Date of Defense
11-11-2025 3:00 PM
Location
H1-0067
Document Type
Thesis Defense
Degree Name
Master of Education (Special Education)
College
CEDU
Department
Special and Gifted Education
First Advisor
Maria Efstratopoulou
Keywords
artificial intelligence, student progress tracking, inclusive education, educational innovation.
Abstract
This thesis examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in strengthening student progress tracking and advancing inclusive education in United Arab Emirates (UAE) schools. Aligned with UAE Vision 2071 and the AI Strategy 2031, it addresses gaps in traditional systems such as delayed interventions, teacher workload, and lack of real-time feedback. Three research questions guided the study: What challenges do teachers face in tracking student progress? How can AI support effective monitoring? What is its impact on inclusion?
A convergent mixed-methods design was applied. A bilingual (Arabic–English) questionnaire produced 211 responses from educators across the Emirates, complemented by twelve semi-structured interviews with teachers, inclusion leaders, and IT specialists. Ethical standards of voluntary participation and confidentiality were upheld. Reliability was strong (α > .96) and validity confirmed through expert review and triangulation.
Results show broad confidence in AI for progress tracking, with monitoring items averaging above 4.80 on a 5-point scale, particularly early identification of struggling learners (M = 4.87). Benefits for inclusive education were also highly rated (≈ 4.78–4.81), while challenges such as infrastructure, uneven readiness, and teacher resistance were moderate (≈ 3.60–3.98). Thematic analysis revealed six domains: tracking challenges, infrastructure, teacher readiness, AI benefits for monitoring and inclusion, and ethical considerations.
The study concludes that AI offers significant potential for real-time, personalized, and equitable learning, provided that infrastructure, training, and governance are prioritized. Policy and practice recommendations are offered to support sustainable adoption.
Included in
SUPPORTING STUDENTS’ PROGRESS AND ACADEMIC ATTAINMENT: THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN UAE SCHOOLS
H1-0067
This thesis examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in strengthening student progress tracking and advancing inclusive education in United Arab Emirates (UAE) schools. Aligned with UAE Vision 2071 and the AI Strategy 2031, it addresses gaps in traditional systems such as delayed interventions, teacher workload, and lack of real-time feedback. Three research questions guided the study: What challenges do teachers face in tracking student progress? How can AI support effective monitoring? What is its impact on inclusion?
A convergent mixed-methods design was applied. A bilingual (Arabic–English) questionnaire produced 211 responses from educators across the Emirates, complemented by twelve semi-structured interviews with teachers, inclusion leaders, and IT specialists. Ethical standards of voluntary participation and confidentiality were upheld. Reliability was strong (α > .96) and validity confirmed through expert review and triangulation.
Results show broad confidence in AI for progress tracking, with monitoring items averaging above 4.80 on a 5-point scale, particularly early identification of struggling learners (M = 4.87). Benefits for inclusive education were also highly rated (≈ 4.78–4.81), while challenges such as infrastructure, uneven readiness, and teacher resistance were moderate (≈ 3.60–3.98). Thematic analysis revealed six domains: tracking challenges, infrastructure, teacher readiness, AI benefits for monitoring and inclusion, and ethical considerations.
The study concludes that AI offers significant potential for real-time, personalized, and equitable learning, provided that infrastructure, training, and governance are prioritized. Policy and practice recommendations are offered to support sustainable adoption.