Status of Science and Technology Education at Arab High Schools in Israel - achievements review and improvement ideas

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi

Review of the status of science and technology education at Arab high schools in Israel, focusing on achievements of Arabic-speaking students in biology, chemistry, and physics. The study examines disparities in performance on international examinations and Israeli Bagrut matriculation certificates between Arabic and Hebrew speakers, including whether gaps narrow over time. It also explores links between science laboratory activities and Bagrut results, then proposes improvement ideas starting from kindergarten.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study focus and scope

Background on achievement gaps

Representation in higher education

Prior findings on science education status

Proposed improvements

Status of Science and Technology Education at Arab High Schools in Israel 1 By Mahmoud Huleihil􀀍 Huriya Huleihil† In this study, we provide a review of the status of science and technology education. It addresses the achievements of students in Israel who attend high schools with student bodies that are primarily Arabic speaking. It is generally recognized that the achievements of the Israeli students in international examinations are relatively low. When comparing the achievements of Israeli Arabic speaking students to the achievements of Israeli Hebrew speaking students, there is a low correlation. Some of the questions we try to answer are the following: What are the reasons behind the low scores of Arabic speaking students? Do these low achievement levels affect the future choices of science and technology for those students? Is there a relationship between the science laboratory activities and the bagrut results? (The bagrut-represented by subject-specific certificates is the official Israeli matriculation process that attests to graduation from high school. Receipt by a student of specific bagrut certificates is a prerequisite for higher education in Israel.) Finally, ideas are suggested for improvements (starting at the kindergarten level). Keywords: achievements, Israeli, school, science, technology Introduction In this study, we focus on the achievements, in Israel, of Arabic speaking high school students in the fields of science subjects, specifically biology, chemistry, and physics. In order to draw a better picture, achievements at elementary, middle, and higher education levels are also considered. The middle school curriculum defines science and technology as a single subject, treating technology as a minor component. In the recent years, science and technology units in middle schools were minimized. These decisions affected students who were continuing toward high school, especially with regards to the likelihood of choosing to concentrate on science or technology subjects. Although the focus in this study is on the narrow issue of science technology, it will be addressed by a general view on education. Based on recent findings, it is a known fact that the achievements of Israeli Arabic speaking students are 􀀍 Senior Lecturer, Beit Berl College, Israel. †Alhozayyel Elementary School, Israel. 1 The paper is concerned with achievements of Israeli Arab students. The terms Israeli Arab student or Arab students or Arabic speaking or Arabic speaker are used interchangeably. Usually the word pupil is used to reference learners at school up to 12th grade. In this paper the word pupil and the student are used interchangeably. It is written in the text explicitly which group of learners is addressed [https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.3-4-5](https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.3-4-5) doi=10.30958/aje.3-4-5 lower than the achievements of Israeli Hebrew speaking students of the same age. According to Ben-David Dan (2014), large gaps in achievement still exist between Hebrew and Arabic speakers. As was reported by Jabareen and Agbaria (2010) (who based their findings on the official data published by the Ministry of Education in 2009, with regard to the 2008 Bagrut examinations), results revealed that there is a substantial achievement gap between Hebrew speaking students and Arabic speaking students in Israel. This gap is represented by the rate of matriculation certificates. Hebrew speaking students obtained a 59.74% success rate; nearly double that of Arabic speaking students, at a success rate of 31.94% . However, a comparison of these figures with those published in previous years reveals a lesser-known fact: the gap between the achievements of Hebrew speaking and Arabic speaking students is not narrowing over time; rather it remains consistent or continues to widen, an important point that was addressed by Jabareen and Agbaria (2010) . In a different study, Ali (2013) addressed the lack of representation of

FAQs

What performance gaps motivate the study?

The study addresses consistently lower achievements of Israeli Arabic-speaking students compared with Israeli Hebrew-speaking students on international examinations and in Bagrut matriculation certificate success rates.

Which educational credentials and outcomes are used to compare students?

Bagrut subject-specific certificates are used as the official matriculation process indicating high school graduation prerequisites for higher education.

How does the study link science education to student outcomes?

It examines whether there is a relationship between science laboratory activities and Bagrut results, and it evaluates how science and technology education conditions affect future choices in these subjects.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi