Research Training Program

a. It is widely recognized that the Arab countries suffer from a basic weakness in research skills. Palestine is no exception.  The need to develop research skills within the social sciences cannot be overstated since any long term and sustainable development of Palestinian society depends on the capacity for the incremental process of knowledge-production.

Muwatin proposes to initiate a program for research training of graduate students in the social sciences.  The aim of the program will be to ground students in the qualitative research methodologies of their specialized fields, as well as to train them to develop their writing skills, the process of argumentation, and the ability to reach well-grounded conclusions.

It is envisaged that 8-10 students would undergo this training per semester.

Two training courses have been successfully completed.  Applicants to the courses far exceeded the number of places allotted on each course, and while the readings allotted by the course instructors were sometimes found to be too difficult by some students yet the overwhelming response by students was extremely positive. An extended evaluation by students and course instructors as well as on Muwatin’s side has been undertaken in order to improve the structure and delivery of the course in the coming period. 

b. Social Science Methodology Reader: A weakness of the higher educational system in Palestine is the lack of textbooks in the Arabic language.  Most academic writings still remain in the English language, while students lack of training and knowledge of English presents a real obstacle to their acquiring up to date knowledge of the theoretical debates and methodologies of their fields.

To fill this gap Muwatin will produce a Social Science Methodology Reader to be selected and translated from English, to fill the gap that exists within Palestinian and Arab higher education.  Such a reader does not exist in Arabic as yet and will therefore be a major contribution to the academic library. 

Achievements expected: 1. The research training of 16-24 students per year. 3. Improved quality of Masters thesis at universities 3. Development of closer cooperation between Muwatin and the Palestinian University sector that can help shape future development of research programs.