The A Priori Ideological Orientation of Schools in Kibbutzim in Israel

This paper examines the a-priori ideological orientation of pupils in two different types of schools in the kibbutzim in Israel, the movement schools (Hatakam or Hashomer Hatzair) and the mixed schools. The paper attempts to show how different educational circumstances and environments develop a distinct a-priori ideological orientation in students from approximately the same kind of population. The study involved 249 pupils in 12th grade from 9 kibbutz schools who wrote essays on the topic "Positive and Negative Aspects of the School's Approach to Judaism" and made statements about their feelings toward various types of Jews. Content analysis was performed on the compositions and statements. The information gathered was organized into six categories: ideological, social, behavioral, emotional, intellectual, and general. Findings showed that while students at movement schools rated high in ideological stances, students of "mixed" schools held more generalized attitudes in respect to both components of the study. This was particularly evident in the analysis of the attitudes toward the various types of Jews.