ERIC Number: EJ1296354
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 31
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1524-4113
EISSN: N/A
A Little Bit More Far than Mexico: How 3- and 4-Year Old Jewish Children Understand Israel
Applebaum, Lauren; Hartman, Anna; Zakai, Sivan
Journal of Jewish Education, v87 n1 p4-34 2021
This study examines how 3- and 4-year-old Jewish children think and feel about Israel. The research, conducted as a collaboration between scholars and practitioner-researchers who work in Jewish early childhood centers, draws upon group interviews, elicitation/provocation exercises, a drawing task, and teacher documentation to investigate how some of the youngest learners in Jewish educational settings conceive of Israel. We found that 3- and 4-year-old Jewish children think about Israel as a foreign country with its own customs, landmarks, and language. They also think about Israel as a distinctly Jewish place, with a special role in Jewish traditions and stories. We found no evidence that 3- and 4-year-old children reflect on Israel as a place of personal meaning for their own Jewish lives. This absence challenges both the theory and practice of Israel education in the early childhood setting.
Descriptors: Judaism, Childrens Attitudes, Preschool Children, Early Childhood Education, Freehand Drawing, Child Care Centers, Task Analysis, Preschool Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Jews, Semitic Languages, Historic Sites, Religious Factors, Educational Theories, Educational Practices, Foreign Countries, Communities of Practice, Teacher Researchers
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A