HOW ARAB HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN NORTHERN ISRAEL PERCEIVE THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF THEIR EARLY CHILDHOOD KINDERGARTEN EXPERIENCES ON ACADEMIC MOTIVATION, EDUCATIONAL ORIENTATIONS, AND SELF-EFFICACY
Abstract
This in-depth qualitative study examined how Arab higher education students in northern Israel retrospectively perceive the long-term impact of their early childhood kindergarten experiences on their academic motivation, educational attitudes, and academic self-efficacy. The study focuses on a significant gap in the academic literature: the lack of qualitative studies exploring the long-term retrospective effects of early childhood experiences in non-Western minority contexts, especially within the Arab-Palestinian community inside Israel. Employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study actively involved a specific aim and a diverse cohort of 48 students (aged 20–32) from universities in Israel and abroad, representing different academic disciplines, locations, backgrounds, genders, and religious affiliations. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews lasting between 75 and 110 minutes each, with fieldwork spanning six months until theoretical saturation was reached. Multi-level thematic analysis yielded six central themes: (1) kindergarten as an enduring foundational safe space; (2) the teacher as the foremost model of ability; (3) the motivational transition from external stimulation to self-regulation; (4) retrospective memory as an active motivational resource; (5) Arab cultural identity as a collective motivational driver; and (6) creative continuity between kindergarten activities and current academic specializations. Drawing on these findings, the study proposes the Foundational Retrospective Perception Model (FRPM), which integrates Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy theory, Deci and Ryan's (2000) self-determination theory (SDT), and McAdams' (1993) narrative identity theory within a minority cultural context. The study contributes to broadening the theoretical scope of the academic motivation literature and offers practical recommendations for educational policymakers, teacher educators, and higher education institutions.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i7.6885
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