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.     

Film reviews and the public's perceptions of stereotypes: Movie critics' discourse about the siege

This paper investigates the public discourse surrounding the representation of cultural and ethnic groups in U.S. entertainment media by examining movie reviews of a specific film. It examines the types of arguments and support that popular film critics used in their evaluations of the 1998 action film The Siege. The film was publicly criticized by activist groups before its release and reviewers found it necessary to address the issue of whether the film contained stereotypes or could contribute to prejudicial understandings in their evaluations of the film. Three types of arguments that consistently appeared in the reviews’ evaluations of the film are described and explored: the film's relationship to real‐world events, the intentions of the film's creators, and the constraints of the genre. Implications of the consistent use of these criteria for audiences’ decisions to see the film, their evaluations of the film, and their understanding of the role of the media in maintaining or challenging racism and ethnocentrism are discussed.     

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.     

从英汉语篇的衔接手段看Pride and Prejudice孙致礼中译本

英语重形合,汉语重意合,这一概念的本质是英语与汉语的信息组织与传递方式不同,涉及翻译过程中语言形式与意义的对应关系。通过分析《傲慢与偏见》的英汉语篇,比较源语与目的语衔接手段在翻译过程中的转换,旨在探讨形式对应的本质。     

Using human figure drawing as a tool for examining self-perception and emotional attitudes among Jewish and Arab children in Israel

The study examined ingroup and outgroup perceptions among Jewish and Arab children in Israel. The sample comprised 191 children aged 10–12, 131 Jewish and 60 Arab participants who live in a mixed city. The main instrument used to examine the children's perceptions was a multidimensional analysis of Jewish and Arab figures drawn by the participants, as well as a questionnaire relating to the drawn figures. The findings revealed that, even though they lived in a mixed city and studied in the same classes, the Jewish children differentiated between the figures and overwhelmingly preferred Jewish figures to Arab figures. Moreover, they revealed negative stereotypes and expressed aggression in drawings of Arab figures. In contrast, among the Arab participants, the findings were inconsistent. In most of the variables, they did not distinguish between the various figures. However, in the quality variables, they tended to prefer figures of their own nationality and rejected Jewish figures. The findings are discussed in relation to the context of the residential environment (a mixed city), majority-minority status, and the Israeli-Arab conflict.     

Valuing diversity in Spain and Canada: The role of multicultural ideology in intergroup attitudes and intentions to reduce inequalities

Multicultural ideology proposes that group memberships should be not just acknowledged but also valued in order to accommodate diversity and attain equality. In three studies conducted in Spain and Canada we analyzed, using different measures, the relationship between multicultural ideology on the one hand and prejudice, support for social policies, and motivation for social change on the other hand. In Spain we focused on responses to Gitanos (Spanish Roma) and, in Canada, on First Nations people. Results showed that multicultural ideology was related in both cases to lower prejudice and higher support for social policies to support the minority group and motivation for social change. The internal motivation to control prejudice was an important mediator of this relationship in both countries. In contrast, the way in which social identities are represented played a different role as a function of country: whereas a dual identity representation played a mediating role in Canada, a common identity representation was the mediator in Spain. These results support the importance of valuing cultural diversity to harmonize intergroup relations and to reduce inequalities between majorities and minority groups.     

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.     

埃及威权主义衰落原因探析——基于合法性的视角

2010年底以来的"阿拉伯之春"震惊世界,埃及穆巴拉克政权在这场政治剧变中轰然倒台。埃及政治动荡不是孤立的政治事件,不但有宏阔的现实背景,也有深厚的历史渊源。历史上,三位埃及总统的执政风格各具特色,都取得过辉煌的业绩。但他们也存在共同的致命弱点:贪恋权位,不思从根本上变革威权体制,导致政治合法性类型的转换缺乏动力;加之政府的暴力色彩浓厚,造成社会矛盾丛生。因此,埃及威权主义的合法性在代与代之间呈现不断降低的趋势,民众对于专制的不满只要遇到合适的时机必然会爆发。     

Development of an intergroup anxiety toward Muslims scale

Understanding intergroup relations and the anxiety that can result has become increasingly relevant to interactions between Muslim and non-Muslim individuals due to current tensions between Islamic extremist groups and many Western nations. The anticipated increase in migration from countries with large Islamic populations to Western countries will undoubtedly lead to increased contact between these groups. Currently, there are no measures of intergroup anxiety elicited when interacting specifically with Muslims. Thus, the goal of the current studies was to fill this gap by developing a measure of intergroup anxiety toward Muslims. Across 3 studies, the reliability and validity of a new measure of intergroup anxiety toward Muslims was assessed. An exploratory factor analysis (Study 1) identified 11 reliable items that were supported by confirmatory factor analysis (Study 2). Across all 3 studies, the scale demonstrated good convergent validity, such that participants who reported higher levels of intergroup anxiety toward Muslims also reported more negative attitudes toward Muslims and greater general intergroup anxiety than individuals with lower intergroup anxiety toward Muslims. Assessment of discriminant validity showed that the scale differentiated between attitudes toward Muslims and other out-groups, as well as general anxiety and depression. The Intergroup Anxiety toward Muslims Scale was also reliable across different samples (i.e., college students and community members) and methods of data collection (i.e., online and in person).