“Arab students do not reveal their difficulties”: faculty members’ perceptions of the barriers to higher education among Arab students in Israel

Abstract

ABSTRACT Minorities encounter barriers to integrating in higher education. However, only a few studies have examined these barriers from the perspective of faculty members. The present study aimed to understand the barriers that Arab students in Israeli higher education face, from the perspective of deans and department heads. Using the naturalistic qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 deans and department heads in academic institutions where Arab students are enrolled. The analyses revealed four main themes, providing a holistic framework of barriers to higher education: 1) Socio-political barriers associated with a neglectful policy that produces a sense of victimhood among the minority, peripherality, lack of equal opportunities in the labour market and minority-majority relations in the nationalist context. 2) Institutional barriers related to the institutional policy and interpersonal relationships within the institution. 3) Social barriers related to characteristics of Arab society. 4) Personal barriers including language difficulties, lack of cooperation and passivity and immaturity of Arab students. Our findings show that the participants are not aware that these barriers are multitype and interrelated. Therefore, awareness of cultural competence should be raised in all academic institutions, among both academic and administrative staff, towards adapting teaching and services to minority students.