The phenomenon of high school dropouts among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

The purpose of this study is to examine the key factors that influence student dropout rates among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. In the context of this exploratory study, the focus is on the main challenges faced by Palestinian students, the environment in UNRWA schools, the role of family in educational attainment, and Palestinian refugee students' attitudes toward education. Therefore, the study employs qualitative methodology, including in-depth semi-structured interviews with female and male students aged 18 to 25 who had dropped classes between grades 8 and 12. The sample selection is based on a purposive sampling technique. NVivo 14 is utilized for the analysis and generation of codes and themes based on the participants' responses. The findings indicates that poverty, restricted access to the job market, discrimination in education, schooling in conflict zones, and inadequate infrastructure are the main challenges encountered by Palestinian students living in refugee camps in Lebanon. This study also indicates that the quality of education in UNRWA schools is poor. The lack of school buildings has resulted in large class sizes, with schools struggling to accommodate 40–50 students per classroom and operating on double- or triple-shift schedules. Moreover, while corporal punishment is not allowed in UNRWA schools, the findings show that physical and verbal abuse of students by teachers is common. However, the findings also show that most students highly valued education and some of them had positive experiences in school. This study indicates that emotions related to school dropout within this sample included regret, sadness, and a desire to return to education. In addition to these challenges, several key findings are identified beyond the main objectives, such as the impact of COVID-19, restrictions on movement for Palestinian refugees, discrimination in health and housing facilities, and unhealthy living conditions. Overall, this study contributes to existing knowledge by presenting a comprehensive analysis that covers different aspects of the phenomenon of school dropout among Palestinian refugees.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Beqai, Fadi Anwar

Contributors dc:contributor

• Herrera, Linda
• Pak, Yoon
• Bayat, Asef
• Davila, Liv T

• School Dropouts
• Palestinian Refugees
• UNRWA schools
• Refugee camps

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Fadi Beqai

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129377

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129377