HOW DO ARAB HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS PERCEIVE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES, THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION, AND SOCIO-CULTURAL AND FAMILIAL FACTORS IN SHAPING THEIR MOTIVATION AND ACADEMIC CHOICES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION IN ISRAEL?

Resumé

This study investigates the role of the secondary-level science teacher in shaping the academic pathways and scientific identity of Arab students in Israel and its impact on their transition to higher education. The paucity of empirical studies linking teacher practices to the structural context of the Arab minority prompted this investigation into how individual agency interacts with institutional constraints in producing science students. The study adopted a qualitative interpretive methodology through semi-structured interviews with 30 Arab students studying science at various Israeli universities, analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed six main themes highlighting the teacher's role as an academic identity constructor, the tension between indoctrination-based Bagrut culture and university-level critical thinking requirements, and the linguistic and cultural transition shock faced by Arab students. The study concludes that teachers function either as cultural mediators facilitating academic transition or as agents deepening the gap, and that this role cannot be understood in isolation from the socio-political structure. The study recommends reorienting teacher preparation programs towards autonomy-supportive pedagogical practices and reforming school curricula to develop independent scientific thinking and linguistic preparation for university. This study contributes to motivational theories in non-Western minority contexts and provides practical insights for educational policymakers on promoting successful academic transitions.