Israel's System Research Articles

A Study on Mechanism of Constitutional System in Israel

A Study on Mechanism of Constitutional System in Israel

Corneal and conjunctival injury seen in urgent care centres in Israel.

PurposeCorneal and conjunctival injuries (CCI) comprise a large portion of the cases presenting to hospital‐based emergency departments (ED) with ocular involvement. Urgent Care Centres (UCC) offer community based emergency care at lower cost than hospital‐based emergency departments (ED) and with greater temporal convenience than primary care office settings. While CCI prevalence and treatment at hospital‐based EDs has been well studied, this is the first report, to our knowledge, on CCI demographics and aetiology presenting to UCCs.MethodsThis retrospective study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. The setting is a UCC system in Israel, modelled on USA urgent care facilities, consisting of 17 branches at the time of the study. Electronic medical record data (between November 1, 2015 and October 31, 2016) of patients diagnosed with corneal disorder, foreign body or eye disorder were retrieved and reviewed for inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data collected included gender, age, chief complaint, diagnosis, treatment and discharge status (sent home or referred to ED). International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD‐9) codes were assigned to each record based on a review of all fields. UCC results were compared to all ED patients in Israel using data from a public report. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis.ResultsOf the 602 074 charts screened, 4797 patients presented with CCI (0.8%). The average age was 32.6 ± 18.2 years and 71.3% were male. Among these, 26.4% were referred to the ED compared to 6.8% from the entire UCC cohort. ICD‐9 code Foreign body (FB) of the eye was the most common cause of CCI (56.5%) followed by the following ICD‐9 codes: trauma (18.1%), chemical in the eye (11.1%) and corneal disorder due to a contact lens (5.1%). Logistic regression analyses showed the following risk factors for ED referral: age (22–64), male gender, ICD‐9 code FB, work‐related injury and the presence of a clinical abrasion in the eye.ConclusionsThe aetiology of ocular injury at UCC is similar to previous studies of ED. Most CCI can be treated at UCC saving ED resources and underscores the importance of this mode of health care delivery in the overall health system.

QUALITY ASSURANCE IN ISRAELY HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

Implementation of an effective system of quality assurance is an integral element of higher education management. A deep understanding of the essence of the system approach to ensuring the quality of higher education requires the study of the best world practices. The article is aimed to analyze implementation strategies of quality assurance policy within Israeli system of higher education. The case of Israel illustrates implementation of a system for assessing and assuring quality standards in higher education that is recognized as one of the highest national priorities. Quality assurance at Israeli higher education institutions is regulated by The Quality Assessment and Assurance Division. Nevertheless, Israeli Council for Higher Education promotes culture of establishing internal mechanisms to assure academic quality. The case study of quality assurance strategies in Israeli higher education institutions was focused on the analysis of key activities managed by teaching and learning centers. These centers are dedicated to professional development of faculty members to promote learning outcome of study programs through innovative teaching methodologies. Missions and functions of the centers are based on common international standards. The spectrum of activities includes: professional development of teaching stuff (workshops for newly recruited both senior and junior stuff, and individual teaching consultations to senior stuff); technological and pedagogical support for curricula and course design (from lecture-based to fully online-courses support); implementation and integration of new technologies: particularly by scouting, absorbing and effectively implementing digital technologies; and conducting students’ teaching satisfaction surveys. Results obtained can promote further understanding of some of the key issues relevant to the implementation of an effective internal quality assurance system within Ukrainian institutions of higher education.

A qualitative inquiry of old people's health literacy in situations of health uncertainty

This paper examines the health literacy of seniors and the strategies they use to deal with health uncertainty in the context of changes in the health system in Israel that have created a need to examine health literacy in this sector of the population who use the health system the most. The oldest were born and grew up in an era when a physician's knowledge was unchallenged; now, they find it difficult to cope with the expectation of patients taking a role in decision making. In-depth interviews were carried out with 17 seniors between the ages of 70-87 that focused on their perception of their health and their health literacy. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Seniors used different information sources when looking for medical information. Participants reported three coping mechanisms that help them deal with the uncertainty: disregarding the problem, relying on the physician and searching for information. The study found different levels of health literacy among participants but, overall, participants who lead an active and optimistic lifestyle tend to take more responsibility for their health and have higher health information literacy.

The work process for the promotion of students with special needs integrated in the kindergartens of regular education: the case of Israel

The Special Education Law in Israel was legislated on July 12, 1988. The law determined precedence and advance preference for the placement of special needs students in the regular educational system over the special education system. In the spirit of the law, methodical and painstaking processes that arrange the work with special needs students in the educational system were determined. This article presents two work processes implemented in parallel in the regular kindergartens. The first work process is with students who have functional difficulties, before their definition and as prevention of their definition as students with special needs. The second process is the work process with the special needs students who are integrated in the regular kindergartens, intended to prevent their referral to frameworks of special education. These processes reflect the development that occurred in the importance ascribed in the educational system in Israel to careful and adjusted work with students who have difficulties and special needs and are integrated in the kindergartens of regular education. Alongside the described development, the article presents the challenges and the questions that the implementation of the processes poses.

Trust among teachers and educational counsellors in the Arab education system

This research investigated the perceptions of trust expressed by teachers and educational counsellors in the Arab education system in Israel, and aimed to answer the following questions: (1) How do the teachers and counsellors perceive the concept of ‘trust in schools’? (2) How is trust expressed in practice in the school? (3) Which factors are seen as assisting the formation of trust, or inhibiting the development of trust in school? To answer these questions, we interviewed five female educational counsellors and twenty teachers (ten men and ten women) from different schools in the Arab education system. The research revealed four foundations for the creation of trust in the schools: substantive autonomy that helps to foster teachers’ leadership; the school decision-making mechanism; an organizational culture that promotes egalitarian and just team work; and expression of gratitude and admiration. The paper concludes with implications for trust building in schools.

THE INTRODUCTION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES

The article is devoted to the experience of introducing inclusive education to a number of European countries (Poland, Israel, Norway, Denmark, Sweden) and the United States of America. There has been analyzed the formation and functioning of inclusive education in the above mentioned countries. In particular, inclusive education has been introduced relatively recently in Poland, but the involvement of a wide range of specialists is being carried out for its successful functioning. For this purpose, centers for education and rehabilitation of the disabled people have been organized, in which specialists help to solve the problems of the organization of inclusive education. The Israeli system for the organization and functioning of inclusive education is based on the consideration and observance of the provisions of the Concept of Inclusive Education. It requires that the proposed model of immersion should be taken into account, emphasizing the particularities of studying in the inclusive class, based on certain factors for the implementation of a successful inclusive process. In inclusive education, coordinators and counselors with special education are involved. The coordinator works with students. Each Scandinavian country has developed a national strategy for the implementation of inclusive education. The «inclusive education» course is provided for studying by students of all pedagogical specialties. In Norway, a system of state support for children with special educational needs has been organized since the middle of the last century. Children are taught by special educators trained at universities for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The Danish system of inclusive education is characterized by the fact that in some schools there are students with special educational needs together with groups of children studying in mass schools. In Sweden, there are various forms of inclusive education. A special educator works with children in the classroom. Besides, special educators from the municipal centers for child rehabilitation provide advice and recommendations to parents and teachers. The organization and functioning of inclusive education in the United States is somewhat different from that of the European one. In particular, more attention is paid to the training of qualified specialists of public schools who work with children with special educational needs. Members of the multidisciplinary team work with teachers. If it is necessary, a facilitator works with children with special educational needs. The analysis of the foreign background of the organization and functioning of inclusive education makes it possible to identify the components that should be introduced in Ukraine with the purpose of successful implementation of the inclusive form of teaching children with special educational needs.

Linking school-based management and school effectiveness: The influence of self-based management, motivation and effectiveness in the Arab education system in Israel

Using a sample of 300 Arab teachers in Israel, we developed a model to analyze how school-based management directly and indirectly (through motivation) affects school effectiveness. The results show that there is a positive relationship between all dimensions of self-management (decision-making, resource and personnel management, availability of resources, and organizational structure) and school effectiveness. In addition, the results show full mediation between resource management, personnel and organizational structure, and school effectiveness through motivation. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications as well as directions for future research are presented.

La fatale attrazione tra diritto sacro e diritto secolare nel modello israeliano: la giurisdizione dei tribunali rabbinici in materia di matrimonio e divorzio

SOMMARIO: 1. La giurisdizione dei tribunali rabbinici in materia di status personale: il matrimonio e il divorzio nel diritto halachico e nei piu recenti orientamenti giurisprudenziali - 2. Diritto, stato e religione nel modello giuridico israeliano: religious law vs. secular law? - 3. L’incorporazione diretta del diritto ebraico nel modello israeliano: law as religion, religion as law - 4. Beis Din, identita religiosa e risoluzione alternativa delle controversie.The fatal attraction between religious law and secular law in the Israeli legal system: the jurisdiction of the rabbinical courts in matters of marriage and divorceABSTRACT: This article explores a unique case study of privatized family law in a liberal democratic state in the Western world: Israel. The complex relationship among law, religion and state presents characters quite peculiar in the Israeli experience. Due to historical and cultural reasons, among the systems belonging to western legal tradition, there is no other country that experiences more intensely the problem of religion’s place. In matters of marriage and right to divorce, the Israeli system nominally adheres to exclusive religious law and jurisdiction, by means of rabbinical courts, but religious and civil systems interact profoundly, shaping its family law as a hybrid creature of civil and religious legal elements. Unlike what happens in other countries, such as Canada, United Kingdom or United States, the Supreme Court of Israel has not yet undertaken a detailed policy analysis of the balance between the rights and obligations of the husband and wife in the process of enforcing divorce judgments, but sanctions against recalcitrant spouses in Rabbinical courts in Israel have been addressed in light of the principles of Jewish and constitutional law. The implementation of fundamental rights in family law matters, specifically the one of equality between spouses, is a prerogative of the jurisprudence of secular courts.

Religious Education among Minority Muslim Schools in Israel: The Condition and Overview

The education system in Israel is a centralized system including both Jews and Arabs. Therefore, these schools are controlled both administratively (including funding) and curricular by the government. From the data obtained in the field, there is an unbalanced comparison between Jewish and non-Jewish educational systems (including Arabic) in Israel. This shows the lack of resource justice, budgetary discrimination, and less developed learning and development programs, especially seen in the Arabic education system. The main purpose of education in Israel is to help the Jewish majority group and intend to maintain Jewish domination. Arabic education applied in Israel has been the subject of Muslim and Arab intellectual criticism. Their rejection is mainly related to the inequality, discrimination and marginalization facing Arab education. With this perspective, the Islamic movement has spurred Islamic educational institutions to uphold and maintain the religious identity and national identity of Muslim minority members in Israel. The article describes the education system in Israel including the religious education system as well as the education system for minorities in Israel.

Thinking Styles among the Arab-Minority Teachers in the Arab Education System in Israel

This study examined the thinking styles prevalent among Arab teachers, given their status as members of a minority, in the Arab education system in Israel. Examination of thinking styles very important for predicting a person's behavior in different situations, and teachers’ thinking styles predict some of their professional behavior when at work in school. The teaching profession demands certain personal characteristics, skills, and a wide professional knowledge base together with appropriate thinking and perceptions and thinking styles are considered to be an important aspect of the teacher’s work. A central aspect of a person’s personality is their thinking style and another, parallel aspect, is their characteristics. Each of the two have their unique contribution and defining structure. A person’s thinking style is influenced by culture and social characteristics and different cultures and societies are characterized by different thinking styles. As members of a national minority in Israel, the thinking styles of Arab teachers have not been previously studied, despite the fact that Arab society is undergoing rapid change in the social, economic, political, cultural, and familial spheres and despite the fact that thinking styles of teachers have an important impact on their day-to-day work in school. It is therefore important to study this subject and to examine the prevalent thinking styles among Arab teachers given their status as a minority in the education system in Israel. The study was conducted among 185 Arab teachers who answered a questionnaire about thinking styles. Their responses were analyzed using the SPSS statistic software. The principle findings showed that the most prevalent thinking styles were Type 2 (executive, local, conservative, and oligarchic) and Type 3 (monarchic, anarchic, internal, and external). The least prevalent was Type 1 (legislative, judicial, global, liberal, and hierarchic).

The Factors that Affect the Process of Integration and Application of the ICT Program in the Arab Education System in Israel

The article explores the connection between the level of the teacher’s pedagogic technical knowledge and assimilating an ICT program in school in the Arab sector in Israel, and the impact of the teachers’ attitudes on assimilating ICT programs. The research findings indicate that when the teacher thinks that the change is correct, and that it is worthwhile for the system to assimilate it better, one can understand that the teacher’s readiness for change is most important. One can thus learn that the teacher’s trust in the goals of the change is crucial in order for it to be effective. Although the change is in the ICT field, the research findings hone the need to emphasize the pedagogic aspect and the extent of its impact on the success of assimilating and applying the ICT.

Spatial Data Structure and Functionalities for 3D Land Management System Implementation: Israel Case Study

With the existence of mature technologies and modern urban planning necessities, there is a growing public demand to improve the efficiency and transparency of government administrations. This includes the formation of a comprehensive modern spatial land management (cadastre) system having the capacity to handle various types of data in a uniform way—above-terrain and below-terrain—enabling the utilization of land and space for various complex entities. To utilize existing knowledge and systems, an adaptive approach suggests extending and augmenting the existing 2D cadastre systems to facilitate 3D land management capabilities. Following a comprehensive examination of the Survey of Israel’s operative cadastral system that supports 2D land administration, it turned out that it is crucial to outline new concepts, modify existing terms and define specification guidelines. That is, to augment and provide full 3D support to the current operative cadastral system, and to create a common and uniform language for the various parties involved in the preparation of 2D and 3D mutation plans required for modern urban planning needs. This study refers to the legal and technical aspects of Survey of Israel’s CHANIT, which is the legal set of cadastral work processes specifications, focusing on database, data structure, functionality, and regulation gaps while emphasizing on 3D cadastral processes. The outcome is recommendations concerning data structure and functionalities needed to be addressed for the facilitation and implementation of an operative 3D land management system in Israel.

Managing the Implementation Process of Educational System Reform in Israel

Abstract The reform based on meaningful learning is a change process which entered in the education system in Israel. Like complex change processes in large systems and organizations, organizational change success depends on internal and external processes and factors. The connection between external stakeholders and internal stakeholders is two-way and is even more emphasized when one talks about change (Mintzberg & Westly, 1992), as on one hand, external stakeholders can initiate by themselves an organizational change where success will depend on cooperation and application of the change by internal stakeholders (Ford et al., 2008). The performed research checked the correlation between the support of external stakeholders and internal stakeholders in the reform of meaningful learning and their link to its success. The research findings show that external stakeholders as inspectors and parents have a significant role in successful implementation of a reform and their link to the internal stakeholders - principals and teachers - is an important indicator to the implementation of the reform, moderate resistance, and the overall reform's success.

Arab women’s educational leadership and the implementation of social justice in schools

PurposeThe 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/approachFour superintendents and two principals participated in in-depth interviews, describing their careers in education and their contributions.FindingsThe 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/valueIt is concluded that through their jobs these women leaders were able to initiate a policy of change and promote a new educational agenda.

History Education for Arab Palestinian Schools in Israel

Since 1948, the Educational system for Palestinian Arabs in Israel was affected by political and ideological considerations of the Jewish state policy. Nurit Peled-Elhanan (2012) argues that the textbooks used in the school system in Israel are laced with a pro-Israel ideology and that they play a part in priming Israeli children for military service. She analyzes the presentation of images, maps, layouts and use of language in History, Geography and Civic Studies textbooks, and reveals how the books might be seen to marginalize Palestinians, legitimize Israeli military action and reinforce Jewish-Israeli territorial identity. Up until 1987 the Department for Arab Education was headed by a Jewish-Israeli director who was appointed by the Ministry of Education and involved in policy making for ensuring control over the Palestinians. Since then Palestinians have been appointed to lead the Department but they have been lacked of power or decision making, which remained under the direct control of the Ministry of Education. Thus the Department for Arab Education has no autonomous decision and authorities, but only meant to supervise the education of Palestinian Arabs and answer to Jewish-Israelis who continue to be in charge. Since the first years Israeli politicians saw in the state education system, an instrument to realize Zionist political objectives, and on the other hand the educational system was used to ensure weakening of Arab and Palestinian identity in the country.

How Novice Principals Face the Challenges of Principalship in the Arab Education System in Israel

This article discusses challenges facing novice principals (hereinafter: NPs) and the coping strategies they develop at the inception of their managerial careers. Qualitative research employed semistructured interviews with 40 principals in the Arab education system in Israel. Findings indicated that Arab NPs face conflicting demands of their communities and the state, especially demands of recent government reforms. The sharp transition from teaching to administration is beset by challenges, engendering anxiety. The new role is complex involving immense responsibility, they need to alter their role perception, and struggle to create an organizational culture complying with their vision. Cultural blocks face female NPs since principalship is traditionally an exclusively male role, attributed much respect and power in patriarchal Arab society. All NPs noted that they lacked professional assistance and emotional support. Nevertheless, professional mentors were seen as helpful. Conclusions may inform novice school principals facing similar challenges in traditional and minority societies.

Teacher-related factors in assimilation of technological change in schools

PurposeThe 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/approachThe 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.FindingsResults 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/implicationsThe 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/valueThis 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.

Biased Appointments under Meritocracy The Israeli Model

This paper examines several features of the Civil Service Appointments Law, illustrating the gradual transition from the British influenced meritocratic model Israel sought to emulate to a less meritocratic model under which many appointments are made without tenders, that is - appointments. By reviewing this process, this essay examine the trend of biased appointments, reveal the various regulatory mechanisms and try to determine whether the erosion of the classic meritocratic model constitutes a failure of the regulatory mechanisms or rather a conscious shift in the appointments model. This essay proposes ways to strengthen the civil service appointment system in Israel limiting the amount of appointments without tenders, in terms of type and volume, as well as focusing on quality and skills even if the appointments are warranted on an individual and/or political basis.

Innovative higher education learning outcomes and financing trends in Israel

Many changes in Israeli higher education have occurred during the last two decades as the country evolved from having less than 20 higher education institutions to having more than 65 institutions. The number of students has risen from about 100,000 to more than 250,000. From a semi-monolithic system that consisted mainly of research universities, the Israeli higher education system developed into a two-tier system. In spite of these dramatic changes, still more than half of the relevant age group cannot pass the academic requirements for admission to higher education. A vibrant academic system should cope with social and economic changes alongside academic issues. This paper analyses the current higher education system in Israel and its historical background. It analyses the main factors that brought structural changes in recent years and outlines the weaknesses of the current system. Finally, it contextualizes the existing educational funding formula and focuses on various socioeconomic indicators that may be combined into a new funding model.