Palestinian Arab undergraduate students’ transition to Israeli higher education: a mixed methods study

Figures & data

Table

No	Item	Response format
1	Age	Numeric
2	Gender	Male, female, prefer not to say.
3	Hometown	Free text
4	Religious affiliation	Muslim, Christian, Druze, other, prefer not to say.
5	National definition	Arab, Israeli, Palestinian, Israeli citizen, other, prefer not to say (choose all that apply).
6	Academic institution	List of academic institutions recognised by CHE
7	Main language of instruction	Hebrew, English, Arabic.
8	Subject studied	Free text
9	Highest education level completed	High school, professional diploma, undergraduate, masters, doctorate, prefer not to say.
10	Type of high school qualification	Bagrut, Tawjihi, other.
11	Completion of undergraduate study	Yes, No – I stopped my studies before completion, No – I am currently still studying.
If answer to item 11 is currently studying
11a	Year of study	1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and over.
12	Change of course during studies	Yes, no.
13	Father’s education level	Less than high school, high school, professional diploma, undergraduate, masters, doctorate, prefer not to say.
14	Mother’s education level

Table

No	Item	Response format
1	‘I had a smooth transition to university’	Likert agreement scale (1–5): 1- Completely disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- I don’t agree or disagree, 4- Agree, 5- Completely agree, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
2	‘I often felt lost’
3	‘I felt anxious about my academic progress’
4	‘I was scared of dropping out’
5	‘I understood what the requirements were for my classes’
6	‘The pace of learning in university was challenging for me’
7	‘I seriously thought about changing my course’
8	‘I knew where to find academic help if I needed it’
9	‘I understood what was said in class’
10	‘I felt confident to ask and answer questions in class’
11	‘I felt confident expressing my opinions in class’
12	‘I felt comfortable approaching my professors and tutors’
13	‘I felt well-adjusted socially’
14	‘I knew where to find psychological help if I needed it’
15	‘I leaned on my Arab classmates for support’
16	‘I felt like my Arab classmates were dealing with similar difficulties as me’
17	What is approximately the percentage of Arab students in your course?	<10, 10–20, 21–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60, 61–70, 71–80, 81–90, 90<
18	What is approximately the percentage of Arab students in your university?
19	Did you move out of your parents’ house to attend university?	Yes, no.
If yes to item 19 -
19a	Was this your first time living independently?	Yes, no.
20	Did you move to a new city in order to attend university?	Yes, no.
20a	‘I felt comfortable in the new city’	Likert agreement scale (1–5): 1- Completely disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- I don’t agree or disagree, 4- Agree, 5- Completely agree, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
20b	‘It was easy to use public transportation to move between my hometown and the new city’
20c	‘The lifestyle of people in the new city was significantly different than that of people in my hometown’
20d	‘I experienced discrimination because of my ethnicity/nationality or religion in the new city’

Table

No	Item	Response format
1	‘I felt competent in my ability to persist to degree completion’	Likert agreement scale (1–5): 1- Completely disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- I don’t agree or disagree, 4- Agree, 5- Completely agree, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
2	‘I felt like I needed to prove myself (to my classmates, to my professors, to my family)’
3	‘I knew my rights as a student at university’
4	‘I felt that I progressed at a similar pace to my Arab classmates’	Likert pace scale (1–5): 1- Significantly slower, 2- Somewhat slower, 3- Similar pace, 4 - Somewhat faster, 5- Significantly faster, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
5	‘I felt that I progressed at a similar pace to my Jewish classmates’
6	‘My language mastery badly impacted my grades/my performance’	Likert agreement scale (1–5): 1- Completely disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- I don’t agree or disagree, 4- Agree, 5- Completely agree, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
7	‘I felt that my Hebrew was strong enough for the academic environment’
8	‘I felt that my English was strong enough for the academic environment’
9	‘I felt that my Hebrew was strong enough to establish friendships with my Jewish classmates’
10	‘I felt like I belonged on campus’
11	‘The campus was a friendly place to me’
12	‘The university is a fair place’
13	‘I experienced hostility/discrimination from lecturers/tutors because of my ethnicity/nationality or religious identity’
14	‘I experienced hostility/discrimination from administrative staff because of my ethnicity/nationality or religious identity’
15	‘I experienced hostility/discrimination from other students because of my ethnicity/nationality or religious identity’
16	‘I felt that university decisions are inclusive for all students’
17	‘I felt that my ethnicity/nationality identity is respected’
18	‘I felt that my religious identity is respected’
19	‘I have Jewish Israeli friends on campus’
20	‘I have completed a group/pair project with a Jewish Israeli classmate’
21	‘I would like to be friends with more Jewish Israeli students on campus’
22	‘I think there are opportunities to meet and become friends with Jewish Israeli students on campus’
23	‘There is a segregation between Arabs and Jews on campus’
24	‘I struggled financially during my time as a student’	Likert frequency scale (1–5): 1 – Never, 2 – Few and far between, 3- Sometimes, 4- Frequently, 5- Always, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
25	‘I had to work during my time as a student to finance my studies’
26	‘I had to work during my time as a student to support my family’
27	‘I have financial support from my family’
28	‘My financial situation causes me anxiety’
29	Did you begin your academic studies between the ages of 18 and 21?	Yes, no.
If yes to item 29
29a	‘Most of my classmates were older than me’	Likert agreement scale (1–5): 1- Completely disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- I don’t agree or disagree, 4- Agree, 5- Completely agree, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
29b	‘I felt pressured to enter university briefly after finishing high school’
29c	‘Being young was an obstacle for me at university’
29d	‘I was mature enough when I entered university’
29d	‘I wish I entered university later than I had’

Table

No	Item	Response format
1	Extra time during assessments for non-native Hebrew speakers	Select if it applies and Likert importance scale (1–5): 1- Very unimportant, 2- Unimportant, 3- Neutral, 4- Important, 5- Very important, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
2	Peer mentors
3	Faculty mentors
4	Tutoring sessions with a Hebrew-speaker
5	Tutoring sessions with an Arabic-speaker
6	Summer-bridge prep course
7	Scholarships
8	Low-interest loans
9	Career advice
10	Other: specify	Free text

Table

No	Item	Response format
1	‘I know what university support is available for me and how to access it’	Likert agreement scale (1–5): 1- Completely disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- I don’t agree or disagree, 4- Agree, 5- Completely agree, or not applicable to me/prefer not to answer.
2	‘I feel like the support is beneficial for me’
3	‘I feel like the support is beneficial for other Arab students’
4	‘I feel like the university understands my needs as an Arab student’
5	‘I made use of the university support during my time as a student’
6	‘I would have appreciated more academic support’
7	‘I would have appreciated more financial support’
8	‘I would have appreciated more emotional/social support’
9	‘I feel that the university is sincere in its attempt to support Arab students’
10	‘I feel pitied by the university’
11	‘I feel that the support is enough to give an equal opportunity for Arab students to succeed/thrive/realise their potential’

Table

Variable	Category	% population* (2020/21)**	% sample
Gender	Men	32.6%	25.3%
	Women	67.4%	73.9%
	Prefer not to say	–	0.8%
Religious affiliation	Muslim	71%	54.3%
	Christian	16%	33.3%
	Druze	13%	7.7%
	Other	–	1.1%
	Prefer not to say	–	3.5%
Hometown type	Arab	–	80.3%
	Jewish	–	0.4%
	Mixed***	–	7%
	N/A	–	12%
Mother’s education level	Less than high school	–	13%
	High school	–	29%
	Professional diploma	–	15%
	Undergraduate	–	22%
	Masters	–	18%
	Doctorate	–	1%
	Prefer not to say	–	1%
Father’s education level	Less than high school	–	20%
	High school	–	29%
	Professional diploma	–	15%
	Undergraduate	–	21%
	Masters	–	11%
	Doctorate	–	3%
	Prefer not to say	–	1%
Academic institution type	Research universities (private and public)	50.4%	57.1%
	Academic colleges (private and public)	34.5%	41.3%
	Open University	15.1%	1.5%
Academic institution	University of Haifa	–	20.8%
	ORT Braude Academic College of Engineering	–	10.8%
	University of Tel Aviv	–	10.3%
	Technion – Israel Institute of Technology	–	9.9%
	Tel Hai Academic College	–	7.5%
	Hebrew University of Jerusalem	–	7.2%
	The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College	–	3.7%
	Ben Gurion University of the Negev	–	3.5%
	Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art	–	3.5%
	Ono Academic College	–	3.3%
	Bar Ilan University	–	2.4%
	Bezalel Academy of Art and Design	–	2.2%
	Reichman University (previously Interdisciplinary Centre Herzliya)	–	2.2%
	Open University	–	1.5%
	Oranim Academic College and Teaching	–	1.5%
	Beit Berl College	–	1.1%
	Hadassah Academic College	–	1.1%
Academic discipline	Engineering & architecture	22.1%	33.1%
	Social Sciences (including social work, organisational consulting, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, criminology, human resources, political science, communication, and psychology)	16.4%	19.8%
	Humanities, education & arts (including languages, literature, history, art, music, theatre, design, visual communications and philosophy)	18.6%	13.2%
	Natural sciences & maths (including biology, chemistry, life sciences, biochemistry, pharmacology, statistics and maths)	8.3%	9.7%
	Medical & para-medical sciences (including medicine, dentistry, nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy)	9.9%	9.7%
	Business (including accounting, management, and economics)	18.1%	7.7%
	Law	6.6%	4.4%
Course change	Yes	–	80%
	No	–	20%
Status	Current student	–	64%
	Recent graduate	–	35%
	Stopped studies before completion	–	1%

*Population refers to PAI undergraduate students enrolled in Israeli HE institutions in the academic year 2020/2021.

**The author’s processing of data provided by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

***Mixed cities are defined by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics as those whose population has over 10% PAI residents.