Students Shaping Internationalization in a Conflict-Ridden Society: Experiences of Israeli Teacher Education Colleges

Abstract

This article focuses on students from two Israeli teacher education colleges serving marginalized communities, both of which participated in a European Union (EU) project aimed at fostering internationalization in higher education institutions in Israel. The study reported focuses on students’ agency in shaping institutional internationalization processes, in particular during their studies but also, as it became apparent, later in their teaching careers following graduation. Moreover, we explore how students’ agency in internationalization is shaped by the conflict and its consequences. Employing a qualitative methodology, we followed six students’ personal and professional trajectories, revealing the nature and scope of their activities and perceptions in light of their proactive role in internationalization in their institutions. We show how life in a conflict-ridden society may prompt proactivity and agency among marginalized students, revealing and discussing the potential transformative nature of students’ agency in internationalization processes. Our findings indicate that institutions can strive to facilitate student agency and utilize it to further develop internationalization within their institutions.