Attitudes towards bilingual arab-hebrew education in israel: A comparative study of Jewish and Arab adults

Faisal Azaiza, Rachel Hertz-Lazarowitz, Meyrav Shoham, Muhammad Amara, Aura Mor-Sommerfeld, Noha Alie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study examines attitudes towards bilingual Jewish-Arab education among Jewish and Arab adults in Israel. The sample consisted of 1014 respondents who participated in a national phone survey in late 2006. Results indicate that Arabs are significantly more supportive of bilingual education in Israel than Jews. Positive attitudes regarding the importance and the status of Arabic, integration between Jews and Arabs and civil society were all predictive of positive attitudes towards bilingual education among Arab participants. The same variables, along with lower religiosity, predicted attitudes towards bilingual education among Jewish participants. Attitudes towards integration were the strongest predictors of attitudes towards bilingual education in both groups. Implications and limitations, as well as possible avenues for future research, are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)179-193
Number of pages15
JournalLanguage, Culture and Curriculum
Volume24
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2011

Keywords

  • Arabs
  • Bilingual education
  • Israel
  • Jews
  • Language attitudes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Language and Linguistics
  • Education
  • Linguistics and Language

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