“Communication between Bedouin kindergarten teachers and parents during war: WhatsApp’s key role”

The role of the kindergarten teacher is especially important in early childhood, particularly in conflict-affected regions where social and educational structures face unique challenges. This study examines the impact of war on communication between kindergarten teachers and parents in the Bedouin Arab sector in Israel, a minority community with distinct socio-economic and cultural characteristics. The research focuses on the wartime period, during which remote teaching became necessary, and explores the use of WhatsApp as the primary communication tool in compulsory and pre-compulsory kindergartens. A qualitative methodology was employed, involving 20 semi-structured interviews with Arab kindergarten teachers. The findings reveal that during the war, WhatsApp was preferred over other digital platforms due to infrastructural limitations in unrecognized Bedouin villages and the specific socio-economic challenges faced by the community, including a lack of access to stable internet and advanced digital devices among parents. WhatsApp was widely used for educational purposes, messaging, instructions, storytelling, and activities, proving to be more effective than Zoom, which teachers found unsuitable for small children due to usability and technical difficulties. Kindergarten teachers identified several advantages of using WhatsApp, including accessibility and ease of use. However, they also reported significant challenges, such as the high time investment and the need for continuous commitment. While WhatsApp emerged as the most effective tool under these circumstances, teachers emphasized the necessity of flexible and frequent communication with parents. The general directive of the Ministry of Education to prioritize Zoom proved unsuitable for this sector due to these technological and cultural barriers, underscoring the need to reconsider the alignment between communication technologies and local needs in conflict-affected minority communities.