Using a combined quantitative, quantitative approach this study explores the incongruence between educational attainment and labor force participation for Emirati women by posing several questions that revolve around the issue of their motivations and aspirations with regard to higher education and labor force participation. In interpreting the survey and interview responses, a conceptual framework that interweaved constructs taken from three different bodies of research was used. The three areas of research are: the expectations of women in higher education, family in the Arab world, and the importance of social networks in employment.The findings of the study showed that Emirati women have high educational and occupational aspirations but they are also ambiguous about the role of women in Emirati society. This ambiguity arose from the conflict between what the young women in the study believed they ought to achieve as a result of their education and what they perceived their society expected of them as daughters, wives and mothers. The link between education and employment for Emirati women was also found to be influenced by the close nature of the social networks to which Emirati women belong. Emirati's women's use of family or strong ties deprives them of information from distant parts of the social system and places them at in a disadvantaged position in the labor market.

Little attention has been given to questions of how the culture of institutions change and the role individuals play in that change. From a theoretical framework based in social interactionism (Berger and Luckmann, 1967), notions that ideas carry cultural power (Lukes, 1978; Latour, 1986) are explored through the observation of a curriculum review project at a state-supported medical school. The participant-observer case study encompassed two years. Conflict between the educational needs of medical students and the needs of an institution organized around research and specialty interests were suggested in the data. Public demand for more primary care practitioners was identified as a principal source of that conflict. Primary care appeared to be regarded by many academicians as a "nonscience" endeavor, which does not bear easy integration into the institution's specialist culture. Inductive diagnostic protocols reportedly used by most generalist physicians are not well supported by the deductive research traditions of positivist-reductionist science nor by the didactic teaching methods commonly employed in classroom-based instruction. Many faculty members invoked the symbols and myths of academic science as a defense against ideas promoted through the public's desire to enhance primary care instruction. Assumptions, traditions, and economic forces derived from the scientific-based culture of the medical academy contribute to inhibit a committed response to population-based health care needs, and suggest the continuing maintenance of social stratification within the profession. Some faculty members grew to accept the call to address public needs, even though that meant challenging their own cultural traditions. The response of these faculty implied that a shift of the institution's culture may be underway, but no evidence suggested the changes would be lasting. Implications of the findings as they relate to issues of social diversity in higher education are discussed from critical and social reproduction perspectives. The culture of science is identified as serving as a social mechanism that reduces social diversity within the profession. The findings suggest that similar studies may identify analogous cultural barriers in entrance and advancement requirements of higher education in general. Additional research into the relationship of science to the general practice of medicine is urged.

This study was undertaken with the primary objective of determining whether community college students were as well prepared for success in higher education as students who began their advance training in a university. A relatively small southwestern state university and an adjacent community college were chosen as the site for this study. Classes at each institution were selected on the basis of content similarity given the fact that no two classes were exactly alike. The study then examined the differences and similarities between the course content and the students in them. The primary focus was on the students, first to determine if the respective groups from the community college and from the university represented the same or different populations. Criteria for this aspect of the study included social characteristics, performance, motivation and aspirations. Demographic data were also gathered to provide a general basis upon which to make a comparative analysis of the participants. The respective learning environments were then examined for comparability of content, teaching styles, bias and others. Significant similarity was found in a number of criteria, but it was clear that community college students generally came from a lower class, did less well in high school and seemed to improve rapidly. However, without further analysis it cannot be determined if the community college students are capable of survival in the academic environment of a university. Competency exams in the academic areas are suggested as a method of validating the knowledge and preparation of the community college students.