Between Two Countries: Golan Heights Druze Students' Preferences for Higher Education in Either Syria or Israel

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Five
  In Roundtable Session: Learning Through Liminality: Choices and Access Across Diverse Spaces (Table 3)

Abstract

The Druze in the Israeli Golan Heights are considered an ethnic minority group living in an occupied area without Israeli citizenship. The current study examined their motives for acquiring higher education in academic institutions in different countries: Syria and Israel. Interviews were conducted with 15 Druze students, graduates of two educational institutions in both countries. Using Grounded Theory analysis, the findings indicate that the choice of higher education is based on pragmatic considerations that emphasize higher education as an essential means of social and economic mobility alongside personal development and self-fulfillment. The study provides an understanding of the experiences of Druze students from the Golan Heights as the basis for the choice of country supporting their academic choices.

Authors

• Duaa Shams
  Presenting Author

• Yael Grinshtain, Tel-Hai College
  Presenting Author

• Yuval Dror, Tel Aviv University
  Non-Presenting Author