The Faculty of Graduate Studies awarded the researcher Sireen Alawneh a Master’s Degree in Geography in response to her thesis entitled “Factors that Determine Family type (Nuclear or Extended) in the West Bank Palestine Case Study: Nablus City and it’s Rural Areas”.

The main objective of this study was to identify the factors that made the extended family a characteristic of the countryside and the nuclear family a characteristic of Cities, more specifically the study tried to answer the following question: What are the determinants of the nuclear family in the city and the countryside (the city of Nablus and its countryside as a model)?. To answer the question of the study and its hypothesis, the researcher used the analytical descriptive method by preparing an appropriate questionnaire for the study purposes, which measured both the demographic variables and the factors influencing the shape of the family, in addition to using the comparative approach to compare the study areas. The study population was composed of (64) residential communities (3) refugee camps, and it was also determined by a geographic map representing each (countryside, town and the city). The researcher chose Azmout village east of Nablus and the northern Asira town north of Nablus to represent the countryside, and chosen several areas from Nablus to represent the city, such as: Al-Orouba neighborhood (Al-Masakin Al-Sha’beyah), Industrial Zone (Iskan Al-Muhandisen, Rojeeb plain), Jerseem Area (Old City, Khalat Al-Amoud Neighborhood), Rafeedia Area (Al-Junied Neighborhood, Al-Muhandisen Southern Neighborhood), Eibal area (Al-Maajeen neighborhood and the National hospital Neighborhood). The study was conducted on a stratified sample of (343) families.

The tool of the study (questionnaire) consisted of two parts, the first part is about demographic information about sample, and the second part is about determinants of family type which is divided into four areas (family type prevalent in Palestinian society, role of economic factor in determining family type, role of social change in determining family type, role of family problems and death of head of family in determining family type). The validity of the tool was verified by presenting it to a number of arbitrators who verified the validity of the questionnaire paragraphs for the purposes of the study and the validity of the scientific and linguistic drafting. The total consistency coefficient of the questionnaire paragraphs in the three regions was (0.878). The researcher used the simple correlation coefficient analysis in addition to the frequencies, averages, percentages, T test for two independent samples, and the analysis of the mono-variance in order to test the hypotheses of the study. 

The researcher finally recommends the following:

1.    Spreading social awareness of the importance and impact of economic, social, geographic and demographic factors in determining the type of family and not just focusing on the economic factor like other studies in this field.

2.    Emphasize the importance of providing educational and cultural services in remote rural areas to reduce the urbanization of this city and thus maintain the extended family type as an essential feature of the Palestinian countryside to strengthen social ties.

3.    Conducting more research on phenomena and social problems and describe the aspects of social and cultural life in the Palestinian countryside, with similar research in other rural areas to know the aspects that have changed and the aspects that have not changed by comparing the stages in those villages, in order to benefit from them in practice in addressing the social problems of social change and directing the social and economic development plans according to the orientation of the population and their aspirations in the changing rural communities, as well as the city and the rest of the geographical spots.

4.    Addressing social and economic problems faced by the family in the Palestinian areas, in order to direct research and studies to uncover their causes in order to prepare the necessary treatment plans through decisions issued by the Palestinian National Authority, as well as understanding the attitudes of the new generation and understanding the changing roles in the family and society.

The committee consisted of: Dr. Ahmad Rafat as a main supervisor and Chairman, Dr. Hassan Qadoumi as an external examiner and Dr. Hussein Ahmad as an internal examiner.

At the end of the session, the committee approved the success of the researcher and recommended her a Master’s degree.