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1 – 10 of 112Kussai Haj-Yehia and Khalid Arar
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the factors that attract (pull) or discourage (push) Palestinian students from Israel (PSI) to study at a Palestinian university, the Arab…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the factors that attract (pull) or discourage (push) Palestinian students from Israel (PSI) to study at a Palestinian university, the Arab American University in Jenin (AAUJ), for the first time since the establishment of Israel in 1948.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research method using in-depth interviews with 15 PSI who study at AAUJ attempts to define the motivations behind PSI preferring AAUJ, on one hand, and constraints, on the other hand.
Findings
The findings of the study show factors that attract PSI to study at the AAUJ and what subjects they choose to study there, the encounter with a similar culture and nationalism in a Palestinian campus in the occupied West Bank; the most significant difficulties and impediments they face there, whether economic or political, are discussed. This paper contributes to an understanding of the new national re-encounter between two Palestinian groups in a university campus, one under Israel’s occupation and the other that has Israeli citizenship.
Originality/value
It is a unique phenomenon in the trends of international students’ mobility in the world.
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Khalid Arar and Ruth Abramowitz
The purpose of this paper is to examine Arab teachers’ motivations and justifications for choosing a college for postgraduate studies.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine Arab teachers’ motivations and justifications for choosing a college for postgraduate studies.
Design/methodology/approach
During the academic year 2014, the authors administered questionnaires to 150 Arab teachers studying postgraduate courses at a peripheral all-Arab teacher-training college in order to investigate their motivations for engaging in postgraduate studies and their justifications for choosing this college.
Findings
Findings indicated that the strongest motivation expressed by the students is intrinsic: desires for self-fulfillment and further education. Aspirations for social mobility also motivate the Arab teachers, while professional development is of less importance. Convenience (proximity to home and employment prospects while studying) determines the justification to choose this college. The reputation of the college was of less importance. Correlation and predictive tests reveal no connection between the level of intrinsic motivations and factors for choosing this college. Extrinsic motivations positively correlate with the justifications of convenience and reputation.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusion is that for the Arab teachers, the possibility to pursue postgraduate studies at a peripheral all-Arab teacher-training college near home answers the needs of those looking for professional development.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the authors’ understanding of teachers’ choice of a higher education institution for their postgraduate studies and professional developement.
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Muhammed Abu Nasra and Khalid Arar
The purpose of this paper is to develop a model in which leadership styles (transformational or transactional leadership) directly and indirectly (through occupation perception…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a model in which leadership styles (transformational or transactional leadership) directly and indirectly (through occupation perception) affect teacher performance (in-role performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)).
Design/methodology/approach
The research hypothesis holds that the leadership style (transformational or transactional) has a direct and indirect effect on teacher performance (through occupation perception). These hypotheses have been tested on data collected from 630 Arab Israeli teachers.
Findings
Teachers’ in-role performance increases as they perceive their principals’ leadership style as more transformational and less transactional. In addition, the results reveal that the effect of transformational principals’ leadership style on OCB is expressed only by indirect effect (through occupational perception).
Originality/value
The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the way leadership style and performance interact in schools, and the importance of teachers’ occupational perception in explaining this relationship. Future research should further investigate the teachers’ occupational perceptions and its effect on their performance as little research has been conducted to date.
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Khalid Arar, Muhammed Abu Nasra and Hassan Alshafi
The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of parental involvement among 317 teachers in the Arab education system in Israel.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of parental involvement among 317 teachers in the Arab education system in Israel.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire measured teachers’ attitudes regarding parents’ involvement in the school relating to pedagogy, resources, and control.
Findings
The findings show that Arab teachers perceive parents’ involvement as related to pedagogy and resources rather than control. In addition, the research results revealed that young teachers in terms of age, and seniority of teaching, and teachers who are not members of the management team demonstrated a stronger perception of the pedagogy and control components than did older and senior teachers and teachers who are members of the management team. However, older and senior teachers and teachers who are members of the management team had a stronger perception that parental involvement related to resources than did young teachers and teachers who are not members of the management team.
Social implications
Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to our understandings of the different components that affect parental involvement in developing and minority societies.
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Asmahan Massry-Herzallah and Khalid Arar
The research investigates perceptions of teachers in the Arab education system in Israel concerning the effect of their principal’s leadership and gender on their motivation…
Abstract
Purpose
The research investigates perceptions of teachers in the Arab education system in Israel concerning the effect of their principal’s leadership and gender on their motivation. Relying on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions as an analytic tool to understand the Arab school, the purpose of this paper is to answer the following research questions: first, how do the teachers perceive the leadership style and gender of their principal and what influence do these perceptions have on their motivation? Second, what are the influences of the different dimensions of culture described by Hofstede on the teachers’ motivation?
Design/methodology/approach
To answer these questions, 18 teachers from different schools in the Arab education system (10 female and 8 male) were interviewed.
Findings
The research revealed three themes which describe the teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ leadership styles with consideration of the principals’ gender: the principals’ involvement and sharing of school operations and decision making with the teachers; the extent of autonomy given to teachers; and establishment of principal–teacher relationships.
Originality/value
The paper concludes with implications of these leadership styles for teachers’ motivation for work, and suggestions are given to improve Arab principals’ practices and thus to enhance teachers’ motivation.
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Khalid Arar and Muhammed Abu Nasra
The field of educational systems has witnessed an increase in studies of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as it contributes to the effectiveness and success of schools…
Abstract
Purpose
The field of educational systems has witnessed an increase in studies of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as it contributes to the effectiveness and success of schools and achieving their objectives and goals. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between principals’ leadership style, occupational perceptions and OCB.
Design/methodology/approach
The research hypothesis holds that the leadership style (transformational or transactional) have a direct and indirect effect on OCB (through occupation perception). These hypotheses have been tested on data collected from 620 Arab Israeli teachers.
Findings
The results reveal that: transformational and transactional leadership have no direct effect on OCB, an indirect effect of occupational perception on the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB, occupational perception did not mediate the effect between transactional leadership and OCB.
Originality/value
The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the way leadership style and OCB interact in schools, and the importance of teachers’ occupational perception in explaining this relationship. Future research should further investigate the teachers’ occupational perceptions and its effect on their performance as little research has been conducted to date.
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It is widely accepted that educational leaders and teachers need to manage and regulate their emotions continually, mainly because schooling and teaching processes expose many…
Abstract
Purpose
It is widely accepted that educational leaders and teachers need to manage and regulate their emotions continually, mainly because schooling and teaching processes expose many emotions. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to trace the ways Israeli assistant principals, both Arab and Jewish, manage their emotions at work.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on semi-structured interviews with 15 assistant principals, it was found that they are required to manage their emotions in accordance with entrenched emotion rules in the culture and society.
Findings
Most of the Jewish female APs tend to display warmth and empathy toward teachers in order to better understand their personal needs and professional performances. In contrast, Arab APs suppressed or fabricated emotional expression in their discourse with teachers and parents, in order to maintain a professional façade and retain the internal cohesion of the school. Both groups of APs believed their emotion regulation results in higher level of harmony in the school. Empirical and practical suggestions are put forward.
Originality/value
The paper is original and contributes to the theoretical and practical knowledge.
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Abstract
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The purpose of this paper is to focus on gender and social justice (SJ) among pioneer female principals and superintendents in the Arab education system in Israel. The research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on gender and social justice (SJ) among pioneer female principals and superintendents in the Arab education system in Israel. The research questions were: what motivated these women to act for SJ? Are there common personal characteristics and educational values which characterize these women? What actions have they taken to apply SJ through their work?
Design/methodology/approach
Four superintendents and two principals participated in in-depth interviews, describing their careers in education and their contributions.
Findings
The findings indicate that these women were highly motivated often by their backgrounds to right social wrongs upholding values of equality and justice and empowering others to succeed. They employed leadership skills that initiate a strong desire to succeed and challenged inegalitarian rules and norms. They brought their unique feminine strengths and experience to promote social goals far beyond requirements of their official job descriptions. Hopefully their views and actions can guide the Arab education system to pedagogy that rectifies social injustice includes students and empowers teachers.
Originality/value
It is concluded that through their jobs these women leaders were able to initiate a policy of change and promote a new educational agenda.
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Khalid Arar and Ruth Abramovitz
The purpose of this paper is to explore teachers’ attitudes toward the implementation of new computer technology to improve teaching and learning products at a private Arab school…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore teachers’ attitudes toward the implementation of new computer technology to improve teaching and learning products at a private Arab school in Israel. Specifically, the aim was to individuate teachers’ factors associated with higher productivity of this technological change.
Design/methodology/approach
The research used the mixed-methods approach to enrich the data derived from a case study. It employed a questionnaire of 81 items administered among 55 teachers and in-depth interviews with both teachers and senior management team members at one private Arab school in Israel.
Findings
Results show some features that characterize the teachers who rated the productivity of this new management change highly. Those teachers tend to have high expectations of the change and to view the change implementation process favorably. Teachers with such characteristics tend to be female teachers. The influence of teachers’ education was latent. Their teaching experience influenced only their expectations and views of the process, but not their perceptions of the change products.
Research limitations/implications
The paper focused only on one private school known for its excellence and teaching staff, and thus may not apply to the entire Arab education system in Israel. Nevertheless, the findings indicate how to increase teaching productivity when planning the management of technological change for increased teaching benefits in schools with similar characteristics.
Originality/value
This paper explored a case in which technological change was implemented through a careful process of management planning, in order to facilitate the construction of a model of indicators to facilitate change.
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