TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM IN ARAB HIGH SCHOOLS IN ISRAEL PREPARE STUDENTS FOR ACADEMIC AND SPOKEN ENGLISH IN ISRAELI UNIVERSITIES?

Sohad Shalata

Abstract


The transition from secondary school to higher education presents significant linguistic and academic challenges for many Arab students in Israel who use English for both academic and communicative purposes. This study investigates the extent to which the English curriculum in Arab high schools in Israel prepares students for academic and spoken English in Israeli universities. The study seeks to explore students’ perceptions of their preparedness for university-level English and to identify the limitations of secondary school English education in preparing students for higher education. This study, therefore, adopted a qualitative methodology employing semi-structured interviews and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The study involved 40 Arab university students enrolled in their first or second years at various Israeli universities from different academic disciplines and shared their experiences in learning English before and after entering higher education. The interview data were coded and analyzed thematically to recognize recurring patterns and themes. The findings showed that although secondary school English education provided students with a basic foundation in English, it did not adequately prepare them for the academic and communicative demands of higher education. Participants reported limited exposure to academic English, spoken communication, authentic language use, and higher-order thinking skills, highlighting a gap between school English instruction and university expectations. The study recommends strengthening academic and spoken English instruction, increasing opportunities for language practice, and making school English education further responsive to the demands of higher education through curriculum review and enhanced teacher quality and professional development.

Keywords


English curriculum, academic English, spoken english, higher education, arab students in Israel, language preparedness, academic readiness, transition to higher education

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i7.6883

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