PhD Degree Awarded to Ms. Maimouna Mohammed Al-Ghaili in Educational Psychology

Ms. Maimouna Mohammed Ahmed Zaid Al-Ghaili was awarded a PhD degree in Educational Psychology for her dissertation titled: Using Rating Scale Model in Analyzing and Scaling Items of the Quality of Life Measure and Detecting Differential Item Functioning among University Students, which was submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Thursday, November 11, 2025.

The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

#	Committee Members	Designation	Position
1	Prof. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Soufi	Internal Examiner	Chair
2	Assoc. Prof. Najah Abdulrahim Mohammed Othman	Main Supervisor	Member
3	Assoc. Prof. Fawzia Qasem Al-Ammar	External Examiner	Member

The study primarily aimed to analyze and scale the items of the WHO Quality of Life Measure (WHOQOL-100) issued by the World Health Organization, and to examine its differential item functioning (DIF) according to Andrich’s Rating Scale Model, on a sample of university students in the Capital Secretariat– Sana’a.

The study yielded a number of key findings summarized as follows:

The Rating Scale Model proved effective in scaling the Quality of Life Measure, with 94 items fitting the model.
All items that fit the model fell within acceptable MNSQ value ranges.
The Yemeni version of the Quality of Life Measure demonstrated strong psychometric properties.
A number of items were identified as exhibiting differential item functioning with respect to gender (male/female), field of specialization (scientific/humanities), and type of education (public/private).
The researcher attributed these differences to the cultural context of Yemeni society.

In light of these findings, the researcher recommended:

Adopting the Yemeni version of the Quality of Life Measure to assess quality of life among Yemeni university students.
Conducting further studies on the Quality of Life Measure across different segments of Yemeni society using the Rating Scale Model and other Item Response Theory (IRT) models, given their objectivity.

The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.