PERCEPTIONS OF ARAB HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN NORTHERN ISRAEL REGARDING THE IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Walid Khalaila

Abstract


This study examines Arab higher education students’ perceptions in Northern Israel regarding the influence of socioeconomic conditions on their academic achievement. It was undertaken to address the limited student-centered evidence on how financial pressure, paid employment, access to educational resources, family support, and psychological responses jointly shape students’ academic experiences. The study contributes to the literature by presenting socioeconomic influence as a multidimensional process involving material, temporal, relational, psychological, and institutional factors rather than household income alone. Using a qualitative descriptive-analytical design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 40 Arab higher education students residing in Northern Israel, and the data were examined through thematic analysis. The findings identified five interconnected themes: financial pressure and socioeconomic diversity, conflict between paid work and study time, the protective role of educational and technological resources, the importance of family support for persistence, and psychological responses ranging from anxiety to motivational resilience. The study concludes that socioeconomic conditions do not uniformly determine academic achievement but affect it through interacting personal, family, and institutional pathways. It recommends integrated financial assistance, flexible support for employed students, improved access to digital resources, mentoring, academic guidance, and culturally responsive institutional services. Theoretically, the study extends multidimensional student-success and student-institution interaction perspectives; practically, it provides guidance for policies and support programs designed to strengthen Arab students’ well-being, engagement, persistence, and academic success.

Keywords


Arab higher education students, Northern Israel, socioeconomic conditions, academic achievement, family support, student employment

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i7.6910

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