Dr. Naim N. Atiyeh

Dr. Naim Atiyeh is one of the leading educational psychologists in the Middle East. Dr. Atiyeh was born and raised in Amioun, El-Koura, in North Lebanon.

Dr. Atiyeh received a full academic scholarship to the University of Chicago where he excelled in his studies. He completed his undergraduate, graduate and doctoral work in an astonishing 4 years while working as a tutor to support himself, sending money to his family back home. His education was under the tutelage of psychology giants such as Bruno Bettelheim and Carl Rogers. He holds an M.A. in Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. His Masters and Doctoral theses received highest honors from the University of Chicago.

During a career spanning six decades, he has greatly contributed, instituted or revamped educational systems in countries throughout the Middle East and Africa.

As a pioneer and visionary of special education, Dr. Atiyeh and a few eminent colleagues founded Pinewood College. It was one of the first schools in Lebanon with expertise in special education, mainstreaming all students: those with no learning difficulties, those with learning differences, and those especially gifted. Pinewood College offered individual educational programs geared towards the needs of each student. Dr. Atiyeh employed school counselors and psychologists for enhanced student support and evaluation, a measure never implemented in Lebanon before.

Later in his career, Dr. Atiyeh created the first undergraduate and graduate courses on the psychology of teaching and education ever offered in higher learning institutions in Lebanon. His courses included

tests and measurements
evaluation
support and education of differently abled students/guidance and counseling
the psychology behind optimal educational inculcation
behavioral analysis
theory of test construction
school and family counseling

Dr. Atiyeh created and validated the first intelligence quotient test geared towards Lebanese children. It was updated and refined over the years based on extensive research and field testing.

He acted as an expert consultant for the Lebanese government, the United Nations/UNESCO, the World Bank, and USAID. He led various studies into methods and strategies of learning around the world. He developed new educational systems and improved existing systems. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia invited Dr. Atiyeh to develop a college entrance exam for Saudi students hoping to pursue higher education (RAM-1 and RAM-2).

Dr. Atiyeh held academic appointments at the American University of Beirut, Beirut College for Women, and the Lebanese University where he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Education. With Professorships at various academic institutions, Dr. Naim Atiyeh taught thousands of students. He was instrumental in the inception and founding of the University of Balamand in the North of Lebanon.

Later in his career, Dr. Atiyeh was hired as a Visiting Professor. A respected expert consultant on psychometric concepts and neuropsychological testing, he worked with a firm affiliated with The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

For over a decade, Dr. Atiyeh served as Advisor to the Rector, and Director of Tests and Measurements at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dahran, Saudi Arabia until 2004.

Read testimonials from Dr. Atiyeh’s students and colleagues.

Experience

Publications