapers ranked first for serendipity for both academics and practitioners. New books were ranked as a first source by practitioners for updating information, whereas journals were ranked first for academics. These results showed the information seeking problems of the legal professionals. This led to the development of the interface requirement for the design of a prototype Kuwaiti Legal Information System (KLIS) interface. The aim of the system was to provide relevant and up-to-date information, and links to other information sources and services in order to improve communication channels at both national and international level. The system also sought to be cost-effective. Finally, a heuristic usability evaluation was undertaken by consulting a number of experts on the system's usability and contents. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations for further research and to stakeholders are made.

This thesis analyses the issue of sovereignty in the Arab Middle Eastern context with a special reference to three cases: Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. The basic argument of this thesis is the inapplicability of Western sovereignty in the related cases. The thesis will discuss that Western sovereignty which was brought to the region has been limited by certain facts. Instead, what we have is a hybrid sovereignty model in which both modern and primordial patterns co-exist. The thesis will also trace the history of Western sovereignty in the region since the early periods of colonization and modernization, and will seek to answer such questions as how the failure of colonially brought Western sovereignty affects Arab politics in different levels.