• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

The Effects of Globalisation on STEM Education in Arabic-Language High Schools in Israel Thesis for the degree of “Doctor of Philosophy” By Aurel H. Diamond Resubmitted to the Senate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem March 2021 The Effects of Globalisation on STEM Education in Arabic-Language High Schools in Israel Thesis for the degree of “Doctor of Philosophy” By Aurel H. Diamond Resubmitted to the Senate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem March 2021 This work was carried out under the supervision of Dr. Elyakim Kislev ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of the many people to whom I am grateful, my first and most earnest thanks go to my supervisor, Dr. Elyakim Kislev. His unparalleled generosity, patience, and kindness over the last five years made the completion of this thesis not only possible, but also pleasant and enjoyable. Elyakim encouraged me to continue when the research and writing became challenging, and his criticisms of my work – always sensitive and constructive – pushed me to do and be my very best. Elyakim continues to inspire me with his ambition, intellectual curiosity, and benevolence. I am both privileged and honoured to have been his first PhD student, and I enthusiastically anticipate continuing our research collaboration in the (nearly) immediate future. Very special thanks also go to Prof. Michal Frenkel and Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash, who served as my committee members, for their time, availability, and investment in ensuring that my PhD research could be completed successfully. I am particularly grateful for Dr. Samimian- Darash’s advice on the planning of my ethnographic research, which resulted in the publication of the fourth chapter of this thesis, and to Prof. Frenkel for her career guidance and support, especially in the few months leading to the completion of this thesis. I was also humbled by the mentorship and guidance that I received from further afield. I extend my wholehearted thanks to Prof. Daniel Bar-Tal, Dr. Meytal Nasie, and Prof. Andreas Stylianides for investing in our joint research endeavours parallel to my PhD studies, and for writing countless recommendation letters for the scholarships and grants that funded my work. I am particularly grateful to Prof. Bar-Tal and Dr. Nasie for inviting me to join their research group at Tel Aviv University in 2012, only a few months after I emigrated to Israel. With hindsight, I understand that this was my route into Israeli academia, and without their warm and eager invitation I may have embarked upon a substantially different path. I would also like to thank the staff at the Federmann School of Public Policy, who offered and provided support and advice at every step of my PhD studies. I am grateful to Prof. David Levi-Faur and Prof. Sharon Gilad for their time investment in my professional development throughout my time in the department, and to Prof. Momi Dahan, who provided invaluable feedback on my work when I was re-drafting my research proposal. I am especially thankful to Ofra Toren Commere, Yael Baron, Roni Sadikler-Cohen, Meital Shtain, and all the administrative staff for always being available, and diligently solving every bureaucratic question and challenge that arose throughout my studies. This PhD would have not been possible without external financial support. I would like to thank to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Centre for the Study of Multiculturalism and Diversity, PresenTense Israel, the Federmann School of Public Policy, as well as the Israel Institute for doctoral scholarships, fellowships, and research grants that enabled my research. I am also grateful to the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute for appointing me as a Junior Library Fellow, and for giving me the desk space where I wrote the majority of this thesis. None of my research would have been possible without access to the field. To Khouloud Ayuti, Badawi Farra, and Abdallah Zoabi, thank you for putting so much time and effort into ensuring that I was able to collect the data I needed for my research. Your optimism always made me smile, and your belief in the importance of my research was my greatest source of inspiration and motivation. I am especially grateful to Khouloud and Badawi for the enthusiastic early- morning phone calls before school, and for taking the extra time to tell me about all of the best places in Jaffa. Particular thanks go to the teachers and students of the schools I worked with, whose names I must withhold in order to preserve their anonymity. I would like to mention the special role that my friends played in this PhD. I moved to Israel with no family, and very quickly saw that the pastoral support my peers received from their spouses and families, I was receiving from my friends. I think particularly of PhD students, past and present. To Dr. Assaf Shaham, and soon-to-be Drs. Benjamin A. Katz, Michelle Spektor, Miri Fenton, and Shani Friedman, to name but a few, thank you for your empathy, patience, and support. I think of André Rothschild and Daniel Milbauer, who, after living with me during the PhD experienced first-hand all the ups and downs of what it means to be a graduate student. I also think of all of people who together weaved what turned out to be an invaluable support system during the COVID-19 lockdowns. To my friends and neighbours who spent months on end with me in pyjamas in Jerusalem, and to the special individuals who made my move to Tel Aviv smooth and pleasant: thank you all for being here for me. I especially want to mention my inspirational friend and housemate from Bath, Lena Chudasama, whose weekly progress updates and general life mentoring, and shared laughter on WhatsApp and Zoom kept me accountable to myself and my spirits high. To my cousin Gwen Diamond, who over the last eight years has been my friend, flatmate, bandmate, proof-reader, support system, and family in Israel: you absolutely deserve your own paragraph. Your contribution to this thesis has been immeasurable and I will be forever grateful for your support. To my brothers, Garrick and Lazarus, my sister Grace, and sisters-in-law Alexa and Miriam: I might be the eldest sibling, but the truth is that I spend most of my time looking up to you for inspiration. Thank you for being the greatest cheerleaders that I could have ever asked for, and for encouraging me to be the best brother and teacher I can. I struggled for words to describe my gratitude and appreciation, so, as per Grace’s suggestion and request, I wish to publicly declare that I love you all more than cheese. Finally, and most of all, to my parents Karen and Murray, who patiently waited until the end of my acknowledgements to see their own names. You supported me emotionally, physically, and financially throughout my time at school and university, but your impact and influence in this thesis runs at a much deeper level. Mummy and Daddy, thank you for teaching me the importance of education, equity, and equal opportunity. Your biggest mark on this thesis was the choice of subject, which in and of itself is a direct reflection of the values and morals you instilled in all of us, even before I could tie my own shoes or count to ten. So, to my parents, who every day at dinner when I was growing up would go around the table and ask each child “how was school today?” – today was my last day of school, and it was absolutely wonderful. I asked the most fascinating questions that even the teachers did not know how to answer. And no, for once, I do not have any homework. Thank you for being here for me. This work is yours as much as it is mine. ABSTRACT STEM education has undergone rapid shifts in recent years as a result of globalisation. The study of meta-cultural scientific and programming languages, the availability of quickly accessible information, and raised awareness of challenges brought about by global socio-scientific issues have all impacted the context of the STEM classroom. Scholars therefore suggest that STEM can act as an agent that introduces students to globalisation within the education system. Existing research investigates how STEM education impacts students in a number of ways outside the classroom, focussing primarily on how STEM can act as a means of achieving social mobility and economic stability. Yet, almost no studies investigate how the globalised aspects of STEM impact the social and educational outcomes for the students. This presents an apparent gap in the literature that relates to a wider theoretical question: for whom and under what circumstances is globalisation beneficial and/or detrimental? Particularly for minority groups, scholars are engaging on debates that frame globalisation as a force of empowerment for resource-poor, disadvantaged, and minority groups on the one hand, and as a source of social threat on the other. Accordingly, this dissertation aims to contribute to the emerging debate on how forces of globalisation impact minorities, using STEM education as an example. It analyses questionnaire data from Jewish and Arab-Palestinian high school students in Israel (N=380), and 21 months of ethnographic observations at a high school in Jaffa, Israel, in order to determine how different perceptions of STEM and globalisation are related to educational outcomes, acculturation patterns, anticipated discrimination, and views of intergroup relations. The Israeli case study is instructive due to the high contrast between the high levels of social, economic, and education inequality in comparison to the opportunity and status in STEM in Israel. The dissertation consists of five journal articles.

Load more

  193

Copy Link