The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Arab Teachers in Israel: A Mixed-methods Study

Conference: The Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences (ACP2022)
Title: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Arab Teachers in Israel: A Mixed-methods Study
Stream: Psychology and Education
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
Authors:
Inbar Levkovich, Oranim Academic College of Education, Israel
Shiri Shinan-Altman, Bar Ilan University, Israel

Abstract:

The coronavirus outbreak in Israel forced teachers to confront new and immediate challenges. Yet, little attention has been devoted to the impact of these challenges on the emotional well-being of Arab teachers. This study sought to examine how resilience (internal resources) and support (external resources) were related to the well-being of Israeli Arab teachers during the third lockdown in Israel. We used a mixed design: a cross-sectional survey of 299 teachers and in-depth interviews with 24 teachers during. The results showed that as teachers received more support, their emotional well-being increased. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that 20% of emotional well-being variance was explained by study variables. Social support and resilience were significant predictors.
The findings of the qualitative study shed light on the emotional well-being of these teachers, pointing to the complex and dynamic nature of their well-being over time. Alongside their sense of overload and lowered emotional well-being, most teachers reported that with time they adjusted to the new. The work-home conflict is particularly significant in Arab society. During the lockdowns, families spent most of their time together and it may have placed an even greater burden on the teachers. The teachers were accustomed to rely on their families, but were unable to do so due to the social distancing restrictions. Additionally, the teachers reported that religious faith helped them cope with the crisis. Findings point to the need for major internal and external resources to promote a sense of well-being among teachers under conditions of stress.



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