Learning under bombardment: Higher education students’ experiences of studying and learning during the genocidal war against Palestine

Experiencing high-intensity, life-threatening stressors poses a significant risk to mental health, leading to various psychological difficulties [1], including post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, and depression [2, 3]. When these threatening conditions persist over time, the likelihood of developing feelings of helplessness and exhaustion increases [4], further compromising individuals’ ability to cope with daily challenges. These dire conditions affect basic cognitive processes (i.e., attention, concentration, memory, information processing) necessary for studying and learning. During the war in Ukraine, higher education students received humanitarian aid such as food kits, clothing, personal hygiene products, and temporary housing. Nevertheless, the students still reported feelings of insecurity, alienation, isolation, and a lack of motivation to continue their studies [5]. Stress impacts students and their learning processes, though individual responses may vary; generally, higher stress levels correspond with diminished learning capacity [6]. However, research examining the effects of the first year of war in Ukraine on learning habits, motivation, and mental health found that while the majority of students struggled with concentration, demotivation, and anxiety, a smaller group reported that daily stress drove them to study harder, as learning served as a distraction from their difficulties [7]. Researchers also found that the nature and quality of pedagogical interactions affect students' learning and well-being [8], and the perceived control of formal (e.g., access to classes, teachers) and informal (e.g., access to books and other materials) learning processes may influence their ability to cope with life-threatening conditions [9]. While the previous scientific evidence has been established in war situations, we lack understanding of how students cope psychologically and progress in their education amid genocide and scholasticide that specifically targets universities, colleges, and scholars. Therefore, this project aims to analyze higher education students' conditions and learning experiences in Gaza since October 2022. On the one hand, the study intends to describe the conditions in which Gazan students have been studying and learning. On the other hand, we hypothesize: 1) The life-threatening conditions these students have been living through have strongly impacted their capacity and motivation to learn, since they have been cut off from any aid and their lives have been permanently threatened for over one and a half years. We expect to find that while some students may have decreased or lost their motivation to pursue their education further, others may have seen in their education the motivation not to succumb to the despair of the genocide. References [1] Watson, P. (2019). PTSD as a public mental health priority. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21, 61. [2] Cloitre, M., Hyland, P., Bisson, J. I., Brewin, C. R., Roberts, N. P., Karatzias, T., & Shevlin, M. (2019). ICD-11 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the United States: A Population-Based Study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32(6), 833–842. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22454 [3] Rossi, A. A., Panzeri, A., Taccini, F., Parola, A. & Mannarini, S. (2024). The rising of the shield hero. Development of the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ) and assessment of the protective effect of self-esteem from trauma-related anxiety and depression. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 17, 83–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-022-00503-z (2024). [4] Selye H. (1977). The Stress of My Life. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. [5] Boichenko, M., & Hubina, O. (2023). Adaptation of internally displaced students to new learning environment through innovative methods of open teacher training in war perspectives. Revista Eduweb, 17(4), 96–104. https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2023.17.04.10 [6] Kresan, O., Smolianinova, S., & Kresan, T. (2023). Psychological aspects of experiencing war stress by students when learning a foreign language. European Humanities Studies: State and Society, 1, 74–86. DOI https://doi.org/10.38014/ehs-ss.2023.1.05 [7] Fábián, M., Huszti, I., & Lechner, I. (2024). Studying in the shadow of war: The impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the learning habits of students in Transcarpathia. Bun. 1(11), 62–70. ISSN: 2706–6258. [8] Meshko, H. M., Meshko, O. I., & Habrusieva, N. V. (2023). The impact of the war in Ukraine on the emotional well-being of students in the learning process. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities – Diagnosis and Treatment, 11, 55–65. [9] Torlone, F. & Ischenko, A. (2024). Learning in higher education while being at war. Journal of Educational Science, 1(49), 56-71. https://doi.org/10.35923/JES.2024.1.03