Ethical Considerations of Bedouin Arab School Leaders: Negotiating Western and Indigenous Decision-Making Values

• In Event: International Perspectives on Leadership

Abstract

While ethical considerations are embedded in school culture, few empirical works have investigated their manifestation in non-Western and Arab culture. This study inquires, what are the ethical considerations of educational leaders among indigenous Bedouin-Arab educators in Israel? Employing an Ethical Perspectives Instrument designed by Authors, two exploratory studies were carried out: Study 1 examined the ethical judgements of Bedouin BEd students (n=28), and their perceptions of ethical judgments of hypothesised Bedouin school leaders. Study 2 compared the ethical judgements of Bedouin (n=30) and Jewish (n=39) MA Ed-Admin students. Findings revealed the ethics of utilitarianism to trump other ethical considerations. Thus, unveiling school-leaders’ challenges to negotiate tensions between their roles as agents of both the state and their indigenous community.

Authors

• Ori Eyal, Hebrew University

• Rima'a Da'as, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Izhak Berkovich, The Open University of Israel