A research briefing with

Carine Allaf

"Centrality of the Family in Women’s Higher Education: The Case of Jordan"

Date: Thursday 29 July 2010
Time: 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Conference and Training Room, Van Dyck Hall, AUB


Summary and Short Bio:

Dr. Carine Allaf will present her findings from her doctoral dissertation that explored the factors that lead women to complete their higher education degrees in Jordan titled, An Exploration of Higher Education Graduation Rates: A Case Study of Women in Jordan. The results from this dissertation indicate that the women’s families are instrumental to their enrollment, attendance, and persistence in higher education. The centrality of the family played a major role in the decision-making and motivation of the women that participated in the study. Interestingly, the results also show that the same factors that inhibit some women from completing higher education enabled others. Such factors include the process associated with the General Secondary School Certificate Examination (or tawjihi), which is required for acceptance to higher education, and the women’s initial intention for attending higher education. The differentiating factor was access to social capital, stemming from their family’s positioning in society.

Allaf recently earned her Ph.D. in International Comparative Education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Prior to completing her Ph.D. she worked with Save the Children in Iraq and spent a year conducting field work in Jordan during which she worked with UNICEF. She was also a second grade teacher at the American Community School here in Beirut from 2003 to 2006.