Islamic work ethics in an ethnically and culturally diverse context: The case of Arab high school teachers in Israel

The purpose of this study is to identify work value scales among teachers in Arab high schools in Israel. The study was conducted among Arab high school teachers in Israel, who are part of an indigenous ethnic and cultural
minority in a Western-oriented, Jewish majority country, and work in a school system that is based on western educational and ethical paradigms. The work values of Arab high school teachers were measured using the Islamic
Work Ethic (IWE), and modified for the current study for use in educational settings. Eight significant dimensions emerged: cooperation, consultation and fortitude, perfectionism and self-discipline, competence, integrity and fairmindedness, personal responsibility and forgiveness, industriousness, trustworthiness, the fulfillment of commitments and competitiveness. The eight dimensions together explained 48% of the total variance and were found to be reliable measures for understanding the work-related values of Arab high school teachers. The study findings indicate that Arab high school teachers in Israel exhibit Islamic work values despite working in a western-oriented educational system.