Participants in the discussion
Kuwait City, July 17: Several faculty members from the University of Social Sciences and other institutions highlight the challenges currently facing Gulf societies, the struggles of researchers in the field of social studies, and the need to address the domination of quantitative methods in Arab research. The faculty issued a statement at a symposium hosted by the Gulf Peninsula Research Centre at Kuwait University.
Dr. Ganem Al Najar, professor of international relations and political science at the University of Social Sciences, emphasized the need to distinguish between scientific research and research related to public policy, and emphasized the distancing of concepts and theories realistically and from randomness. He pointed out that artificial intelligence (AI) could revolutionize the field of information. Particularly because predictions have been shown that AI will obscure many research applications based on links, as many people search for answers more quickly. He said that AI’s simplest applications are better than many other websites, such as Google, in terms of speed of Response.
He added that everyone is experiencing a new era with social research issues, and in ways that address the challenges facing Gulf societies, such as quantitative research tools and the suffering of researchers in the field of social studies. Dr. Bhakar Al Najar, a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the University of Social Sciences, addressed the most important issues encountered by local academic staff that hinder the quality and productivity of scientific research. He said, “Through qualitative scientific research, we sought to present a clear picture of the state of the Gulf University’s Social Sciences College. Public and private Gulf University have around 65 social science departments, and it has been revealed that more than 700 professors and faculty members play a role in developing policies in a country with limited capabilities.”
In related developments, Dr. Othman Al-Khader explained that the social studies process is not limited to quantitative or qualitative approaches. And the interest in the Arab world in general, Kuwait University in particular, is directed towards quantitative research, particularly explanatory research, with the complete negligence of experimental and longitudinal research, which adversely affects the quality of scientific research. Dr. Ali Watfa, a faculty member of the Education Foundation of the University of Education, said that a detailed analysis of quantitative and qualitative issues in the humanities and social sciences must occupy a wide space for discussion in social and educational research. And the criticism directed at quantitative approaches is ideological. He also cited the factors governing quantitative approaches in Arab research, confirming the credibility of the qualitative approaches in sociology and the ideological aspects of the sociological approaches.
By Abdulrahman Al-Shammari
Al Seyassa/Arab Times Staff
