A study of university students’ attitudes towards stateless ‘Bidoon’ children’s rights in Kuwait

Abstract

This research looks into what Kuwaiti University students think about the rights of stateless kids, focusing on how much students support these rights. Even though students show strong support, the Education Ministry in Kuwait says stateless kids can only go to school if they have a special ID card. This rule leaves out stateless people who do not have this card, stopping them from getting important services, jobs, and basic rights. The study asked 1135 Kuwait University students for their opinions, aiming to challenge this rule by showing that students really care about the rights of stateless ‘Bidoon’ kids. The results say that students do not agree with the government’s decision made after 1985 that affected stateless people. They maintain that these children should be secure in general and abused. This exploration features how significant it is for policymakers and school pioneers to figure out this problem.

Keywords:

• Childhood
• without-nationality
• stateless
• Bidoon
• children’s rights
• early childhood

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Arif H. Kabir, Senior Editor, School of Education, Deakin University School of Education, Kuwait

SUBJECTS:

• International Comparative Education
• Multicultural Education
• Childhood
• Education-social Sciences
• Cultural Studies

Introduction

Many nations struggle with the issue of statelessness, which deprives people of their legal protections and fundamental rights. In Kuwait, the United Nations says that rules prevent stateless people, called ‘Bidoon,’ from having a recognized identity (OHCHR, 2019). This study looks at what Kuwaiti University students think about the rights of these stateless Bidoon children. It gives us a glimpse into potential political isolation and suggests ways for future policies to develop.

In the Arab Gulf States, being stateless is a joint issue, particularly in Kuwait, which has a large Bidoon community (Abdulkarim, 2017). The Bidoon were called ‘without nationality’ because they did not get Kuwaiti citizenship when Kuwait became independent in 1961. Despite the lengthy history of the Bidoon people in Kuwait, they face discrimination; reports say more than 150,000 of them still do not have citizenship (Mansoor, 2021). The UN Human Rights group says that over half of Kuwait’s population is made up of people from other countries, and a good number of them are stateless kids (OHCHR, n.d.).

The Bidoon’s legal status in Kuwait has deteriorated over time, making them illegal inhabitants and preventing them from receiving crucial facilities (Country Information and Guidance Kuwaiti Bidoon, 2014). Judgment against both recognized and unrecognized Bidoon is really harsh and sometimes amounts to persecution. The government specifically stops stateless Bidoon kids from going to public schools, making their situation worse, as pointed out by Mansoor (2021).

Only kids who do not have official papers are permitted to go to school in Kuwait (International Coalition for the Rights of the Stateless, 2015). Some Bidoon children manage to get free schooling, but others have to go to private schools, sometimes with help from The Charitable Fund for Education. However, there are still hurdles; even if stateless students meet all the academic requirements, they need help getting into Kuwait University, according to OHCHR (2021).

This article wants to explore what college students think about the rights of stateless Bidoon children, especially looking at how human rights teachings might influence their opinions. The restrictions placed on the Bidoon community point to larger issues of unfair treatment in Kuwait, showing the importance of thorough research and solid facts to shape policies related to statelessness.

Plans and programs in action

The UN has been a driving force in setting global standards, especially in safeguarding children’s rights internationally in recent years. In order to promote children’s rights, the United Nations on the Rights of the Child (OHCHR) has placed a strong emphasis on ‘independence, accountability, and the implementation of focused policy initiatives.’ McAleese (2019) stresses the importance of a comprehensive hypothetical study and highlights the growing focus on paternal involvement to support the efforts of UNCRC.

In Kuwait, Regulation No. 21 of 2015 characterizes a youngster as anybody younger than eighteen, setting clear age-based classifications (Article 2). The law safeguards kids’ major privileges, guaranteeing independence from separation and viciousness, the right to life, admittance to schooling, and the opportunity to offer viewpoints. Vandenhole et al. (2015) accentuate that maintaining kids’ social liberties and honors requires well-working frameworks and legitimate variety.

Vandenhole et al. (2015) highlight how considering childhood perspectives emphasizes the need for well-functioning systems in Western societies to ensure children’s complete rights and voices. Jacobs (2022) stresses the growing scholarly focus on parent-child relationships, advocating for a more thoughtful approach to social constructionism for better child development.

The government of Kuwait has implemented remedial measures in response to the growing number of stateless children in the country. Disability, air pollution, climate change, and the health consequences on vulnerable populations are among the topics that the Kuwaiti Committee on the Rights of Children is now examining (Bessler, 2022). The goal of government initiatives such as targeted budgets and monthly payments for stateless children is to end child homelessness.

The research conducted by Tobin (2019) provides insight into ‘child rehabilitation programs in Kuwait,’ which aim to teach children about ‘environmental health and raising awareness about climate change.’ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kuwaiti Human Rights offers several child development plans and social advantages that demonstrate the government’s dedication to enlightening children’s well-being. The Kuwaiti administration has launched ‘childhood development initiatives’ that focus on activities that enhance children’s welfare, protect them, and respect their human rights. Specialized facilities focus on the healthcare of stateless children within schools and communities, safeguarding them from abuse and violence in agreement with laws and regulations.

Literature review

University student’s perceptions of social phenomena

Luescher-Mamashela et al. (2015) show that universities could play a vital role in political development, which can be the starting point for analysing how student engagement contributes to various citizenship competencies. In establishing universities, the first significant role was ensuring ideological apparatuses and the production of values and social legitimation. The institutions have brought out a highly skilled labour force and institutions of democracy. In the context of democratisation, a HERANA study conducted by Luescher-Mamashela et al. (2015) showed how students have been engaged in offering unique and pathbreaking competencies. The study shows that involving students to give their perceptions is an empirically driven attempt that can answer some of the complicated questions and identify how students could potentially develop some values of citizenship and democracy (Zepke, 2015). The study employs a census-based e-survey design that draws on student experiences in the research universities. The study results show that various aspects of student engagement can help understand some aspects, such as children’s rights. Therefore, there is a usefulness of the student engagement construct and how it can relate to citizenship competencies.

In the modern warfare age that brings many destructive capabilities, there is a need for human rights education through a contemporary approach to education, with pedagogies based on principles of justice and peace. However, despite the progress in Kuwait and the increasing role of education, there needs to be more knowledge on human rights education (Mohammed, 2018). Research shows that most educational studies are relevant for HRE, and it is clear that most Arab countries have tried to integrate human rights education within their curricula. However, the incorporation of this curriculum is only based on some global events, such as those saturated around violence and terrorism. Besides, they incorporate it based on the pressure of global trends to foster a culture of peace. This begrudging nature of incorporating this curriculum makes it hard for the Arab nations to have the proper knowledge of the curriculum within their countries.

To ensure that students have better perceptions of stateless children, countries should adopt human rights curricula where they will have the right knowledge of the teachings and philosophies of human rights. A challenge also exists in the mode of instruction adopted by the different schools (Mohammed, 2018). This means that curricula are different, and thus, understanding human rights in different schools will bring evident differences. There are various bottlenecks in the teaching methodologies adopted in different schools, which brings a challenge to understanding human rights. Kuwait’s government has tried to follow democracy, which has led to undergoing the process. The government has understood the need for education, leading it to try incorporating human rights within the curricula. However, people need to gain more knowledge of human rights, which challenges understanding students’ perceptions. Students who have background knowledge of human rights and have taken a course on this could have a better understanding and thus offer better perceptions. Undoubtedly, the Kuwait government is fully aware of the rights on humanitarian grounds embraced by the students of Kuwait University. Still, they do not agree with them as it will cost them a lot of money. Kuwait has signed some of the human rights agreements. At the same time, half of them were overlooked, such as giving the children who were born inside Kuwait nationality because that will cost them money if they become Kuwaiti citizens such as free health and education from kindergarten to college and government jobs and support them financially to get government house and marriage. The government thinks that some stateless hide their real nationality from neighborhood countries such as Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, and other countries and pretend that they are stateless. The Central System for the Remedy of Situation of Illegal Residents (CSRSIR) claims that, From 2011 to 2022, 18,427 stateless people fixed their situation by showing the government their hidden nationality. The CAASS worked with the neighboring country, and they found evidence where 9055 stateless showed their father’s or grandfather’s real nationality (Carirs_gov_kw. 2022).

Student’s attitudes towards the rights of children

Various studies have been conducted on attitudes and perceptions toward children’s rights, and one common factor in these studies is the quantitative survey approach used in most of them. One such study was conducted by Karaman-Kepenekci (2006), on students’ attitudes towards children’s rights in Turkey. The researcher surveyed 350 volunteer students and used a Likert scale to measure their attitude towards children’s rights against variables like gender and grade. A t-test was then used to examine significant differences in students’ attitudes towards children’s rights in line with the selected variables. The study established that female students taking human rights courses had a favourable attitude towards children’s rights, and the student’s grades were not a discriminating factor in their attitudes towards them. The study recommended including human rights courses as subjects across all faculties. Erkut et al. (2022) conducted a similar survey in Istanbul but focused on the attitudes of final-year nursing faculty students towards children’s rights. They sampled 159 students and collected data using a Children’s Rights Attitude scale and other information forms. The data was then analysed using various tests, such as the Pearson correlation coefficient, among other descriptive methods. The results were that students generally had a positive attitude towards children’s rights, and their sociodemographic characteristics did not influence their attitudes. For more detailed results, the researchers recommended similar studies be conducted but with larger sample groups.

Perceptions of teachers regarding the rights of children

Far from the students, relevant studies have also been conducted on teachers’ attitudes towards children’s rights. Bağçeli and Sezer (2017) surveyed the relationship between teacher candidates’ attitudes towards children’s rights and their state of liking children in Turkey. The scanning model design was used, and 268 teacher candidates attending various departments were selected for the study. The Statistical Packages for Social Scientists (SPSS) software was used to analyse the data through the Pearson correlation coefficient, among other tests. The attitude scale showed preschool teacher candidates had the highest average score while mathematics teacher candidates had the lowest score. The difference in scores across departments could have been higher. The study recommended that children’s rights courses be included in teachers’ training programs, among other ways of increasing teacher candidates’ awareness of children’s rights. Kiral (2019) conducted a similar study on the attitude of preservice teachers towards children’s rights in Aydin, Turkey. Using a larger sample of 818 preservice teaching students, the researcher used questionnaires to measure attitudes towards children’s rights. The results showed a high attitude among all students. However, significant differences were noted across variables such as gender and university attended by the students. The study recommended making human rights courses compulsory and increasing awareness of children’s rights among male students.

Still, on teachers, Banko-Bal and Guler-Yildiz (2021) conducted a study on early childhood education teachers’ attitudes, perspectives, and behaviours towards children’s rights in Turkey. Using a sequential transformative design, the researchers used quantitative questionnaires and interviews to collect data from 205 teachers and analysed it through descriptive statistics, among other tests for the qualitative part. Results indicated that the teachers’ attitudes toward children’s rights were generally positive. However, their behaviours and attitudes were incompatible with those rights. The study recommended that teachers be trained on children’s rights and their importance in education. During the pandemic, Ertaş et al. (2022) also surveyed primary school teachers’ perspectives towards children’s rights in Yozgat, Turkey. Through purposive sampling, qualitative data was collected from 19 primary school teachers and then analysed using descriptive statistics. According to the study, teachers expressed opposing views on children’s rights to participation, life, and development due to the pandemic. The study recommended intervention programs for children socially or psychologically affected by the pandemic. The above-listed studies provide a relevant framework through which the intended research on university students’ attitudes towards stateless Bidoon children’s rights could be conducted.

There have been few studies that focus on attitudes towards stateless children in Alrashidi and Alanezi (2020) explores religious socialisation, knowledge, and the various philosophies regarding the heaven of Muslim children in Kuwait. The analysis involves first-grade children experiencing statelessness and bases the research on social learning perspectives. The results show a great need to ensure children’s cognitive development through religious concepts. The study indicates that stateless children are faced with various challenges, including the lack of fundamental human rights, such as the inability to attend public schools due to the lack of nationality. Here, the focus is mainly on the life of statelessness and not on the various perceptions. Mansoor (2021) has given multiple perceptions by analysing the voices on educational rights for the stateless Bidoon children in Kuwait. There is an analysis of some of the opinions that impact government policy, which sheds light on understanding some of the roadblocks that result either politically or through procedures and which make the government fail to address some of the problems. These problems could be based on children’s rights or access to education among Bidoon children. However, a gap exists in studying the students’ attitudes towards stateless children in Kuwait. This follows since most focus is on the general perspectives, and fewer schools have been used to analyse children’s perceptions.

Women have had more exposure to studies on human rights, which could have a potential difference in the perceptions brought out by students. This poses a question on gender differences, which will be evident in the perceptions provided by the participants within the study. Women seem to be more supportive of the rights of stateless Bidoon children, which may be beneficial for future study, particularly for educational researchers interested in comparative education or gender issues in education and human rights. The researcher believes that more women than males participated in this study, which might have an impact on the findings. However, gender discriminatory provisions in Kuwait’s Nationality Law are preventing mothers from passing on citizenship to their children.

The purpose of the research

The purpose of the present study is to develop an ingenious, valid, and reliable scale, which can be used to measure and examine the attitudes of Kuwait University students towards Bedoon children’s rights. This study aims to examine if there is any relationship between the state of having taken a human rights course and gender and the attitudes toward stateless children’s rights.

Research questions

Based on prior research, this study will be guided by the following questions.

1. What are the attitudes of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children in the State of Kuwait?

2. Are there statistically significant differences in the mean of the study sample on the scale of the rights of Bedoon children attributed to the variables of the study (gender, study of education and or human rights course, kindergarten or primary stage, type of college?

3. Is there an effect for each of the variables (gender and study of the education or human rights course) on the attitude of students at Kuwait University towards the rights of Bedoon children?

Method

Participants

The participants in this study are Kuwait University students from the State of Kuwait from all the colleges and all the years (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade university). This study was conducted in the first course of the 2022/2023 academic year between 1 November–2022/to 20 December 2022. In the study, the variables of gender, faculty, grade level, and the state of having taken a human rights course. The study was conducted with 1135 students.

Instruments

The data was collected using the scale named ‘questionnaire of measuring attitudes towards children’s rights,’ adopted from Karaman-Kepenekci (2006) The researchers asked for permission to use the data from Karaman-Kepenekci, and she agreed and added the word stateless to the scale to use in stateless children’s rights. A five-point Likert scale (strongly agree-agree-undecided-disagree and strongly disagree) has been used in scale construction. The scale consists of 22 items, 18 of which are positive and 4 of which are negative.

Data analysis

For analysis of the research, the researchers used the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS). Factor analysis and Cronbach alpha have been used to examine the validity and reliability of the adopted scale. For each positive and negative statement, the corrected item-total correlation was calculated. The researchers evaluated university students’ attitudes scores toward stateless children’s rights, including mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and minimum and maximum scores. To see whether there was a meaningful difference between the university students’ attitudes according to variables of gender, faculty, grade, and the state of having taken a human rights course, the t-test was used.

Ethical considerations

Ethics Committee approval was taken from Kuwait University from the College of Education, and application permission was obtained from the Foundation of Education Department, College of Education. The students were informed about the purpose of the study and received written approval on a voluntary basis.

Results

The factor analysis technique was applied on the adapted scale to test the validity of the attitude about the stateless children’s rights.

Study method

This study is based on a descriptive research method in order to find out the attitude of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children according to some independent variables (gender, academic year, study of the education or human rights course, specialization in kindergarten or primary school, college) to collect and analyze And then extract the most important results related to the attitude of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children from their point of view.

Study community and sample

Study community and sample: The study community consisted of male and female students at Kuwait University, who were selected according to the simple random sampling method, reaching (1135). Which is (0.0) out of the total number of Kuwait University students (0.00000) according to the admission statistics for the first semester of the academic year (2022–2023). Table 1 shows the characteristics of the sample members according to the study variables:

Table 1. Sample description.

Variables	Level	n	%
Gender	Male	103	9.1
	Female	1032	90.9
Academic year	First-year	251	22.1
	Second year	373	32.9
	Third year	266	23.4
	Fourth-year	245	21.6
Study of the education or human rights course?	Yes	364	32.1
	No	771	67.9
College	Literary	914	80.5
	Scientific	221	19.5
Total		1135	100.0

Study tools

Karaman-Kepenekci (2006) scale (measurement of attitudes toward children’s rights) was used. In its original form, the scale has one topic with (22) items related to attitudes toward children’s rights. The items are graded on a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to agree strongly. The items were directed to Bedoon children without error or modification by the researchers.

The psychometric properties of the attitude scale toward children’s rights (study tools validity and reliability)

Face validity (Arbitrators): It was validated by presenting the scale to a group of arbitrators (00) university professors specializing in education and psychology at Kuwait University to determine the scale’s validity in terms of linguistic integrity and instruction clarity. Their observations were taken into account, and the amendments that they suggested were added to Appendix A, where their observations came by deleting (4) items (1), (2), (14), (15) from the scale, making the scale’s total number (18) items. In order to make sure that both male and female students understood the scale phrases and to identify those that needed to be amended, the researchers then applied the scale to (300) students at Kuwait University and in various colleges. And to evaluate the scale’s reliability for use and application. The exploratory sample was subjected to a factor analysis, which revealed that all items were saturated with a single factor, which accounted for 35.40% of the total variance of the scale’s responses. Table 2 shows the saturation values of all items, where the saturation values ranged between (0.413) for Item (1) and its states (the rights of the Bedoon child must be under the supervision of the state), while the largest value was (0.740) for item (7), which states (Privacy is a right for Bedoon children, and therefore their private lives must be protected.) The rest of the saturation values are limited to these two items. The researchers also made sure of the stability of the scale using Cronbach’s Alpha for the items after deleting the Item, and the value of Alpha was (0.856). And it ranged between items after deleting the Item between (0.842 - 0.862).

Table 2. Factor analysis results for the items of the scale and Cronbach’s alpha value for the items after deleting the Item (n = 300).

Items	Saturation	Total correlation of a corrected item	Cronbach’s alpha value after deleting the Item
1. The state should oversee the rights of the Bedoon child.	.413	.372	.853
2. Countries must assist Bedoon families in raising their Bedoon children better.	.446	.420	.851
3. I believe that the ‘right to life’ is the fundamental right of Bedoon children.	.435	.337	.854
4. If Bedoon children are separated from their mother or father, or both, they have the right to see them.	.483	.418	.851
5. ‘States should help Bedoon families living in different countries live together.’	.495	.467	.855
6. I believe that Bedoon children have the right to express themselves through writing or drawing.	.740	.669	.842
7. ‘Because Bedoon children have a right to privacy, their private lives must be protected.’	.746	.656	.843
8. The state must protect Bedoon children from all forms of abuse.	.643	.547	.848
9. Bedoon children who do not have a home, in my opinion, should be protected and raised by the state.	.637	.569	.845
10. Bedoon children who cannot live with their parents have the right to be adopted or fostered by appropriate families.	.666	.356	.862
11. The state must take the necessary precautions to protect, educate, and employ Bedoon children who are disabled.	.671	.616	.842
12. Countries should assist Bedoon parents in providing better living conditions for their Bedoon children.	.584	.530	.846
13. I believe that the Bedoon child has the right to participate in various activities and games.	.705	.577	.848
14. Bedoon children, I believe, should be protected from drug use.	.688	.545	.848
15. Bedoon children, I believe, should be protected from all forms of abuse and neglect.	.697	.547	.848
16. Children who identify as Bedoon should, in my opinion, be shielded from any harm that might come from that.	.736	.612	.844
17. States must take every precaution in treating neglected and abused Bedoon children.	.615	.510	.848
18. It is important to support Bedoon youngsters who have run against the law to become responsible members of society.	.575	.317	.858
Eigenvalue	6.450
Variance ratio	35.40
Cronbach’s alpha value for the items 0.856

Results

The first question: What are the attitudes of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children in the State of Kuwait?

To answer this question, descriptive statistics were used from arithmetic means, standard deviations, and coefficient of variation for the responses of the study sample, and the results were as follows:

We conclude from Table 3 that the attitudes of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children in the State of Kuwait were positive and to a large extent, with a general mean (84.56), a standard deviation (6.91), and the value of the coefficient of difference was (8.2) only. The total score and the majority of the items, which means low discrepancy and low dispersion between the answers of the study sample, as well as indication that there is homogeneity, agreement, and high support among the members of the study sample about the rights of Bedoon children in the State of Kuwait. And with high arithmetic means for all items, as the sample’s responses tended towards approval and agreement to a large extent. It was found that the highest degrees were for items (14) that states (‘Bedoon children, I believe, should be protected from drug use.’), with an arithmetic mean (4.87), a standard deviation (0.51), and a coefficient of variation value (10.4). Then Item (15) states (‘Bedoon children, I believe, should be protected from all forms of abuse and neglect.’), with an arithmetic mean (4.86), a deviation of (0.50), and a coefficient of variation (10.2). Then, items (13) and (8) state (‘I believe that the Bedoon child has the right to participate in various activities and games.’ ‘The state must protect Bedoon children from all forms of abuse.’). It is attributed to these paragraphs that the sample supports more and more that Bedoon children should be protected from drug abuse and their protection from the negative influence of being Bedoon and their right to play games and participate in activities and protect them from abuse. While the lowest arithmetic mean came for items (5) and (10 which state (‘States should help separated Bedoon families living in different countries live together.’), (‘Bedoon children who cannot live with their parents have the right to be adopted or fostered by appropriate families.’) with arithmetic mean (4.29) and (4.12), respectively. With standard deviations between (1.14) and (1.24). This indicates a large discrepancy between the attitudes of the sample in those items since the coefficients of variation for the majority of the paragraphs were weak, except for the same two items, with a high coefficient of variation between (26.5 and 30.1). These items attribute the state’s responsibility to assist separated Bedoon families living in different countries, as well as opportunities for them to live with their parents or be adopted and cared for by suitable families.

Table 3. Arithmetic means, standard deviations, and the coefficient of variation for the responses of the study sample on a measure of the attitudes of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children (n = 1135).

Items	Mean	SD	Coefficient of variation
1. The state should oversee the rights of the Bedoon child.	4.70	0.73	15.4
2. ‘Countries must assist Bedoon families in raising their Bedoon children better.’	4.67	0.82	17.5
3. I believe that the ‘right to life’ is the fundamental right of Bedoon children.	4.81	0.62	12.8
4. ‘If Bedoon children are separated from their mother or father, or both, they have the right to see them.’	4.82	0.57	11.7
5. ‘States should help separated Bedoon families living in different countries live together.’	4.29	1.14	26.5
6. I believe that Bedoon children have the right to express themselves through writing or drawing.	4.80	0.59	12.2
7. ‘Because Bedoon children have a right to privacy, their private lives must be protected.’	4.78	0.64	13.5
8. ‘The state must protect Bedoon children from all forms of abuse.’	4.85	0.50	10.2
9.‘Bedoon children who do not have a home, in my opinion, should be protected and raised by the state.’	4.74	0.68	14.3
10. ‘Bedoon children who cannot live with their parents have the right to be adopted or fostered by appropriate families.’	4.12	1.24	30.1
11. ‘The state must take the necessary precautions to protect, educate, and employ Bedoon children who are disabled.’	4.72	0.67	14.1
12. ‘Countries, in my opinion, should assist Bedoon parents in providing better living conditions for their Bedoon children.’	4.59	0.84	18.4
13. ‘I believe that the Bedoon child has the right to participate in various activities and games.’	4.85	0.47	9.7
14. ‘Bedoon children, I believe, should be protected from drug use.’	4.87	0.51	10.4
15. ‘Bedoon children, I believe, should be protected from all forms of abuse and neglect.’	4.86	0.50	10.2
16. Children who identify as Bedoon should, in my opinion, be shielded from any harm that might come from that.	4.81	0.55	11.3
17. ‘States must take every precaution in treating neglected and abused Bedoon children.’	4.77	0.61	12.8
18. It is important to support Bedoon youngsters who have run against the law in becoming responsible members of society.	4.49	0.98	21.8
Total	84.56	6.91	8.2

The second question: Are there statistically significant differences in the mean of the study sample on the scale of the rights of Bedoon children attributed to the variables of the study (gender, study of education and or human rights course, kindergarten or primary stage, type of college?

T-test was used for independent samples, and the results are as follows:

We conclude from Table 4 that there are only statistically significant differences between the gender variable and females at a significance level of less than 0.05. There were no significant differences for the variable of studying the course of education or human rights (yes/no), as well as specialization in the kindergarten and primary stages (yes/no), and the college-type variable (literary/scientific), a significance level of the T-value was greater than 0.05.

Table 4. T-test for independent samples between the mean of Kuwait University students according to the variables (gender, study of the education or human rights course, kindergarten or primary stage, type of college) related to the rights of Bedoon children.

Variable	Level	n	Mean	SD	Degrees of freedom	T-value	significance level
Gender	Male	103	81.84	10.80	1133	4.21	.000
	Female	1032	84.83	6.33
Study of the education or human rights course?	Yes	364	84.60	7.23	1133	0.13	.900
	No	771	84.54	6.76
Kindergarten or primary stage?	Yes	377	84.18	7.13	1133	1.30	.193
	No	758	84.75	6.79
College	Literary	914	84.41	6.97	1133	1.50	.133
	scientific	221	85.19	6.63

The third question: Is there an effect for each of the variables (gender and study of the education or human rights course) on the attitude of students at Kuwait University towards the rights of Bedoon children?

Two-way classification analysis was used, and the results were as follows:

We conclude the following from Table 5:

Table 5. The results of the Two-way classification analysis of the effect of each gender and the study of education or human rights course and the interaction between them on the variable of the attitude of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children.

Sources of variation	Sum of squares	Degrees of freedom	Mean square	F-value	Significance
(A) Gender	673.96	1	673.96	14.38	.000
(B) study of the education or human rights course	201.02	1	201.02	4.29	.039
Interaction (A) x (B)	242.59	1	242.59	5.18	.023
Remainder	53014.15	1131	46.87
Total	8169526.00	1135

• There is an effect of gender on the attitude of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children at a significance level of 0.01. T-test showed it.

• There is an effect of the study of education or human rights course on the attitude of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children at a significance level of 0.05

• There is an effect of the interaction of each gender and study of education or human rights course on the attitude of Kuwait University students towards the rights of Bedoon children at significance level 0.05

Discussion

There are always certain pertinent variables in research, especially relating to the participants chosen to respond. In looking at university student perceptions, this means that a young, educated sector of the population was chosen for their views. This segment of the population may be considered favorable from the outset toward minorities and the rights of children, as they are a group in society encouraged toward thinking, discussion, and analysis.

The research findings for this study have largely paralleled that belief. The students showed support for the stateless ‘Bidoon’ and their children, even though they had been stripped of their status (post-1985) by the government. There is evidence that the students did not concur with this, and the students showed a high mean average feeling that stateless children should be protected from harm and abuse. However, Students and faculty members at Kuwait University did not openly oppose government policies, with the exception of a few who voiced their opinions on Twitter. Some Kuwaiti citizens believe that the stateless are not stateless because they conceal their nationality and only want to receive benefits from the Kuwaiti government like houses, marital facilities, free healthcare, and free education from kindergarten to College. At the same time, the rest of the citizens did not care about this issue because it was not their concern.

The literature supports this support for the children seen in the current study. As indicated in the review, both Erkut et al. (2022) and Karaman-Kepenekci (2006) showed high levels of support for children’s rights among students. However, there was the caveat with both of these studies that they were either only using the results from women (Erkut et al., 2022) or they were researching nurses, which meant that, in all likelihood, the majority of the responses came from women. This paper used results from both genders, so it added an extra dimension to the previous research. One unknown factor is whether the level of support was influenced by all the respondents having taken a human rights course as part of their study. Equally, the Karaman-Kepenekci (2006) study involved females who had taken human rights courses, so on two possible grounds, the findings may have been suspected at the outset. Equally, in the previous studies, did the overwhelmingly female-based responses lead to more sympathy for the rights of children?

The UN Rights of a Child allows fundamental rights of education, play, and safety to children. These children were largely born and raised in Kuwait, often with a parent who was also born and raised in Kuwait. Sympathy is naturally high for children, as childhood is an emotive term from the outset. The research did not extend toward measuring sympathy levels for the stateless adults, who may have come from Iraq as refugees. When asked about children, there is always a natural desire to protect and nurture them. Children, the participants noted, should be with their parents wherever possible and should have the right to see both parents, even when parents are separated.

Therefore, the desire to enhance the nurturing and protection of children should be seen by teachers. However, the literature review noted that in one key study (Banko-Bal & Guler-Yildiz, 2021), the teachers acknowledged and supported the principles. Still, their actions in the classroom were only sometimes compatible with the rights of the children. This may be because teachers are responsible for disciplining the young and have to use sanctions to ensure children comply with the rules. Where children are stateless or lead nomadic lifestyles, their access to school and the classroom environment may need to be more consistent. Concerns over classroom behavior may become an issue for the teachers, which could be a factor in the findings.

The participants’ faith could create another positive variable in the findings. As the research was conducted in a university setting in the Middle East, the participants were overwhelmingly Muslim. In Islam, the family has a very high status, and the protection of children is a key element of the family; equally, in the literature review, the key studies referred to were in Turkey, another Muslim country. In future research, it could be interesting to compare these findings with other student attitudes toward the Traveller/Romany/Gypsy community whose children are in a similar position.

Therefore, the desire to promote and protect the rights of the child should be an inherent part of living the faith. This was shown in the responses to where there may be evidence of neglect; the respondents overwhelmingly felt that it was society’s duty to protect and assist these children.

One of the limitations of the study is that there needed to be more selection and research. Besides, there needs to be more research on the issue, which poses a challenge as it is hard to get evidence-based research. There needs to be more access to data, which may have led to less exploration. For example, there are no facts on the number of stateless children in Kuwait, and having approximations could pose a threat to the research. Time constraints also posed a challenge as the questionnaires were to be distributed and the analysis conducted. Besides, the technique of data collection could be more reliable as it has its disadvantages, such as failure to answer questions correctly and misinterpretation of the question.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laila Saud Alkhayat

Dr. Laila Saud Alkhayat teaches basic education as a subordinate professor at Kuwait University. She graduated from the College of Alabama in Birmingham with a PhD in ECDE. Her most recent work examines the effects of technology and screen time on children’s social and spiritual development. She has researched a variety of topics, including how Kuwaiti children use YouTube and Netflix, the distinctions between public and private education, human rights education, and the effects of screen usage on autistic children. In a study of the difficulties Bidoon kids encountered during COVID-19, she applies her proficiency to comprehend their circumstances. She cooperated with the ‘Kuwait Volunteer Women’s Association’ for Community Service during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. For the purpose of enabling stateless youngsters to learn online, they gave them computers and tablets. Due to her profound contribution to Kuwait’s schooling scene and local area work, she realizes that there may be predispositions in her examination. To tackle this, she takes a thoughtful approach. She acknowledges her position and possible biases as someone who has worked in Kuwaiti schools. By being open about this insider perspective, she aims to make her research more honest and trustworthy. Throughout her research, she stays aware and uses thoughtful methods to lessen how much her perspective might influence the study’s results and conclusions.

Nawaf Alanezi

Nawaf Alanezi earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Educational and Policy Studies at Oklahoma State University, specializing in sociology and human rights education. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Foundations of Education at Kuwait University. His recent research interests include citizenship and human rights education as well as social and cultural foundations of education. His previous publications have examined the social construction of gender roles in Kuwait, educational policy, religious and human rights education, and educational and social experiences of cultural minority students.

Appendix A1

The results of factor analysis of the Turkish university students’ attitude scale towards children’s rights and item-total correlations (N300).

Table

Item number	Items	Communality	Factor loading	Corrected item-total correlation
1	I believe that persons under 18 years of age have rights because they are children.	0.204	0.452	0.3835
2	Preparing a special international covenant on children’s rights is optional.	0.131	0.361	0.3176
3	The rights of the child should be under the guidance of the state.	0.171	0.414	0.3822
4	States should help families in the better upbringing of their children	0.190	0.435	0.3813
5	I believe that the basic right of children is the "right to live."	0.175	0.418	0.3703
6	If children are apart from their mother or father or both, they should have the right to see them.	0.175	0.419	0.3461
7	States should provide necessary help to separated families living in different countries to live together.	0.314	0.561	0.4956
8	I think children should have the right to express their opinions in writing or drawing.	0.293	0.541	0.4890
9	Children have privacy; thus, their private lives should be protected.	0.204	0.451	0.4095
10	The state should protect children from all mistreatment	0.243	0.493	0.4099
11	I think the children who do not have a home should be protected and brought up by the state.	0.256	0.506	0.4276
12	It is the right of children who do not have the chance to live with their parents to be adopted or fostered by proper families.	0.149	0.386	0.3269
13	The state should take necessary precautions in order to protect, educate, and employ disabled children.	0.408	0.639	0.5561
14	Only families should have their children responsibility of their health, and the states should not interfere with the health problems of the children.	0.138	0.372	0.3255
15	Only adults should get social security benefit opportunities, not children.	0.276	0.525	0.4641
16	The states should help parents by supplying their children with better standards of life.	0.324	0.569	0.4969
17	It is the child’s right to play games and to participate in different activities.	0.403	0.635	0.5387
18	I believe that children should be protected against drug use.	0.328	0.573	0.4696
19	Children should be protected against all types of abuse and neglect.	0.372	0.610	0.5123
20	I believe children should be protected from war.	0.352	0.593	0.4740
21	States should take all precautions in the treatment and therapy of abused and neglected children.	0.510	0.714	0.6062
22	I believe that children in conflict with the law should be helped to be healthy and social citizens.	0.317	0.563	0.4586

Note: Loadings > 0.35 are considered meaningful.