Preliminary Data Collection & Development of a Structured Instrument

This research project aims to investigate ecological and cultural determinants of the developmental pathways and educational achievement of Palestinian Arab adolescents in Israel and Germany. In both national settings this population is characterized by a distinct educational achievement gap. The goal of this research is to investigate if and how cultural meaning and value systems, which are transmitted via the ethnocultural and social context of adolescents, influence these youths' decisions and activities related to school and thereby their educational trajectories. This project is a pilot study in order to collect preliminary data, develop a structured instrument for the assessment of cultural models of the life course, and train student researchers. The pilot study serves the preparation of a comparative longitudinal study of the role of cultural models for the educational pathways of Palestinian-descendent adolescents in Germany and Israel. This project will run from September 2009 to August 2010.