Living under occupation: Palestinian teachers’ experiences and their digital responses

  • John Traxler University of Wolverhampton
  • Zuheir Khaif An Najah University
  • Alan Nevill University of Wolverhampton
  • Saida Affouneh An Najah University
  • Soheil Salha An Najah University
  • Ali Zuhd An Najah University
  • Fuad Trayek An Najah University
Keywords: Palestine, teachers, occupation, digital

Abstract

Unlike most neighbouring countries in the world, teachers in the occupied territories of Palestine face extraordinary conditions and challenges. These are due to the continued Israeli occupation. This article reports on a large-scale survey of Palestinian teachers. It explores the impact of the occupation on the professional lives of the teachers around Nablus, and indirectly on their students and communities, and on their digital responses. Follow-up focus groups explore their feelings, experiences and reactions, providing greater insights into this complex and troubling situation. The article underpins further work on appropriate digital literacy. It does however also provide an insight into the challenges to rigorous fieldwork outside the mainstream of the developed North and specifically in a region of conflict and occupation.

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Footnotes



1 http://www.pei.gov.ps/english/introduction.html


2 https://medium.com/@enabel/e-learning-curriculum-in-palestinian-primary-and-secondary-education-b59f474a4dad


3 https://open.btcctb.org/en/PSE/2175/97/u/digitalizing-education-six-policy-paperson-the-use-of-ict-in-education.html


4 https://www.ovc.gov/pubs/victimswithdisabilities/pdf/ProtocolforInterviewsGroupsandMeetings.pdf


5 Close to the south of Nablus.


6 Means ‘learning by rote’.


7 E-School is an official website funded by the Ministry of Education, founded 5 years ago to support communication among teachers, students and parents. Students’ grades and comments on their behaviour are entered onto their records.
Published
2019-09-27
How to Cite
Traxler J., Khaif Z., Nevill A., Affouneh S., Salha S., Zuhd A., & Trayek F. (2019). Living under occupation: Palestinian teachers’ experiences and their digital responses. Research in Learning Technology, 27. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v27.2263
Section
Original Research Articles