Willingness to communicate in the language of the other: Jewish and Arab students in Israel

One hundred and forty-three Jewish and Arab 6th grade children in Israel participated in this study, which explored several attitude dimensions and willingness to communicate (WTC) in the language of the other. Analysis of variance indicated differences between groups, with Arab children having in general more positive attitudes and higher WTC in Hebrew, compared with Jewish children in regard to Arabic, as well as impact of school context. The results showed strong association between WTC, various attitude dimensions and familial and peer influence, and are discussed in terms of the position of the target languages in the Israeli socio-political context.