Who wants a political classroom? Attitudes toward teaching controversial political issues in school

• The study examined teachers’, parents’ and students’ attitudes toward controversial political issues (CPI). • A Random stratified sample of 501 adults and 201 high school students completed questionnaires. • Respondents had little confidence in teachers’ ability to conduct CPI discussions in classrooms. • Students reported low incidents of CPI discussions in classrooms. • Support for CPI discussions differed according to specific topics. Purpose: Many argue for the benefits of controversial political issues (CPI) discussions but little is known about teachers’, parents’, and students’ attitudes toward CPI. The present study explored these attitudes, as well as attitudes towards specific controversial topics, and how they relate to socio-demographic variables. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative cross-sectional methodology was employed using questionnaires to collect data.  Random stratified sampling was used to obtain a representative sample of 501 Jewish Israeli adults, including 70 teachers, and 201 Jewish Israeli 10th-12th grade students. Findings: Respondents, including the teachers themselves, had little confidence in teachers’ ability to conduct CPI discussions in classrooms. Students reported low incidents of CPI discussions in classrooms, and that they are mostly held by homeroom and civics teachers. Students supported CPI discussions more than adults (including teachers) and wanted teachers to disclose their opinions much more than adults did. Support for CPI discussions differed according to specific topics. Linear regression revealed that the less religious individuals are, the more left-wing, older and more educated, the more they will support CPI teaching

Being, Having and Doing Modes of Existence: Confirmation and Reduction of a New Scale Based on a Study among Israeli Female Teachers, Student-Teachers and Counselors*

Des modes d’existence Etre, Avoir et Faire : Confirmation et réduction d’une nouvelle échelle basée sur une étude d’enseignants, stagaires-enseignants et conseillières israéliennes : Suivant les théories de Fromm (1976) et de Rand (1993), une échelle de 51 items d’attitudes envers les « modes d’existence » Etre, Avoir et Faire a été construite par Reichenberg (1996). Ici, nous avons deux objectifs : examiner la validité de cette échelle avec deux méthodes d’analyse en parallèle  -- par l’analyse factorielle et par la théorie des facettes – et racourcir l’échelle de 51 items. Cet article est basé sur des données empiriques concernant 386 enseignants, stagaires-enseignants et conseillières israéliennes d’un département d’éducation dans une université en Israël en 1995 et 1997.Following Fromm's (1976) and Rand's (1993) theory, a scale of 51 items on attitudes towards the Being, Doing and Having "Modes of Existence" has been constructed (Reichenberg 1996). Our objectives are two-fold: first, an examination, in parallel, of the validity of the scale with two methods: Factor Analysis and Facet Theory. And second, a shortening of the scale from 51 questions to a more compact one. The present article is based on empirical data gathered from 386 female teachers, students and counselors in college education departments in Israel in 1995 and 1997

Being, Having and Doing Modes of Existence: Confirmation and Reduction of a New Scale Based on a Study among Israeli Female Teachers, Student-Teachers and Counselors*

Des modes d’existence Etre, Avoir et Faire : Confirmation et réduction d’une nouvelle échelle basée sur une étude d’enseignants, stagaires-enseignants et conseillières israéliennes : Suivant les théories de Fromm (1976) et de Rand (1993), une échelle de 51 items d’attitudes envers les « modes d’existence » Etre, Avoir et Faire a été construite par Reichenberg (1996). Ici, nous avons deux objectifs : examiner la validité de cette échelle avec deux méthodes d’analyse en parallèle  -- par l’analyse factorielle et par la théorie des facettes – et racourcir l’échelle de 51 items. Cet article est basé sur des données empiriques concernant 386 enseignants, stagaires-enseignants et conseillières israéliennes d’un département d’éducation dans une université en Israël en 1995 et 1997.Following Fromm's (1976) and Rand's (1993) theory, a scale of 51 items on attitudes towards the Being, Doing and Having "Modes of Existence" has been constructed (Reichenberg 1996). Our objectives are two-fold: first, an examination, in parallel, of the validity of the scale with two methods: Factor Analysis and Facet Theory. And second, a shortening of the scale from 51 questions to a more compact one. The present article is based on empirical data gathered from 386 female teachers, students and counselors in college education departments in Israel in 1995 and 1997

From Campus to Web: The Changing Roles of Faculty From Classroom to Online Teaching

The first objective of this research is to study the transition and self-perception of a sample group of Israeli faculty currently integrating online teaching within campus-based teaching. The authors studied the faculty’s perceptions of their new role, rewards and challenges of this role, their students' and their colleagues' perceptions of online teaching and how their institutions facilitate or impede this process. The second objective of this research is to compare findings from Israeli faculty to North American faculty, based on a similar study by Beaudoin (2002). The third objective is to provide ideas and insights to distance education administrators who are responsible for the recruitment, training and support of faculty. The last objective of this research is to contribute to faculty related research by exploring their new and changing role as online educators