Assessment of the laboratory learning environment in an inquiry-oriented chemistry laboratory in Arab and Jewish high schools in Israel

One country, two cultures – a multi-perspective view on Israeli chemistry teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning

“…The Jewish chemistry teachers in this study showed comparably more modern educational beliefs, as it was documented also in Dkeidek et al (2010) and Dkeidek et al 2012) concerning the students' perception of chemistry laboratory classroom learning environment and the effect of teacher-student interaction and support on developing questioning ability among the students. Taking into consideration the characteristics of educational environments in more individualistic vs. collectivistic societies (Greenfield, 1999;Hofstede, 1980;Trianidis, 1995), also from this study it can be suggested that the Jewish sector is more according towards an individualistic paradigm where the Arabic sector is applying a stronger collectivist philosophy.…”

“…However, in their study it was not clear how big this influence was compared to the influence of the teacher education system and the socio-economic circumstances the educational system is operating in. It can be inferred from the results of the current study, as well as from the studies by Dkeidek et al (2010Dkeidek et al ( , 2012, that culture is a very important and often underestimated factor on understanding science teachers' beliefs, their influence on the teachers' classroom behaviour and the related effects on students' learning. Current research revealed that teachers' instructional practices affect minority students' achievements, attitudes, and careers (Kanter & Konstantopoulos, 2010).…”

“…The central role of the teacher in chemistry education in Arab schools in Israel was also described in a recent study by Dkeidek, Mamlok-Naaman, and Hofstein (2012). The study focused on differences in the chemistry laboratory classroom learning environment between Israeli Arab and Jewish schools.…”

Misconceptions among Middle School Students Regarding the Conservation of Mass during Combustion

“…In addition, a comparative study by Dkeidek et al, (2012) to examine the socio-sectoral background of students on the investigation of the chemistry laboratory in secondary schools in both the Arab and Jewish sectors, there were differences between Arab students and Jewish students (who study chemistry with inquiry approach) regarding their perception of the learning environment: Arab students had a more positive attitude than Jewish students regarding practical work in the laboratory. The ability of questions asking as a result of reading a scientific paper, and/or following a new research experiment, was higher among Jewish in terms of number questions and their cognitive level.…”

“…A comparison between the Jewish and the Arab populations in Israel is interesting because it contains many factors that can be addressed, including cultural-ethnic factors, the influence of religion, intellectual ability, academic achievements, and more. In Israel, various studies have been carried out in the teaching of sciences that examined cultural-sector differences between Arabs and Jews (Birenbaum et al, 2007;Dkeidek et al, 2012;Markic et al, 2016;Tamir & Caridin, 1985). Most of the findings in these studies indicated many differences between the two sectors.…”