Boredom and alienation during online education in Palestinian universities: a socio-philosophical perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Drawing on both Barthes’ concepts of weariness, laziness, and boredom and Sartre’s bad faith, this article analyzes Palestinian students’ psychological discomfort with online education. As instructors of English, we have drawn not only on our own teaching experiences but have also analyzed the testimonies of our colleagues. We contend that online education, brought about by the pandemic, has had a profound psychological effect on students as evidenced by their lack of participation and their disinterest in this mode of education. Students’ silence or their minimal yes/no responses to their instructors’ questions further highlight their boredom during online instruction where there is no dialogue or immediate interaction between students and instructors, students and students, and students and texts. Moreover, many students have testified that they use Facebook to indulge in virtual reality so as to escape the demands of their teachers. The study contends that the birth of the weary, melancholic academic body is symptomatic of the online mode of education in Palestine.