Same or different? A comparative study of habitus—ultra-orthodox and secular students of teaching

Abstract

Although the state ideology assumes that by virtue of their affiliation with the “same” religion, Jewish citizens of Israel are a culturally homogeneous population, the school system makes room for institutions with different orientations to the faith. To assess whether teachers in schools that differ in their approach to religion are likely to educate children toward a unified Israeli–Jewish culture, we investigated aspects of the habitus, the configuration of dispositions into which student teachers had been socialized. The inquiry is based on research literature related to choosing teaching as a vocation and to the significance of habitus in education. A closed questionnaire on motives for choosing to teach disclosed that secular students cited intrinsic motives (creativity, individual interest), and ultra-orthodox students placed more emphasis on extrinsic motives (gaining a livelihood, community esteem). Findings from semi-structured interviews highlight conspicuous differences between the groups in their conceptions of habits, their processing of attitudes, their values, and their orientation to the functions of teaching. We conclude that an intensive program of intercultural education is needed to overcome the structural and curricular divisions institutionalized in the Israeli school system.