Teacher Training College In Israel Research Articles

Online Learning in Higher Education – Learners' Perceptions, Interaction, Flexibility and Challenges

The current study explores preservice teachers' engagement in online learning. A total of 653 students from two Arab teacher-training colleges in Israel answered an attitude questionnaire focusing on four significant aspects of online learning: participants’ perceptions; interactions with online learning; learning flexibility; and challenges of online learning. Inferential statistics methods were employed, mainly MANOVA analysis and the Structural Equation Modelling approach model (SEM). Results indicate the participants' readiness to learn online, showing positive perceptions towards online learning and highlighting the method's flexibility, even though several challenges are still impeding the learning process. The study also shows that the participants’ perceptions, the method's flexibility and learning challenges, in addition to the learners' demographic variables, could affect the learners' interaction with online learning. The study results could help in understanding the associations between the perceptions of and experiences with online learning, specifically students' online interaction. Future research could examine other aspects relating to students’ interaction with online learning and the relationship of online learning with the learners' properties and the method's characteristics.

The educator’s role in democratic and multicultural societies: student perceptions at a teacher training college in Israel

PurposeEducators are recognized as key agents of social change, responsible for shaping future citizens. Beyond imparting knowledge, teachers are crucial in addressing societal challenges such as sustainability, democracy and social equality. This study aims to investigate the attitudes of Jewish and Arab students toward democratic values and how they perceive their role as educators in a multicultural society.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores the attitudes of majority and minority group students in an Israeli teacher training college towards realizing democratic values and promoting shared citizenship. The sample included 382 Jewish and Arab students, who answered a questionnaire about attitudes regarding education for democracy and shared society, and their perception of their role in promoting this education.FindingsThe investigation delves into students’ civic perceptions, shedding light on the moderate and pluralistic stances held by both Jewish and Arab students. They advocate for cross-cultural exposure and interaction, with Jewish students demonstrating slightly more moderate views than the prevailing norms in Israeli society. Interestingly, Jewish students exhibited a willingness to engage in discussions on conflictual topics, whereas Arab students tended to avoid them.Social implicationsThis study underscores the potential of teacher training colleges in shaping the upcoming generation of educators as advocates of tolerance, and democracy, and promoters of a shared society.Originality/valueThis research gains heightened relevance in a contemporary landscape where numerous nations, especially those comprising diverse cultures, grapple with surges of nationalism that threaten democratic values. Teacher training colleges hold the key to forging a more harmonious future by becoming beacons of transformative pedagogy. These institutions can shape a new generation of educators who are poised to catalyze authentic social change.

‘Arabic creates an atmosphere of safety because it is our mother tongue:’ inclusive training for Arab students at a teacher training college in Israel

ABSTRACT This article describes the learning experiences of Arab preservice high-school teachers on a teacher education programme tailored to their needs at a teacher-training college in Israel. The aim of the study was to gain a deep understanding of Arab students’ learning experiences on courses taught in Arabic and focused on the Arab education system. A qualitative data analysis revealed one main theme: Use of the native language, Arabic, promotes learning. This theme was divided into seven sub-themes. The findings indicate a significant contribution of courses taught in Arabic to the students’ positive emotional learning experience, promoting a sense of confidence, intimacy, and sharing in a sociocultural context. To this end, the issues are examined in depth and conceptualised in theoretical and practical terms. The results of the analysis are expected to assist Arab preservice teachers’ professional and personal development and to facilitate inclusion of minority groups in higher education in Israel and worldwide.

Same route, different destinations: a cluster analysis of student-teacher types among Palestinian student-teachers living in Israel

ABSTRACT The main purpose of the present study was to examine the typology of Palestinian student-teachers living in Israel according to four variables: (a) the type of motivation, (b) perceived suitability, (c) career choice satisfaction and (d) student-teacher commitment. Data were collected from 113 first-year Palestinian Arab students studying at teacher training colleges in Israel. questionnaires and interviews served as methods to collect data. cluster analysis was performed in order to distinguish between different types of student teachers. Results indicated that there were four different types of student-teachers: the ‘prophets’, the ‘convinced’, the ‘realist’ and the ‘sufferers’.

Flattening the Hierarchy Curve: Adaptive Leadership during the Covid-19 Pandemic – A Case Study in an Academic Teacher Training College

The Covid-19 pandemic forced institutions of higher education to adopt agile leadership behaviors. The current research aims to examine how the leadership at the Ohalo teacher training college in Israel dealt with the crisis caused by the pandemic. The research hypothesis, predicting a positive relationship between the college leadership’s decisions and lecturers’ positive evaluations regarding these decisions, was confirmed.
 
 Previous research has given scant attention to the relationship between running an academic institution and applying principles of adaptive leadership during a crisis. This article presents a case study of adaptive leadership at an academic institution during the Covid-19 pandemic. The conclusions suggest that ensuring the continued functioning of an organization during a crisis requires skills and competencies reflecting multifaceted and adaptive leadership, agility, and direct channels of reciprocal, cooperative communication. Opportunities for initiative taking should be provided, and a consistent policy must be maintained that aims to “flatten the hierarchy curve.”

The degree of social and educational integration and absorption of Arab Bedouin female students in teacher training institutions in Israel

The issue of the process of integration and absorption of Arab Bedouin female students in teacher training institutions in Israel constitutes a significant yet critical chapter in the course of forming the personal and professional identity of the prospective teacher. The main purpose of this article is to describe the difficulties experienced by Arab Bedouin female students during the process of their social and educational integration and absorption in teacher training institutions. Also, to deal with the differences between Arab and Jewish teacher training institutions. Furthermore, to what extent the cultural encounter is perceived by the students that would enable them to have social and educational integration.The study involved 200 Bedouin Arab female students living in the Negev and learning in four teacher-training colleges in Israel; Kaye College of Education, Achva College, Sakhnin College for teacher training and Al-Qasmi College. The students answered a questionnaire that was written for this study. The findings of the study indicated many difficulties in the process of absorbing and integrating Arab Bedouin students in various teacher-training institutions in the country. Not to mention, language difficulties experienced by them with regard to reading articles and writing papers, not in their native tongue. The multicultural encounter between the different genders also poses a great difficulty in addition to the age difference between Arab and Jewish students. Furthermore, the policy of the Israeli academic institutions does not fully represent the Arab culture and in the interaction between the academic and administrative staff and the Arab Bedouin students.

The impact of an online collaborative learning program on students’ attitude towards technology

ABSTRACTThis quantitative research examined the contribution of an Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) program on attitudes towards technology in terms of technological anxiety, self-confidence and technology orientation among M.Ed. students. The advanced online collaborative program was implemented at two teacher training colleges in Israel for a period of 10 weeks. It was based on the TEC model that used technology to increase trust between students from different cultures through online learning. Students from the intervention group (N = 47) and the control group (N = 45) completed questionnaires which dealt with their level of collaboration, intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, and attitudes towards technology. Findings of the SEM path analysis indicated that a high level of OCL promoted positive attitudes to technology. Thus, involving students in OCL programs could reduce technological anxiety and increase technological self-confidence and technological liking. However, students’ motivation and satisfaction were found to have a strong effect on the change of attitudes towards technology in OCL environments.

Spirituality in Teacher Training at an Islamic College in Israel

ABSTRACTThis article looks at an Islamic teacher training college in Israel in an attempt to understand how religious revival shapes women’s understandings of being Muslim women professionals in Israel. The college grew out of Islamic revival in Israel; its teacher training program reflects the sensibilities that Islamic revival hopes to foster in women who study there and in the children they will teach. The article is based on ethnographic research at the college. Adopting a theoretical approach to spirituality as a cultural phenomenon, experienced as authentic, yet culturally informed, can serve as a powerful resource for creating social meaning and as a source of pedagogies of change. I illustrate the means by which the institution makes space for a spirituality that infuses teacher training with a sense of social purpose, civil commitment, and personal unity with the divine.

Taxonomy of Students’ Use of The iPad in Education: A Pilot

This study attempts to present the variety of possible uses for iPads, in the learning process. The objective is to evaluate a unique implementation model that was tried out at a teacher training college in Israel. The methodology is based on a qualitative research paradigm. The findings show that students’ use the iPads in various contexts: (a) for ongoing personal use; (b) for planning lessons; (c) for active integration in the classroom; and (d) for reading and developing content and games. These findings are summarized in a chart that shows the different uses as levels in a hierarchical taxonomy. Analysis of the iPad’s pedagogical uses may shed light on the various skills students need to acquire in order to become teachers in 21st century. In addition, understanding the various iPad uses and their frequency can affect decision-making at the level of policy in the field of implementation of the use of mobile technologies in educational institutions.

Integrating Human Values in EFL Instruction

This paper reports the results of a study that had been conducted to examine the successfulness of carrying out a project of integrating human values in EFL classrooms in two years in a row. It was part of the practical work of Arab student teachers who are majoring in Teaching English as a Foreign (EFL) in a teacher training college in Israel. The aim of including human values in EFL instruction is to qualify student teachers not only professionally and academically, but also humanly since they live in a deeply divided society which suffers also from increasing violence either at school or in the street. The project is designed to promote values that help pupils grow intellectually, morally and emotionally which eventually helps in creating a productive, healthy and peaceful society. The focus of the project is on three main values: respect, cooperation and tolerance. The project was carried out by adopting content-based instruction, problem solving and technology. Therefore, the participants integrated all language skills, included stories and folktales, showed video segments, prepared games and presented dilemmas for group discussions. The results showed that the student teachers as well as the pupils evaluated the project very positively and asked for more opportunities to extend it.

Cultural Transfer as an Obstacle for Writing Well in English: The Case of Arabic Speakers Writing in English

This paper reviews and strengthens the data on cultural transfer by Arab Muslim students writing in English and adds the significant element of the cultural impact of Islam on such writing. This qualitative study examines the writing of 18 teacher trainees at an Arab language teacher training college in Israel. Results point to a strong cultural influence appearing in the students' writing. It is suggested that greater consideration should be given to the first and the target culture when designing the curricula for writing classes for Arab L1 students in English writing instruction.

“It enables me to realise my fantasies regarding the practicum”: A preliminary study of an academia–school partnership in Israel

Models of collaboration between teacher training institutions and Professional Development Schools have become commonplace in general teacher education. These partnerships are less well documented when it comes to special education teacher training, and are particularly scarce with regard to models of collaboration with special education schools. This article presents an exploratory study of a 10-year-old partnership between a special education department at a Teacher Training College in Israel and a special school for children with developmental disabilities. The partnership is analysed utilising criteria that characterise successful Professional Development Schools. Strengths and weaknesses of the model are discussed and recommendations for future directions and research are presented.

Collective identity and readiness for social relations with Jews among Palestinian Arab students at the David Yellin Teacher Training College in Israel

This paper argues that the two national components of identity among Palestinian Arab students in Israel—the Arab component and the Palestinian component—are strong, while the civil Israeli component is very weak. This paper also argues that although social relations between Arab students and Jewish students are very limited, the readiness of Arab students for professional and social relations with Jewish students is greater than the perceived readiness of Jewish students for social relations with Arab students. Correlation coefficients between collective identity and readiness for social relations with Jews reveal that there is no connection between the components of collective identity of Arab students and their familiarity with Jewish students and readiness to have professional and social relations with them.

Peer Tutoring for College Students With Learning Disabilities

Peer tutoring is a commonly provided support service for students with learning disabilities (LD) in institutions of higher education. A large-scale survey was conducted to evaluate the PERACH peer tutoring project for students with LD at 25 universities, regional colleges, and teacher training colleges in Israel. The purpose of the study was to understand the tutoring process from the point of view of both tutees and tutors with respect to 5 main areas: tutees' needs, focus of tutoring activities, difficulties surrounding the tutoring endeavor, importance of similar study experiences, and satisfaction with the project. It is our supposition that major discrepancies in perceptions are likely to undermine the effectiveness of the tutoring. Similarities and differences in perceptions were identified, and implications that can be useful in guiding service providers are discussed.

Entrance test accommodations, admission and enrollment of students with learning disabilities in teacher training colleges in Israel

The ‘Saf’ (threshold) exam is the entry exam taken by approximately 40% of the students enrolled in teacher training colleges in Israel. Students with learning disabilities may apply and be granted testing accommodations on this exam. This study examines the percentage of students with testing accommodations among the testees and those who began their studies in 2003. Their test and subtest scores were compared to those of students without accommodations as were grades on high school matriculation exams. Characteristics such as gender, age, difficulties as reported in assessments and assessment history were examined. Enrollment patterns in the various colleges departments were noted. Satisfaction with the testing accommodations process was looked at as well. Ramifications and recommendations are discussed vis a vis future research needed and policies regarding the admission of students with learning disabilities to institutions of higher learning.

The bi-polar professional self of aspiring teachers: Mission and power

The aim of this article is to map and organize the expectations of aspiring teachers in the final stage of training into a coherent conceptual framework. A theoretical model, termed The teacher's bi-polar professional self (TBPS) model, was developed and data assembled to provide corroborating empirical evidence. The research design was based on Facet theory, to define observations and analyze the results. A questionnaire was administered to 156 students from a national teacher training college in Israel. It was found that teaching trainees’ expectations could be mapped schematically as two opposing poles with an intermediate zone: one pole is termed the “altruistic aspirations” pole, pertaining to expectations regarding the realization of values such as relating to students as individuals and providing them with one-on-one instruction, help and friendly support. The opposing pole is the “narcissistic needs” (or self-serving altruism) pole, which relates to hopes of getting respect and power, and of significantly effecting the students’ future. Between the poles lies an intermediate zone, which harbors the teacher's hopes of acquiring and possessing the necessary educational and teaching knowledge and skills that will facilitate the fulfillment of the expectations encapsulated by the two poles.

MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR/COURSE CHARACTERISTICS ON STUDENT RATINGS

Multilevel SEM was used to examine the extent to which student, instructor, and course characteristics affect student ratings. Data were gathered from 1867 students enrolled in 117 courses at a large teacher training college in Israel. Four alternative two-level models that differ in only the nature of the relationship among interest in the course subject, expected grade, and student ratings were tested. Two of the models were judged as less appropriate, one because it failed to support the spurious relationship assumed between expected grade and student ratings, and the other on grounds of poor model-data fit. The other two models were equally good both in terms of the model-data fit and the amount of variance in student ratings that is accounted for by each of them. Both models supported the mediation effect of expected grade in the relationship between interest in the course subject and student ratings.

Predicting student ratings: the relationship between actual student ratings and instructors’ predictions

This study examined the relationship between student ratings and instructors’ predictions of these ratings, taking into account other instructor, student, and course characteristics. Participants in the study were 198 instructors in the School of Education at a major teacher training college in Israel. Data corresponding to one randomly selected course per instructor were collected using student and instructor questionnaires and college records. Results indicate a systematic positive relationship between instructors’ predictions and actual student ratings with respect to overall ratings and the ratings of three dimensions of teaching. Results also demonstrate a systematic trend whereby low‐rated instructors tend to overestimate their student ratings, high‐rated instructors underestimated ratings, and moderately rated instructors gave accurate predictions. Results have implications for using predictions to motivate teaching improvement.

A model of intensity of multicultural relations: the case of teacher training colleges in Israel

This study probes the practice of multiculturalism in two teacher training colleges, with ten interviews of high‐ranking officials in the colleges and mainly by questioning 439 students. The findings, according to nationality, point to the wish of Arab students towards the actualization of multicultural practices significantly more than among their Jews colleagues. This is expected as they wish to use it as a tool to improve their status. They advocate multicultural ideas (under the universal standards that multiculturalism implies) including towards other minority groups, such as religious Jews and Jewish new‐immigrants. The general tendency of the Jewish students is ethnocentric. Both the Jewish students and the staff are reluctant to adopt the multicultural approach, while the Arab students express their willingness to change the situation, which will improve their conditions as students and also as citizens in a democratic nation. We explain the results according to continuum of different levels of the intensity of multiculturalism that suits the relevant groups examined in this study.

Organizational expectations of the novice teacher

The study focuses on the teacher as an “organization person”, that is, a professional working in an organizational setting, and forms part of its administrative and human fabric. The purpose of the article is to describe the novice teacher’s expectations from teaching as a profession and from the school as a work organization. The novice teachers who participated in trainee programs at five large teacher training colleges in Israel, completed a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire items expressed teachers’ expectations of their work at the outset of their professional career. Facet Theory was the methodological approach used for the study. It was found that novice teachers’ expectations focus on the following areas of interest and activity expectations of professional and social recognition; expectations of responsive conduct on the part of students; of involvement and support from parents, and of collegiality from other staff, parents and the principal; and expectations that teaching and those associated with it will contribute to strengthening the teacher’s professional sense of self. The findings were also examined based on self-psychology perspectives. The article discusses the implications of these expectations pertaining to teacher training.