The Ph.D. program of the School of Education enrolls about 90 students who are conducting research in a variety of innovative topics in the field of education and instruction. It is therefore not surprising that graduates of the program play leading roles in the education system, such as teaching and doing research at the universities, teaching and managing educational systems, developing evaluation and application of new programs, and using knowledge-rich technologies.

This collection of abstracts of the doctoral theses submitted to the School of Education, Tel Aviv University, in the 2002-2003 academic year covers a wide and varied range of topics in education research. In this publication, the reader can find out more about the issues that were studied, as well as the up- to-date research methodologies used and contributions made in the relevant domains. Those who would like to further examine any of the dissertations whose abstracts appear here, are invited to visit the Library of the School of Education, where copies of theses works are kept. Some of these works are expected to be published in scientific journals and other professional publications.

The School of Education takes pride in their Ph.D. recipients, congratulates them on completing their studies, and wishes them the best of luck as they move onwards into exciting and challenging future roles. The advancement of education in Israel is our major goal and we hope that they will share this joint enterprise with us.

The study program toward the PhD is open to outstanding students who possess an MA degree. Candidates should have proven a wish and competency to engage in independent research the field of education and its associated disciplines.

PhD students are expected to conduct independent, original research and to submit it in the form of a PhD thesis. This thesis should be presented in accordance with the generally accepted rules for such academic work. The candidate should also demonstrate her command of the background material and professional literature relevant to her or his topic of study. Moreover, she or he should complete all the other official requirements as determined by the University’s regulations for PhD students.

The study program includes one mandatory course and 14-16 hours of elective courses. The PhD student is entitled to select these courses only from the courses on offer for the MA degree, as stipulated in the University regulations. In exceptional cases, BA courses may be included with the approval of the student’s supervisor.

Mandatory course: Workshop for research students (4 semestrial hours).

Registration and admission

Applications for Ph.D. studies can be made by those who have completed their Master’s studies in educational science and/or teaching and who have proved their ability to conduct scientific research in education, psychology and/or social science. The minimum required grade for an MA graduate in education is 85, with a minimum MA thesis grade of 85. Graduates from other university departments will have to prove that their MA results in their own discipline would have entitled them to register for Ph.D. studies in that field.

On application, please submit the following documents:

• MA certificate and record of studies.
• Signed letter from supervisor confirming s/he has agreed to supervise the candidate.
• MA thesis.
• Full record of studies of all previous academic studies.
• List of references (preferably people with proven competence to judge applicant’s academic, research and educational abilities).
• CV
• Drafted outline of the subject the applicant intends to research.