This Article Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Ezra, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Caught between cultures

A study of factors influencing Israeli parents' decisions to enrol their children at an international school

Walworth Barbour American International School, Israel, rezra{at}wbais.org

This article investigates the factors Israeli parents gave as paramount reasons for enrolling their children in a private international school in Israel. A survey and personal interviews were administered to parents designated as host country nationals by school admissions records. Findings revealed that while an English-language education was looked upon as an added benefit for their children's future success in a global context, it was not a main concern. Parents viewed the discord between their own cultural values and those taught at local schools as a significant factor pushing them away from public-sector education, as well as a curriculum perceived as weak, inadequate teacher preparation, poor administrative responses to violence, insufficient classroom discipline and an unwillingness of teachers in public schools to attend to students' individual needs.

Key Words: cultural identity • fourth constituency • local resident parents • Push—Pull Theory • Rational Choice Theory

Journal of Research in International Education, Vol. 6, No. 3, 259-286 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1475240907083196


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?