This document provides an introduction to research on social work practice in Egypt and the Arab world. It discusses several studies that have been conducted, including on developing assessment tools and validating scales. It notes two major roadblocks to publishing this research in Western journals: lack of international content and difficulties writing in English. The guest editor aimed to address these issues with this special journal issue, encouraging social work researchers in the Arab world to overcome barriers to international publication. The issue highlights the importance of practice-based research and evaluation in the region.

1. Guest Editorial
From the Guest Editor: Introduction
to Research on Social Work Practice
In Egypt and the Arab World
Hamido A. Megahead1
It has been accepted by social work academic specialists in the
Arab World Region the importance of research on social work
practice. For example, the problem-solving and task-centered
models have been used to develop Egyptian female social work
students’ style of thinking (Al-Sharqawy, 2007). This research
revealed that there is statistically significant positive relation-
ship between these female students’ practice models of prob-
lem solving and task centered and developing their thinking in
problem solving. Further, the influence of social work students’
practicing task-centered model in a specific neighborhood on
the activating voluntarism has been examined (Al-Sharqawy &
Kandeal, 2008). It revealed that there is statistically significant
positive relationship between the practice of task-centered
model by social work students and the activating voluntarism.
Moreover, Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index
was used for the assessment process of Kuwaiti children who
suffered the terror of invasion and occupation by Iraqi forces
(Nader, 2008; Nader, Pynoos, Fairbanks, Al-Ajeel & Al-
Asfour, 1993). These traumatized Kuwaiti children were
treated by applying the interactive trauma grief focused therapy
with them (Nader, 2004; Nader & Mello, 2008).
Relating to developing specific scales and measures, the
Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, a specific assess-
ment tool, has been used, where countries in the Arab World
Region have undertaken a collaborative mental health social
work practice (Seif Eldin et al., 2008). Moreover, to measure
the transparency of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
in Egypt, a scale of transparency in NGOs has been developed
(Helal, 2012). Regarding the validation of scales and tests, the
Arabic version of the English Eating Attitude Test-26 has
been validated (Al-Subaie et al., 1996), the English version
of Alcohol Craving Questionnaire was translated into the
Arabic language and validated in the Saudi Arabian context
(Albrithen, 2013). The Arabic version of the English index of
Spouse Abuse has been validated within the Kuwaiti context
(Alkhurinej, 2012). Additionally, a series of evaluation
studies have been conducted in Egypt and Saudi Arabia: for
example, in Egypt, evaluation of the effectiveness of older
people residential care (Sarhan, 1993), evaluation of
programs of protection of children at risk (Mahmoud,
2001), and evaluation of drug training program (e.g., Soliman,
2004) and in Saudi Arabia, evaluation of charity associations
(e.g., El-Sagheer, 1999).
Two major roadblocks have impeded research on social work
practice in the Arab World Region and in publishing this in
English and European journals. Firstly, mainstream social work
journals in the Western countries seldom contain research arti-
cles with international content in general and Egypt and the Arab
content in particular (Midgley, 1994). Content from Eastern
countries has been very rare. Few social work researchers and
social work practitioners inthe Eastern countries areable to have
their ideas or research findings published in the Western coun-
tries (e.g., Tessler, Palmer, Farah, & Ibrahim, 1987). Many
social work researchers and social work practitioners in Eastern
countries do not understand the procedures and techniques of
securing acceptance of their articles and few are encouraged by
journal editors to submit or revise. In turn, few even attempt to
submit their research work to leading social work journals in the
Western countries (Midgley, 1994). Secondly, I have witnessed
that a great many social work faculty in the Arab World Region
have difficulty writing for Western social work journals. Abdel-
Mageed (2015) identified three main obstacles faced by Arab
social workers in their efforts to contribute to Western social
work journals. The first main difficulty is related to proficiency
in written English and the international standards of Western
social work journals (e.g., the American Psychological Associ-
ation publication style). The second difficulty is connected to
publishing norms that differ between Arab and Western jour-
nals. A very clear example of this difference has been the num-
ber of pages of research published in Arabic Journals (40–70
pages per article) and research published in Western journals
(25–30 pages per article or less). The third main difficulty is that
there has been no encouragement to people from the Arab World
Region to publish in Western social work Journals. Therefore, I
have attempted and helped to begin this special issue for social
1
Faculty of Social Work, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
Corresponding Author:
Hamido A. Megahead, Lisburn Avenue, Belfast, BT97FX County of Antrim,
Northern Ireland, UK.
Email: megahead2001@hotmail.com
Research on Social Work Practice
1-3
ª The Author(s) 2017
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1049731516644839
journals.sagepub.com/home/rsw

2. work academic specialists in the Arab World Region. I have
worked with them to help them learn to write for this special
issue. Often these authors have worked with me so that they
could learn to write and gain confidence.
When the editor of Research on Social Work Practice
approached me with the idea of guest editing a special issue
on the Arab World, I become very excited by the possibilities.
When I have been working in this special issue, I have been
making a demonstrated example of undertaking a more proac-
tive attitude toward supporting the publication of research find-
ings from the Eastern countries. In this way, we can all play a
major role of fostering the international dissemination of poten-
tially important scholarly work (e.g., Midgley, 1994). More-
over, each Western social work scholar has something to offer
in the area of ideas of research on social work practice and in
the area of personal support for others regarding research on
social work practice. We must all work together to get it to the
point where the flow of ideas of research on social work prac-
tice will be reflected in the improved research on social work
practice everywhere. Also, when I have worked on this special
issue, I have encouraged social work academic specialists in
the Arab World Region to cross these two roadblocks of inter-
national publication. If my working process in this special issue
is not sufficient to remove these two roadblocks, I am hoping it
might help to reduce them. Therefore, the reader of this special
issue is strongly encouraged to assess their own personal
strengths to make a personal commitment and contribution
toward improved international communication of research on
social work practice in the most effective way possible (e.g.,
Catterall, 1977).
This special issue of research on social work practice in
Egypt and the Arab world is timely useful for following three
reasons. First, it has provided a forum to pull together selected
research work undertaken by social workers in the Arab World
Region. This forum is significant, as the readers of this special
issue are not limited to Arab World Region communities but
also belong to the international social work community. Sec-
ond, it has highlighted the importance and feasibility of empiri-
cal social work intervention studies and psychometric reports
in the Arab World Region. This point is particularly important
because evaluating of the effectiveness of social work inter-
vention is sorely needed (e.g., Badawee, 1998; Gabel, 1995a,
1995b; Hakem, 2009; Omran, 2003; Zedan, 1990, 1995). Third,
within the context of January 25, 2011, Youth Revolution in
Egypt and its continuous upheavals (e.g., June 30, 2013), the
call of this today is to achieve the accountability and transpar-
ency and to overcome the widespread corruption. The current
special issue has been thought to be a response to this calling.
A word of gratitude is due to the editor of Research on
Social Work Practice and also to those who have made this
special issue possible, especially the contributing authors. They
will be repaid when each social worker who reads this special
issue identifies and carries out the above–mentioned specific
plan of action, which will increase international communi-
cation of research on social work practice and effectiveness
in our field.
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