Gender and higher education in different national spaces: Female Palestinian students attending Israeli and Jordanian universities

Motivation and choice of teachers to pursue their postgraduate studies in an ethnic minority college

“…It is also very interesting and important to examine the factors weighed by members of the Arab minority in Israel, when deciding where to study. As seen in previous studies of college choice (Arar et al , 2015; Arar and Haj-Yehia, 2013; Workman, 2011), Arab teachers tend to confer a great deal of importance on convenience factors, such as the possibility of combining postgraduate education with paid employment while studying or the chance to study near home, especially when we speak about traditional Arab women (Abu-Rabia-Queder and Arar, 2011; Arar et al , 2015). It is understandable that convenience is more important to teachers, especially mid-career women teachers, who seek to align higher education with the world of work and to gain “tacit knowledge” within their professional practice (Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka, 2015; Workman, 2011).…”

“…The same phenomenon is witnessed among mid-career students in different contexts in the world (Heyler, 2011; Unterhalter, 2010). On the other hand, those Arabs who attain the level of postgraduate studies are usually the intellectual elite of their society and so such a justification as easy accessibility options is deemed by them as an irrelevant issue; therefore, they tend not to agree with such a justification (Abu-Rabia-Queder and Arar, 2011; Arar and Haj-Yehia, 2013). The assumption that Arabs, most of them women restricted by cultural norms, specifically choose this college due to easy accessibility terms in order to circumvent cultural difficulties as well as the obstacles set by university entrance requirements (Arar and Mustafa, 2011; Leonard and Rab, 2010; Volansky, 2012), was not confirmed by this study’s findings.…”

“…Arab society in Israel shares many social traditions, cultural values and the Arabic language with neighboring Arab countries and largely follows patriarchal practices and does not support notions of gender equity (Abu-Rabia-Queder and Arar, 2011). Yet, this society is also influenced by internal processes of modernization, by its daily interaction with the Jewish society and by the media (Arar and Haj-Yehia, 2013).…”

Higher education abroad

“…Extensive literature has examined the choice made by different students, especially ethnic minority members, to study abroad in various contexts (Abu‐Rabia‐Queder and Arar, 2011; Brooks and Waters, 2009; Croll, 2009; Connor, 2004; Docquier and Rapoport, 2003; Reay et al , 2005; Siddle, 2000). Minority groups and as a case in point, the PAI, see HE as a tool for social mobility and co‐existence (Ball et al , 2002; Brooks and Waters, 2011; Bowl, 2001; Heller, 2001; Iannelli, 2007).…”

“…For PAI students, both internal and international mobility are characterized by moving from predominantly rural to urban areas. PAI students who study in Israeli universities may have a similar citizenship to the other students in these universities but they too could be considered internal migrants since they move to a cultural environment that differs from their own linguistically and in nationality, and has different norms and values (Abu‐Rabia‐Queder and Arar, 2011). PAI students face other difficulties that occur less within the Jewish student population: first, once accepted, PAIs find it more difficult to graduate (Al‐Haj, 2003).…”