Inside and outside the integrated bilingual Palestinian–Jewish schools in Israel: Teachers’ perceptions of personal, professional and political positioning

The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers of the integrated bilingual Palestinian–Jewish schools in Israel construct their school culture in relation to various outside pressures in their attempt to achieve educational change. Field notes from an in-service training workshop were analyzed according to three levels of the teaching context: the personal, professional and political. It was found that the teachers perceive themselves as primarily pedagogical experts with a shared vision based on multiculturalism and coexistence. According to the findings, recommendations are made for improving the positioning of the teachers in relation to pupils, parents and policy-makers.

Research highlights
► Teachers' inside and outside positioning results in perceived conflicts.
► Conflict between individual diversity and group coexistence.
► Conflict between multicultural curriculum and standardized achievements.
► Conflict between respect for national identification and political struggle.