COVID-19 and Mental Health of Minority Arab Higher-Education Students in Israel: Social, Economic, and Academic Factors

The mental health and well-being of higher-education students is a topic of growing interest. COVID-19 impacted higher education in many ways and the challenges were especially pronounced for minority students. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of Arab minority students in Israel in relation to social, academic, and financial factors. We recruited 420 Arab higher-education students enrolled in academic colleges or universities in Israel who completed a battery of online questionnaires. Mental health status was measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). Moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were reported by 49.3%, 45.2%, and 54% of Arab students, respectively. Analyses indicate that low quality of online learning, academic difficulties, and negative economic effects of COVID-19 predicted stress, anxiety, and depression. Women reported higher levels of depression and stress; job loss predicted depression and anxiety; low income predicted depression; and COVID-19-related health concerns predicted anxiety. This study highlights the unique and multiple challenges faced by minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Campus programs are needed to address the emotional needs of students. Longitudinal research is needed to more fully understand the impact of COVID-19 on higher-education students

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE DURING COVID-19: HOW DID TEACHING ONLINE IMPACT PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS\u27 SELF-EFFICACY AT AN ARAB COLLEGE IN ISRAEL?

Clinical practice for pre-service teachers provides an opportunity for learning through teamwork with educators while exposing them to new teaching practices, enabling them to examine their self-efficacy in their discipline and pedagogical field. At the time of the outbreak of Covid-19, pre-service teachers were required, to move from practicum settings of frontal teaching in the school face to face into long- distance teaching via zoom. The demands for rapid learning of new platforms for distance learning became challenging. This challenge required pre-service teachers to reconsider their self-efficacy as professionals. The study was performed among students studying in an Arab college in Israel and examined the impact on their sense of self-efficacy in their teaching. The findings were derived from a broad questionnaire distributed among 300 students. The findings indicated an increased sense of self- efficacy during distance learning. Five factors were identified as creating a high sense of ability in designing and executing lessons: Implementation of innovative teaching methods; Convenient classroom management via zoom; High quality of working conditions in distance learning; Good teamwork among all involved in designing the lesson; Gender and the geographical residence area. It is suggested to educational policymakers take into consideration the self-efficacy aspect of pre-service teachers as a factor that may improve or impair their teaching. It is recommended to examine a hybrid practicum model that combines face-to-face teaching as well as distance learning