If Not “the Best of the West,” Then “Look East”

Abstract

By examining why nations borrow policy discourses, research on transfer has overlooked the implementation of transferred educational practices, models, or curricula. This study attempts to bridge this gap by examining the transfer and implementation of teacher education curricula in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Based on interviews with teacher educators and administrators and document analysis of college materials and newspaper articles, the study shows that the significant actors’ interpretations of the local culture, context, and students’ abilities play a central role in modifying, reducing, or substituting the transferred curriculum. These findings raise questions whether transfers lead to the outcomes that nations engaging in them expect to gain. The study reveals that the choice of a model deals less with the intended outcomes but more with the nation’s symbolic orientations of political and economic alliances, as well as their pursuit of power and prestige.