Voices of Displaced Palestinian Students: Meeting Their Social Needs in the Aftermath of the October 7 Conflict

• In Event: Roundtable Session 3
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Complex student experiences and the role of technology

Proposal

The ongoing conflict in Gaza has displaced many Palestinians, including students who have fled to neighboring countries in search of higher education opportunities. As these students navigate their new environments, understanding the types of social support they require is crucial for their academic and personal success. This qualitative phenomenological case study explores the social support needs of displaced Palestinian students who fled the war in Gaza and are currently enrolled in a private higher education institution in Egypt. Using House’s (1981) social support model, which categorizes support into four types—emotional, informational, instrumental, and appraisal—this research aims to understand the specific forms of support that these students require to succeed academically and personally. Focusing on their experiences of social support post-October 7, 2023, semi-structured interviews with 10 displaced Palestinian students will be conducted. The interviews will cover the ways in which students require emotional support through empathy and compassion, informational support through advice and guidance, instrumental support through tangible aid, and appraisal support through constructive feedback. Special attention will be given to how the recent conflict has influenced their needs and perceptions of social support. Procedures associated with qualitative research will be used to analyze the data collected from the interviews and findings will be deductively coded and grouped under a priori themes based on House’s social support model. Findings from this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of the social support mechanisms that can enhance the academic success and well-being of displaced students in higher education institutions, with implications for developing targeted support services and policies in conflict-affected settings.

References:
House, J. S. (1981). Work stress and social support. Addison-Wesley.

Author

• Ibrahim M Karkouti, The American University In Cairo