Palestine Technical University Research Journal

Challenges of employing electronic professional learning communities to improve digital learning performance from the perspective of social studies teachers in the North Al Sharqiyah Education Directorate in the Sultanate of Oman

Juma AL Owaisi, Amjad Joma, Ibraheem ALwehaibi — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The study aims to identify the challenges of employing electronic professional learning communities in the educational process among social studies teachers in the North Al Sharqiyah Educational Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman. The study included (101) male and female teachers who were randomly selected. The study followed the descriptive approach to identify the challenges of employing electronic professional learning communities. The data were statistically analyzed using statistical packages. The results showed that the challenges related to the external environment were evaluated very high (4.73), such as the weakness of the Internet network, the high cost of subscription, and the lack of the network in some remote villages. The challenges related to the teacher were evaluated high (4.13), such as the large number of teaching and administrative burdens assigned to the teacher that hinder the attendance of electronic professional learning communities, the weakness of moral and material motivation from those concerned to create electronic professional learning communities, the difficulty of absorbing the scientific training material in electronic professional learning communities, the weakness of the skills necessary for teachers to use computers and interactive Internet applications, and the challenges related to the administrative aspect were evaluated medium (2.70), such as the difficulty of managing electronic professional learning communities, the difficulty of practical application of what was trained on, and the difficulty of communication ( (Oral and written) in electronic professional learning communities. In light of the results, the study presented a number of recommendations, including addressing telecommunications companies to reduce the cost of internet subscriptions for students, faculty, and related jobs, so that prices are symbolic in the service of education and learning, and to provide it in all educational villages of the governorate, and to reduce the administrative burdens borne by the faculty.

Power Quality Enhancement of a Radial Distribution Network Using PV Systems, SVCs, and Single-Tuned Passive Filters: A Case Study of the KO5 Feeder of Mekelle’s electrical distribution network in northern Ethiopia

Eman Jarrad, Nabeel Altanneh, Nadeen Zidan — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the power quality in the KO5 feeder in Mekelle's electrical distribution network in northern Ethiopia; the KO5 feeder has a bad voltage profile, excessive power loss, significant harmonic distortion, and a low power factor. A primary goal of this research was to improve the KO5 feeder's system performance by combining photovoltaic (PV) arrays, Static VAR Compensators (SVCs), and single-tuned passive filters (STPFs) as part of a hybrid solution. A model for the system was developed and run with simulations using ETAP 19.0 in both full-load (FL) and 70% partial-load (70% FL) operating condition. The optimal size and location of PV arrays at buses 106 and 109 was identified through simulation analysis, while eight SVC units were installed at the weakest buses in the network in order to improve voltage level and the flow of reactive power. The harmonic analysis indicated that the 5^th and 7^th harmonic contributed most of the distortion, therefore, STPFs were designed and implemented to the buses with the highest amounts of distortion. The proposed configuration resulted in a large drop in the total amount of power losses within the system from 1.474 MW to 0.270 MW at FL and from 0.647 MW to 0.096 MW at 70% FL. Furthermore, the minimum bus voltage increased from 78.1% per unit (pu) to 91.9% pu at full load, and from 85.6% pu to 95.6% pu at 70% full load, as well as an increase in the total system power factor. Therefore, these results indicate an improvement in reactive power management for the distribution system. In addition, the total harmonic distortion (THD) has been minimized below 5%; so that it complies with the IEEE 519-2022 standards, thus, the results indicate that the combined insulation of PV arrays, SCVs and passive filters is an economical method to enhance voltage stability, reduce energy loss, improve power factor, and improve overall power quality on radial distribution systems.

The digital economy and its impact on economic development in Arab countries

Yasmeen Nassar, Mohemmad Saleh — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

To measure progress in the digital economy fields of Arab countries, the Arab Digital Economy Index was adopted, along with its strategic dimensions, as an effective tool to assess the extent to which Arab countries keep pace with global changes. The index showed a gap in digital transformation between Arab countries, as they were divided into (leading countries, promising countries, and countries that need to improve their path). The main objective of this study was to identify the impact of the dimensions of the digital economy represented in (digital government, digital foundations, digital innovation, digital citizen, and digital business) on economic development in Arab countries, expressed in terms of per capita share of the gross domestic product, with inflation and unemployment rates as controlling variables. The quantitative approach was employed by collecting secondary data based on the publications of the Arab Digital Economy Index and the World Bank, and utilizing a cross-sectional time series model (Panel data) as the most suitable for this study in Arab countries during the period from 2017 to 2024. The study concluded that there is a positive impact of each of the digital foundations, digital innovation, and digital citizenship on economic development in Arab countries, while the study also found that there is no impact of digital government and digital business on economic development. The study also presented a set of recommendations, the most important of which is the need to enhance political stability and focus on developing human capital, as well as creating a strong and solid infrastructure that would accelerate digital transformation in the economies of the third group of countries.

The Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Performance: The Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment and the Moderator of Knowledge Management, a Field Study in Palestinian Public Universities.

Malak AbdulHaq, Mohhammad Slimi — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study aimed to identify the impact of organizational culture on employee performance in Palestinian public universities in the West Bank, using organizational commitment as a mediating variable and knowledge management as a moderating variable. The study employed a quantitative approach, and to achieve its objectives, a questionnaire was developed as the primary data collection instrument. The questionnaire comprised 45 items distributed across the study variables. It was distributed to a simple random sample of 300 male and female employees working in Palestinian public universities. 297 questionnaires were returned, and 292 were deemed valid for statistical analysis. The study utilized several statistical methods to analyze the data and verify the hypotheses, relying on SPSS and SmartPLS software. The findings revealed a comprehensive diversity in organizational culture patterns, coupled with high levels of employee performance, organizational commitment, and knowledge management. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between organizational culture and employee performance, while knowledge management strengthens this relationship. The study recommends strengthening the alignment between organizational culture and institutional goals, and reinforcing organizational commitment as two key drivers for improving performance in Palestinian public universities. It also emphasizes the need to adopt fair and participatory policies that support administrative reform and enhance employees’ commitment. Furthermore, it calls for an integrated approach linking organizational culture, commitment, and knowledge management within human resource management and decision-making processes. Finally, it stresses the importance of achieving sustainable performance development through empowerment, motivation, and the enhancement of institutional adaptability and innovation.

Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Palestine: A Proposed Legal Framework.

Abdullah Mahmmoud — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence is defined as a set of systems and software that operate with a degree of autonomy, resemble the human mind, and are used in many fields. This study addresses the problem of the absence of a specific legislative regulation for artificial intelligence in Palestine, in light of the increasing expansion in the use of smart systems within public facilities and the private sector. It starts from the premise that there is a legislative gap in the matter of regulating artificial intelligence. The study adopted the analytical method and the comparative method, by analyzing the manifestations of the legislative gap in the Palestinian environment, and comparing it with the European experience, which adopted a regulatory model based on risk classification, hierarchy of obligations, and strengthening institutional control. It also sought to extract the general principles and procedural mechanisms that can form the basis for an integrated national legislative framework.The study concluded that it is necessary to adopt a special law regulating artificial intelligence in Palestine, based on the principles of legitimacy, transparency, accountability, risk management, and ensuring human oversight of electronic administrative decisions, while establishing effective institutional mechanisms for oversight and compliance. The results confirm that balanced legal regulation is a prerequisite for employing artificial intelligence in the service of development and good governance, without compromising the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms.

Domination through Transparency in the Palestinian Carceral Experience Managing Human Existence through Exposure and the Regulation of the Senses”

Bushra WeldAli — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the Palestinian carceral experience as a contemporary system of colonial domination that is based not only on direct physical violence, but also on the precise and systematic management of human existence through constant exposure, the regulation of the senses, and the control of temporal rhythm. The study draws on the concept of “transparent domination,” as developed by Byung-Chul Han, to analyze Israeli prisons as spaces in which power is exercised through continuous lighting, constant surveillance, the organization of daily time, and the control of sound and silence, in ways that reshape the Palestinian prisoner’s consciousness and being over the long term. The study adopts a qualitative interpretive-critical methodology based on deconstructing everyday practices inside the prison such as roll-call rituals, yard time, bathing, access to the canteen, visits, and interrogation as techniques of power that operate through perception and the senses, rather than merely as administrative procedures. The analysis shows that these practices produce a state of permanent forced presence in which privacy is abolished, subjective time is dismantled, and the sensory field is managed in a way that leads to cumulative perceptual and psychological exhaustion. The study also demonstrates that domination within Israeli prisons is not fixed, but rather flexible and capable of being readjusted according to the political and security context, making control more deeply penetrating and less susceptible to direct observation. In contrast, the study identifies subtle forms of prisoner resistance, manifested in reclaiming spaces of silence and preserving zones of shadow that protect human being from complete exposure. The study concludes that the Palestinian carceral experience represents an advanced model of transparent domination within the contemporary colonial context and reveals a global logic of managing human beings through light, surveillance, and the regulation of perception. This makes the prison a central laboratory for understanding modern forms of control and the limits of human resistance within them.

A comparative study of teacher professional development between Palestine and Finland in light of the professional development of Palestinian teachers

Kefaya Arabas — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The current study aimed to compare the professional development systems for teachers in Palestine and Finland, and to identify the similarities and differences between them, in order to come up with some educational procedures for the professional development of teachers in Palestine by benefiting from the Finnish experience. The researcher used the comparative method (Biriday method), and relied on the analysis of official reports and educational literature. The results of the study showed the superiority of the Finnish model in professional independence, and the link between the academic and applied aspects. The study also revealed the success of the Finnish model in strengthening the partnership between the Ministry of Education and universities, and the focus on action scientific research. The study recommended the need to institutionalize the relationship between universities and the educational field, activate the incentive system linked to the teacher's research performance, transform Palestinian schools into professional communities, and adopt the teacher-researcher model in Palestinian policies.

Reconfiguration of Roles During Phases of Declining Conflict Intensity: Racial Framing Patterns of Palestinian Woman in the English-language Israeli Digital Media

Nida Younis — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the role of racial framing patterns in the English-language Israeli digital media during periods of approximate relative stability, in reconfiguring roles of Palestinian women. It hypothesizes that these outlets use ethnic framings to reframe Palestinian women to predefined stereotypical roles based on colonial classificatory logics. Drawing on the framing theory and the qualitative framing analysis tool, the study examines 29 news items selected using purposive probability sampling published in 2016- a year marking declining conflict intensity, and the inductive approach to analyze the social and political effects of frames on the reconfiguration of roles. in four Israeli newspapers and three English-language news websites representing a broad ideological spectrum, ranging from the far right to the far left. The findings indicate that even under periods of approximate relative stability, the Israeli newspapers and news websites use different framing patterns for Palestinian women, reinforcing a subaltern/non-subaltern dichotomy: framing the subalterns who reproduce the Israeli narrative as positive, liberal and modern; and the non-subalterns who are critical and resistant to the occupation as security threats and by-products of cultural aberration or social dysfunction - depicting them as terrorists and Orientals. And thus, marginalizing their political and social roles and confining them to stereotypical roles structured around three key concepts: the social injustice, subservience, and security threat or using them to legitimize and secure recognition for the occupying state, and a benchmark normative model for the “acceptable” Palestinian as constructed by colonial power. This ultimately undermines their agency and reinforces conditional representations structured by relations of power and domination. The study recommends more in-depth research on the linguistic and visual framing of Palestinian women across longer time periods and in diverse Israeli media, and on the extent of their consistency.

First Principles Investigation of Adsorption Mechanisms and Charge Redistribution for CH4/Ni(111) Surface

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is predominantly methane (CH₄), and the characterization of its interaction to metallic materials (e.g., nickel) is important for evaluating structural stability during cryogenic storage and transport. Using density functional theory within the GGA–PBE framework as implemented in QuantumATK 2023, the adsorption behavior of a single CH₄ molecule on a six-layer Ni(111) surface was evaluated in this work. The surface was simulated using a 4×4 slab configuration with a vacuum layer sufficiently large to prevent interactions between periodic images. The upper three Ni layers and methane molecule were completely relaxed during the optimization. The optimized structure shows that methane maintains its ideal tetrahedral geometry (C–H ≈ 1.11 Å) but the equilibrium C–Ni separation is approximately 3.21 Å, while Ni–Ni interlayer distances do not change significantly, indicating a minimal structural distortion of the metallic slab. The calculated adsorption energy (E_ads = −1.22 eV) indicates energetically favorable adsorption of methane on the Ni(111) surface, suggesting a relatively weak interaction characteristic of physisorption. Density of states (DOS) analysis further confirms that the electronic states near the Fermi level are dominated by Ni 3d orbitals, while methane-related states contribute only weakly, indicating negligible orbital hybridization and confirming the physisorption nature of CH₄ adsorption on the Ni(111) surface. Bader charge analysis further reveals negligible net charge transfer and minimal interfacial polarization. Electron density difference (EED) analysis reveals only minor charge redistribution at the CH₄/Ni(111) interface, indicating negligible charge transfer and supporting the weak physisorption nature of methane adsorption on the Ni(111) surface. In general, we find that the methane interaction with Ni(111), governed primarily by weak van der Waals forces, is relatively weak and no covalent bond or activation occurs. These results confirm the electronic and chemical inertness of methane on clean nickel surfaces under cryogenic conditions relevant to LNG storage and transport systems.

Invisible Effort in Digital Work and Its Relationship with Fatigue and Cognitive Surrender among Users of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Ayman Ghanim — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Digital cognitive work is undergoing rapid transformation due to the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, while limited attention has been given to the hidden cognitive costs accompanying this shift. This study examines the relationships among digital usage intensity, invisible labor, cognitive fatigue, and cognitive surrender. A descriptive-analytical design was adopted, grounded in Cognitive Load Theory and Actor–Network Theory. A developed 20-item questionnaire was administered to an available purposive sample of 416 respondents (231 academics; 185 professionals) in Tulkarm Governorate, Palestine. The findings indicated that usage intensity was moderate (M = 3.66) and positively correlated with invisible labor (r = .612). Invisible labor and cognitive fatigue were high, whereas cognitive surrender was moderate (M = 3.53). Regression analysis showed that invisible labor explained 53.4% of the variance in cognitive fatigue, and cognitive fatigue explained 48.2% of the variance in cognitive surrender. ANOVA results revealed increasing cognitive costs with higher usage intensity and higher levels in academic compared to professional settings (p < .05), with no significant gender differences. The findings support the proposed sequential predictive model (Usage Intensity → Invisible Labor → Cognitive Fatigue → Cognitive Surrender).

Training Needs of Faculty Members in the Mathematics Departments at the University of Benghazi

Fatma Mohamed, Bothaina Bukhatw, Manara Almarghani — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study aimed to identify the training needs of faculty members in the mathematics departments of the Faculties of Science and Education at Benghazi University. To achieve the study's objectives, a descriptive approach was used, and a questionnaire consisting of )44 (items was developed. The study sample comprised )69(faculty members from the mathematics departments of the Faculties of Science and Education at Benghazi University and its branches, randomly selected from the study population. The results showed that the training needs of faculty members in the mathematics departments at Benghazi University were high. The need for training in teaching skills ranked first, followed by technical skills, then scientific research skills, while the need for training in personal skills ranked last, all with high levels of need. The results also indicated that no statistically significant differences (α ≤ 0.05) between the mean responses of the sample regarding training needs attributable to the variables of gender, academic qualification, specialization, workplace, academic degree and years of experience, and. The study recommended that the need to design specialized training programs that focus on the use of mathematics programs in teaching such as (GeoGebra) with strategies for teaching abstract mathematical concepts, and developing qualitative scientific research skills for faculty members.

The Relationship between Administrative Transparency and Achievement Motivation among Physical Education Teachers in the Sultanate of Oman

Shaima Al Hashimi, Ali Alsandi, Khalid Alzahli, Yousuf Bait Saleem — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study aimed to examine the level of administrative transparency and its relationship with achievement motivation among physical education teachers in the Sultanate of Oman. The study employed a descriptive correlational survey design, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to a simple random sample of 90 physical education teachers.The findings revealed that the level of administrative transparency was moderate across its various dimensions, indicating that transparency practices were implemented to some extent within school administrative processes but had not yet reached a fully integrated institutional level. The results also showed that the level of achievement motivation among physical education teachers was relatively high, although some dimensions, particularly appreciation, promotion, and professional development, were rated at a moderate level.Furthermore, the findings revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between administrative transparency and achievement motivation (R = 0.646, p < 0.01). The regression results indicated that administrative transparency was associated with explaining 41.7% of the variance in achievement motivation, suggesting that higher levels of perceived administrative transparency were associated with higher levels of achievement motivation among physical education teachers.The study concluded that administrative transparency represents an important organizational factor associated with teachers’ motivational outcomes. However, achievement motivation may also be influenced by additional organizational and individual factors beyond the scope of the current study. Based on the findings, the study recommended strengthening transparency practices within schools through improving administrative communication systems, increasing teachers’ participation in decision-making processes, and enhancing opportunities for appreciation and professional development, which may support achievement motivation.