The purpose of this study is to determine whether smart applications can help students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) acquire higher levels of proficiency in scientific ideas. To do this, 120 eighth-graders (the last year of the second cycle) from schools in UAE city of Al Ain participated in a quasi-experimental study. These students were divided into two equal groups at random: a test group that studied with the aid of technology, and a control group that learned through the conventional classroom technique. A test on scientific concepts and intelligent applications based on the educational program served as study aids. The findings of the scientific-concept accomplishment test revealed statistically significant differences between the mean scores for the two groups, favoring the experimental group. As a result of the type of smart application used, particularly Alef platform in comparison to the Boclips and Connect platforms, the results also showed statistically significant differences between the mean scores for the experimental group students’ achievement level regarding scientific concepts. The researcher advises incorporating smart applications into the educational process in light of these findings, particularly when instructing scientific topics.

This study examines how science teachers experience integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) approaches into their teaching. In addition, it further examines the encountered challenges in this regard to shed light on STEM current practices within the context of United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study consists of two stages; the first involved collecting qualitative data using semi-structured interviews to explore three science teachers’ perceptions and lived experiences having infused STEM into their regular teaching in cycle 2 for more than two years. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed in the second phase via the developed closed-ended questionnaire to examine teachers’ perceptions across a larger sample regarding “challenges encountered by teachers when implementing STEM teaching”. Research findings showed that science teachers generally have a positive attitude towards using STEM-based activities. In addition, data revealed that participants implement integrated STEM into their teaching frequently and regularly. Results also indicated teachers encounter challenges while implementing STEM: documentation, the vast curriculum content, and lack of time. Moreover, external challenges (i.e., the lack of supportive guidelines) rather than teachers’ competency (i.e., having sufficient knowledge and skills for implementing STEM teaching) appeared to have the highest impending impact. Finally, we discuss findings and presented implications for teachers, educators, and policymakers.

The predictive directional greedy routing (PDGR) protocol is widely utilized in highway settings within vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). However, PDGR encounters a notable challenge when packets lack a suitable vehicle directionally, leading to network disconnections. This triggers a shift to carry and forward recovery mode due to outdated neighbor information in the vehicle's neighbor table (VNT). To address this, our study proposes an improved fuzzy logic-based improved PDGR (IPDGR). This novel algorithm dynamically adjusts beaconing intervals based on real-time network dynamics. Through comprehensive evaluation using VANET simulators, IPDGR demonstrates superior performance compared to PDGR and directional greedy routing (DGR) protocols across various metrics including Inconsistency of vehicle's neighbor's table (IVNT), packet delivery ratio (PDR), routing path length (RPL), and number of hole problem occurrence (NHPO).