Pedagogical reasoning of expert teachers: The case of EFL Arab teachers in the triangle area in Israel

This study explored the contextual conditions that inform the pedagogical reasoning of EFL Arab expert teachers in the Northern Triangle area in Israel. While studies conducted on teachers’ pedagogical reasoning are myriad, many of these studies deal with pedagogical reasoning in a decontextualized manner. Teachers in politically and socially complex circumstances, however, have to deal with other elements including security issues, sociopolitical tensions, and societal instability. Because context is believed to be a key player that shapes many aspects of the educational process, this study explores teachers’ pedagogical reasoning as informed by the features of a particular security-sensitive, sociocultural-educational context, in our case, the Arab Israeli context in the Northern Triangle Area in Haifa District. Twelve well-reputed Arab expert teachers of English with a teaching seniority of more than 5 years of work in Arab junior and high schools were interviewed in the ‘for’ (before class) and ‘on’ (after class) action phases of their teaching. Analysis drew on Shulman’s (1987) and Pang’s (2016) conceptualizations of pedagogical reasoning as initial interpretative lenses. Findings indicate that teachers’ pedagogical reasoning is informed by contextual factors related to their society, to teachers themselves, and to learners. The local findings of the study provide insights into how teachers adapt instructional strategies not only to pedagogical goals but also to external realities, including safety and sociopolitical considerations. These findings highlight the key role of context in expert teachers’ pedagogical reasoning, particularly in politically complicated and conflict-sensitive environments.