Social Adaptation Among Expatriate Teachers in Public Schools in Kuwait: A Sociological Study

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the adaptation levels among expatriate teachers in Kuwaiti public schools across four dimensions: cultural adaptation, social integration, administrative support, and social support. Additionally, it sought to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in adaptation based on variables such as gender, marital status, and years of teaching experience.
Methodology: A descriptive approach was used through a survey designed for this purpose. A sample of 1,272 expatriate teachers, representing 5.4% of the total 23,443 expatriate teachers in the public sector, participated in the study.
Results: The results revealed a very high level of cultural adaptation, while the other dimensions showed a high level of adaptation. Regarding gender, statistically significant results were found across all dimensions except social support, with outcomes favoring females. Marital status showed no statistically significant results across all dimensions. Years of experience showed significant results only for social integration, favoring teachers with more than ten years of experience compared to recent graduates.
Conclusion: The study highlighted the importance of cultural and social adaptation as well as administrative support for expatriate teachers in Kuwaiti public schools. It emphasized the need for a comprehensive understanding of their interactions within the cultural and social context they inhabit. Key recommendations included implementing training programs for expatriate teachers that address local culture, the school administrative system, and communication methods with students and parents to facilitate quick and effective adaptation.