Participate in the Study
Palestinian faculty, administrators, and students at colleges and universities in Palestine are invited to participate in a research study about higher education in Palestine. The more than 50 colleges and universities in Palestine operate in a uniquely challenging geo-political context, and face an Israeli regime of infrastructures, geographies, and policies that must be navigated in order to fulfill their educational and operational functions. The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of these impacts of the occupation on Palestinian higher education and how Palestinian educators respond in efforts to construct quality education and research. Thus, the goal driving this study is to develop a richly descriptive exploration of Palestinian higher education under the Israeli occupation.
This three-year study (2020-2023) is part of a dissertation project by a PhD student at Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles, CA (Title: States of Isolation; IRB #20-24). Interviews will be conducted in person during multiple on-site visits. Interviews that cannot be scheduled during a trip can occur online using a secure, end-to-end encrypted video meeting platform.
Participation: To be a voluntary participant in this study, you will be asked to respond to questions during an interview. Questions will explore your educational background, past and current experiences as an educator, and aspirations for your students. Your total participation in the study will take approximately 90 to 120 minutes during the first interview. The researcher may request a follow up interview with you, which you are free to accept or reject.
Confidentiality: The investigators involved with the study will keep your personal information collected for the study strictly confidential. Any information that is obtained in connection with this study and that can be identified with you will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission or as required by law.
The interviewer will ask for permission to record the interview. If permission is given, the interviewer will record the interview using a secure, end-to-end encrypted platform. The recording will be made and stored on an encrypted, cloud-based platform, thus no hard copy of the recording will exist inside of Palestine.
Your identity will be kept strictly confidential through the following procedures: interview recordings will be transcribed using an online service and then erased. Transcriptions of interviews will be kept on a secure, online database. No copies of transcripts will be created at any point. Transcript data will be coded with N-vivo and conceptual codes. Only the Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator will have access to transcripts.
Risks: Participation in this study may be associated with the risk of censure or retaliation if responses are published or private information is unintentionally disclosed.
Interested individuals can learn more about the study or volunteer to participate by reaching out to the researcher, Ben Norquist at bnorquist16@apu.edu or by completing an encrypted inquiry form below.