"CROSSING FENCES": UNCOVERING MULTICULTURALISM OF JEWISH AND ARAB TEACHERS STUDYING TOWARDS AN M.ED. DEGREE

The present research explores the multiculturalism of teachers learning towards their M.Ed. degree in an academic collage of education. The research questions deal with teachers' perception of multiculturalism, a change in their attitude towards the issue of multiculturalism from their point of view throughout their studies as well as their multiculturalism-oriented recommendations to the leaders of the M.Ed. programme. The research population comprises 27 Jewish and Arab teachers in their second year of studies. The research is conducted according to the qualitative paradigm and it constitutes a case study. The research instruments include a focus group and an open-ended questionnaire. The research findings illustrate that the teachers' perception of multiculturalism is focused on the ideological aspect, demographic differentiation and the setting up of a unique encounter. Most of the teachers emphasise the importance they attribute to multiculturalism, arguing that it is necessary to engage in it by various ways during the studies. The research recommends allocating room for the issue of multiculturalism in M.Ed. programmes. These programmes are part of the professional development of Jewish and Arab teachers for whom the classroom does not imply only academic studies but also a complicated and challenging multicultural encounter.