From vulnerability to agency: coping with parental aggression in Bedouin educational contexts

This study examines the emotional coping processes of novice Arab Bedouin women teachers facing parental aggression – an underexplored phenomenon in educational research. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach and in-depth interviews with 25 teachers, the study identifies four interrelated themes. Teachers mobilise multiple coping modalities within the BASIC PH framework and demonstrate flexible, context-sensitive responses to situational demands. Coping evolves over time through processes of meaning-making and professional identity formation, while teachers construct forms of feminine authority within a patriarchal social structure, navigating gendered power relations through relational and culturally attuned practices. The study introduces the concept of ‘quiet emotional agency’ to capture teachers’ capacity to act with restraint, reflection, and professional judgement in emotionally charged situations. Rather than a fixed trait, resilience is conceptualised as a dynamic, culturally embedded process through which teachers negotiate identity, authority, and professional positioning. The findings highlight the importance of culturally responsive emotional support and reflective training in teacher education.