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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Language, Culture and Diversity
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1403926

Subtle Yet Encouraging Developments: Exploring Intergroup Relations between Arab and Jewish College Students over Seven Years

Provisionally accepted
Mahmood Sindiani Mahmood Sindiani *Devora Hellerstein Devora Hellerstein Bosmat Skye Bosmat Skye Ben Zaken Ben Zaken Michal Arnon Michal Arnon
  • The Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center, Wingate Campus, Netanya, Israel

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study investigates the dynamics of intranational intergroup contact between Arab and Jewish students in a higher education institution in Israel. Guided by the contact hypothesis, the research examines the gap between students' willingness for intergroup closeness and their reported actual intergroup interactions. Using a cross-sectional survey design, quantitative data were collected from a total of 733 Arab and Jewish students at two timepoints: in 2016 (n=419) and in 2023 (n=314). All students were studying to become physical education teachers. The findings revealed both persistent challenges and encouraging trends in intergroup relationships. Despite reported willingness for meaningful connections, the students' reported actual intergroup interactions remained limited. A significant increase in willingness for academic and friendship relationships was observed from 2016 to 2023, suggesting the potential for constructive change. Arab students consistently reported higher willingness for closeness and more frequent interactions than their Jewish counterparts. These findings underscore the importance of structured interventions in higher education settings to foster meaningful intergroup relations, amidst broader societal challenges.

    Keywords: intranational relations, Intergroup interactions, Intercultural competence, higher education, Arab-Jewish relations, Contact Hypothesis, social dynamics, Conflict Resolution

    Received: 20 Mar 2024; Accepted: 13 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sindiani, Hellerstein, Skye, Zaken and Arnon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mahmood Sindiani, The Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center, Wingate Campus, Netanya, Israel

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.