From protection to learning: How Arab-Bedouin teachers relate to parents in the shadow of the Gaza-Israel war

Aref Abu-Gweder
Kaye Academic College of Education, Achva Academic College, and Beit Berl College, Israel
Lior Solomovich
Kaye Academic College of Education, and Sapir College, Israel

Our study investigates how teacher-parent relationships were influenced by the shift to distance learning during the Gaza-Israel war in 2023, from the perspective of Arab-Bedouin educators. The research is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with 20 elementary school teachers from the Arab-Bedouin education system in unrecognised villages. We reveal that faced with the challenges posed by the war, Arab-Bedouin teachers changed their approach to active learning and discovered new paths to knowledge. The teachers increasingly embraced information technologies as a dependable means of communication, creating a robust social network between the teachers, parents, and students. Technology played a pivotal role as a medium for learning in the schools of unrecognised villages. The teachers perceived parents as making a unique and valuable contribution to the learning process. They believed that parents were able to actively support educational activities, particularly in the face of the urgent need to strengthen distance learning. In the teachers' view, engaging with parents in this type of learning, even in times of conflict, offered an exceptional opportunity to integrate parents into the school culture. As a result, parents developed a heightened awareness of digital platforms, which could significantly enhance a school's overall achievements.
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Authors: Dr Aref Abu-Gweder is a faculty member in the Department of Education at Kaye College, Ahava Academic College and Beit Berel College. His recent research focuses on the educational challenges faced by Arab-Bedouin female students in academia, the acquisition of Hebrew as a second language among the Bedouin community, and the unique challenges within the Arab-Bedouin education system in southern Israel. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2050-2150 Email: arefgweder@gmail.com Dr Lior Solomovich's research focuses on the digital divide and explores the unequal distribution of access to technology and digital resources and its impact on various populations, especially those who are underprivileged or marginalised. Specifically, he is interested in how limited access to technology and the Internet can affect individuals' opportunities for education and social engagement. He investigates how the digital divide is perpetuated by various factors such as socio-economic status, race, gender, age, and geographic location. He is also interested in exploring solutions and interventions that can bridge the digital divide. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6092-2072 Email: solomovi@gmail.com Please cite as: Abu-Gweder, A. & Solomovich, L. (2025). From protection to learning: How Arab-Bedouin teachers relate to parents in the shadow of the Gaza-Israel war. Issues in Educational Research, 35(1), 1-19. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/abu-gweder.pdf