The purpose of this study is to understand the climates and contexts that promote college students' development of appreciative attitudes toward Jews over four college years. Drawing on an established theoretical framework and a comprehensive literature foundation, we approached this question through an integrative mixed-methods perspective. We…

Background: The sociocultural turn redefined learning in terms of shifting identities. In recent years, learning scientists have explored the connections between learning and various types of identities, including disciplinary identity, gender, race, and more. In this article we focus on national identity, to understand how it is constructed and…

An arts-based qualitative research study was conducted to study the use of political cartoons in Israel education in a high school class. Data analysis revealed that students' initial interest in the cartoons coupled with the diversity of representations of Israeli society on display in the cartoons facilitated an Israel education experience that…

Research on personal epistemology reveals how people's epistemological beliefs about science intersect with their sociocultural background, cultural norms, and gender. Less is known, however, about how religious background and faith shape epistemological beliefs. The present study explores the epistemological beliefs of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi)…

This dissertation investigates the relationship between stigma, knowledge, and help-seeking attitudes among high school students in two New York City Jewish day schools: a Modern Orthodox all-boys high school and a Sephardic Orthodox Jewish all-girls high school. The primary focus is on understanding how these factors: stigma about mental illness…

Research on Jewish day schools has long focused on the challenges they face in managing the tension between the "Jewish" and "general" components of their "dual curriculum." Interviews with 34 graduating seniors of a private, community Jewish high school found that students experienced another dual curriculum within…

This study explores the potential of empowering children as peace agents through education by using the case of the TEC4Schools program. The program is based on Allport's Contact Theory and promotes prolonged exposure to the 'other' culture among culturally diverse groups of students. It is based on the hypothesis that extended contact periods…

The study aims to examine changes over time in school victimization and climate in Israel, and whether these changes varied between Jewish and Arab schools and schools with different SES. A secondary analysis of the Ministry of Education database of structured student surveys regarding victimization and climate, was conducted during 2008-2019. All…

This study examines the perceptions of students in the Israeli public education system regarding secular interpretations of Judaism. The study analyzes a curriculum unit that was taught to Israeli high school students, which engaged the students with textual study of biblical, rabbinic and secular-"h?alutzic" sources. Applying…

A differential cultural aspect manifested when we compared the experiences of 96-Jewish and 107-Arab PSTs who participated in a collaborative academy-class-practice- model (ACPM), or a traditional-practice-model (TPM). The attempt to implement the collaborative ACPM was hesitantly accepted by Jewish-PSTs, whereas the Arab-PSTs welcomed it warmly.…

Teacher educators are called to replace the foregrounding of courses from Eurocratic practice to those that better prepare pre-service teachers to use equity pedagogy to address issues of justice. This study analyzed the reactions of twelve undergraduate and graduate education students in a one-semester course that used the lives of Anne Frank and…

The increasing calls for diversity research signal a need to redesign learning and teaching strategies and include appreciations of collaboration and diversity as part of the students' learning outcomes. However, changing the learning environment by incorporating innovative pedagogical techniques into multicultural learning environments is often…

This paper presents the results of a three-year study of the impacts of teaching about the experiences of trauma on students studying to become teachers. The project's overarching objective is to develop an effective trauma-informed pedagogy that can support students who learn about the experiences of the 'Stolen Generations', the Holocaust, wars,…

This study examines students' perceptions of teacher authority in WhatsApp groups compared to the traditional classroom setting, with a focus on female students attending religious high schools. The strict authority structures inherent in these settings provide a unique context for the research. Most students reported finding it easier to…

The continuous trend of ultra-Orthodox ('Haredi') women enrolling in higher education institutions has not been widely investigated. The current study explored their reasons for pursuing an academic degree, their radical choice of physical education (PE) as a career, as well as their experiences and reflections on this process. Eighteen Israeli…