A multidimensional examination of the “Stereotype” concept: A developmental approach

The present studies tested the hypothesis that the stereotypical representation of a target group is composed of several components. It was further hypothesized that some of the dimensions are more closely associated with the perceiver's group than are others. Finally, it was hypothesized that the structure and the foundation of the stereotype is related to the age of the perceiver. In two studies, Israeli children, ranging in age from 4 to 17 years, assigned stereotyped traits to target groups (Israeli, Arabs, Americans, Germans). The respondents were then given the opportunity to rate the traits on several dimensions including group evaluation, salience, homogeneity, uniqueness, and ingroup consensus. Respondents of all ages could use the multiple components to describe their stereotype. The results indicate that the specific target group affected the structure of the stereotype. The stereotype of older children was more likely to represent a prototype of the target group and be based on personal experience than was the stereotype of younger children. The implications of the results for understanding the formation and fluctuation of stereotypes are discussed.     

Education and Leisure: a reappraisal

Early years education and special needs education have been the focus of UK government interest in recent years, with a strong emphasis on ‘joined up thinking’ across professional boundaries in order to plan and provide cohesive and increasingly inclusive programmes of education and care. This article considers the potential for joined up thinking and action across the early years and special needs education domains with the argument that there is often neglected common ground between the two, such as the shared need for a holistic perspective, partnership with parents, multidisciplinary collaboration and developmentally appropriate practice. Examples are provided from the UK context but the debates are relevant more widely. The article ends with an exploration of why this potential has often not been realised, arguing that separate histories and vulnerabilities and a desire to avoid parallel stigma are partly responsible.     

From traditional to formal education in the lower Arabian Gulf, 1820–1971

This article charts the development of education in the lower Arabian Gulf from its traditional beginnings in the nineteenth century to the provision of more formal schooling and eventually a ministry of education following Britain's withdrawal from the region in 1971. In order to provide a better understanding of the complexities and relative advances and setbacks to this development, special emphasis is placed on the social, economic and political context of education's trajectory; including the lower Gulf's dependent relations with its Imperial protector and its reliance on foreign educational aid from Kuwait.     

World War Z,The Zombie Apocalypse,and the Israeli state’s monstering of Palestinian “others”

ABSTRACT

The authors deploy a critical cultural critique that extends the work of monstrosity scholars and other researchers who are interested in the application of zombie apocalypse analyses to critiques of contemporary nationalistic and social controversies. World War Z sets in motion a series of cinematic dynamics that invite audiences to consider how Israeli securitization of Jerusalem might serve as the world's best hope for containing the zombie apocalypse. By decoding the “monstering” features World War Z, the authors note the heuristic value of understanding how the rhetoric of autoimmunity influences mediated perceptions of Israeli and Palestinian conflicts.     

When virtual reality meets realpolitik: Social media shaping the Arab government–citizen relationship

Since most activists participating in the recent uprisings in Arab countries have been using social media to an unprecedented extent, public analyst and researchers have rushed to reflect on and explain the phenomena, often attributing a ‘change agency’ to social media as such. This argumentative research collects evidence from literature, recent surveys and focus groups in order to contextualize our understanding of the role of social media and its usage in reshaping the Arab government–citizen relationship: Are the traits of social media significant enough to single them out and discuss their specific impact on the government–citizen relationship? Are we well advised to attribute an ‘agency’ of social media in shaping politics and inducing political change? And in view of the actual use of social media: What are the options of containing emerging ‘destructive’ phenomena and ‘improving’ the government–citizen relationship? Answers are outlined to support contextualized design of social media technology and regulation: (1) Arab citizens basically support democratic concepts; however (2) social media as such do not act and therefore do not ‘create’ e.g. democracy; rather (3) social media enable a new political sphere for Arab citizens, nevertheless challenged by realpolitik; and (4) social media need care taking in terms of shaping political communication and shaping the media itself in order to serve well as mediator among citizens and between citizens and government.     

International education as a novel entity in a public education system: the establishment of a new public international school in Israel

Abstract

This study traces the founding process of Eastern Mediterranean International School (EMIS) by analysing the motivations and interests of different stakeholders involved in the establishment process. In this novel initiative students from Palestine, Israel, and other countries study within the Israeli public school system towards an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with founders, educators, Ministry of Education officials, a parents’ survey, and content analysis of related documents, the authors show how the school was established and approved despite the supposedly contradicting hegemonic discourse of the official Israeli policy. They conclude by suggesting some implications for scholars and policy-makers.     

The ‘right’ education in Israel: segregation,religious ethnonationalism,and depoliticized professionalism

This paper underlines three foundations upon which the current condition of the Israeli education system is predicated. These are: (a) the separation between Palestinians and Jews in the Israeli education system and isolating both from any significant contact; (b) endorsing a strong ethno-religious ethos and narratives that widen the chasm between the Jewish ‘us’ and the Palestinian ‘them’; and (c) shaping education for the Palestinians in Israel as a highly standardized and de-contextualized endeavor that excludes ideology and politics, which are seen as irrelevant to good professionalism, while substantiating and thickening the ideological education in the Jewish education system in line with the right political agenda . In doing so, this paper contextualizes these foundations in the recent developments of Israeli politics. Particularly, the paper associates these foundations with the rise of the extreme right politics in Israel, arguing that these, taken together, serve the state’s efforts to continue preserving its excluding ethnocentric political regime and controlling the Arab Palestinian education in Israel under conditions of subordination and inequality.     

Special Education in Arab Countries: Current challenges

Arab countries have undertaken various measures to develop special education programmes and services over the last three decades; nevertheless, major challenges remain regarding the expansion of these programmes and services and improving their quality. This article provides an update on disability and special education in Arab countries. Reflections on the historical development of special education in Arab societies are briefly presented. Major challenges currently faced by Arab countries in the field of special education are described, and some recommendations for action are offered.     

Socio-cultural factors of teachers’ conceptions of knowledge: epistemic beliefs of Arab teachers

This research investigates aspects of epistemic beliefs of pre-service and in-service teachers in the United Arab Emirates, and how these beliefs might be related to factors such as teachers’ gender, location (where they live), and the subject they teach (humanities vs. science). A standardized Arabic version of the Epistemic Belief Inventory was administered to a group of 35 pre-service teachers and 52 in-service teachers. The results indicated that in-service teachers had more sophisticated beliefs than pre-service teachers on Certainty of Knowledge, Omniscient Authority, and Innate Ability dimensions. Also, male teachers were found to be less sophisticated than female teachers and teachers from rural areas tended to think in a simpler way than teachers from urban areas. Although there was no main effect of subject, it significantly modified the effects of gender and location. The data showed the multidimensional nature of epistemic beliefs, and were discussed in the context of Arab/Emirati culture.     

方鸿渐阿Q及其他——《围城》人物塑造中的鲁迅因子

钱钟书的《围城》塑造了以方鸿渐为代表的三四十年代中国知识分子的精神典型。在他们身上,笔者发现鲁迅笔下的阿Q精神再次复活,所不同的是,他们对于自身的劣根性有着清醒的认知,但却依然安于此道,是一种"明知故犯"的阿Q精神。本文旨在通过分析《围城》中的人物,对阿Q基因的继承和变异,进而开掘其与阿Q存在的相同与不同的文化根源,进行文化反思。其次,从艺术手法角度来看,笔者发现鲁迅、钱钟书都是运用了模糊小说情节、抽象凸现人物精神气质的手法,为我们奉献了阿Q、方鸿渐两个精神典型。再有,作为讽刺幽默的两位大师,鲁迅更侧重于社会批判的姿态,对与实际的现世生活格格不入的荒诞的人和事进行尖锐的讽刺,钱钟书则是以学者的睿智"过滤"出平凡生活中的喜剧和哲理。