Teaching Hebrew as a second language for Arab middle and high school students with disabilities

ABSTRACT

According to the inclusion law in Israel, students with disabilities can learn in mainstream classes with support services by teachers and specialists with special education training. The present study investigates the quality of teaching Hebrew as a second language (HSL) for Arab students with disabilities as reported by 35 teachers of HSL in mainstream middle and high schools who filled an online survey. Findings indicated a lack of knowledge among the teachers about students with disabilities who learn in inclusive settings. Moreover, the responses revealed that almost half of the teachers did not speak Hebrew fluently, and that they all simplified their language when administering their lessons. These findings raise questions regarding teaching HSL and the efficacy of inclusion. The present study identifies key areas for improvement including the need for competent L2 teachers for students with disabilities, and the implementation of an adapted accessible curriculum and an authentic classroom. Recommendations for teaching HSL for Arab students with disabilities are included.

KEYWORDS:

• Arabic
• Hebrew
• second language
• disability
• inclusion
• curriculum

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data obtained and/or analysed are available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Khaloob Kawar

Khaloob Kawar, Ph.D., SLP, is a lecturer and head of M.teach studies in Special Education at Beit-Berl College, Israel. Her research focuses on speech, language, and hearing in typically developed and disabled individuals. She examines narrative production in Arabic-speaking children, including those with hearing loss, and extends her research to Hebrew-speaking children and individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Additionally, she studies speech perception assessments and morphosyntactic abilities, exploring the impact of diglossia on reading acquisition.