Elaine Hoter

Talpiot College of Education, Holon, Israel · Education

In an increasingly globalized world, the development of language skills and intercultural empathy has become crucial for effective communication and collaboration across diverse societies. Virtual worlds offer a unique and immersive environment to address these needs through innovative educational approaches. This study explores the impact of multi...

This study explores the impact of multi-user interaction, group work, and simulations within virtual worlds on language learning and the development of intergroup empathy. Two distinct research projects were conducted, involving a total of 241 participants aged 19-45. The language learning study engaged 116 participants in diverse interactive exper...

In today's interconnected world, spoken English is a required skill on the academic level. Students are required to reach the B2 level of English according to the Common European Framework (CEFR) as a prerequisite for graduating and entrance to vocations. Students need to dedicate hours of practice in order to reach this level. To address this chal...

English, as the world's most widely spoken language, holds immense global significance. Consequently, proficiency in English is a coveted skill across the globe. This heightened importance of English naturally elevates the role of English teachers in society. This pilot study looks at the unique challenges faced by two distinct categories of Englis...

In today’s interconnected world, spoken English is a required skill on the academic level. Students are required to reach the B2 level of English according to the Common European Framework (CEFR) as a prerequisite for graduating and entrance to vocations. Students need to dedicate hours of practice in order to reach this level. To address this chal...

The Professional Learning Community (PLC) has been adopted as an alternative model for professional development for English teachers in Israel since September 2016 and is supported by the English Inspectorate. This qualitative research, based on phenomenological methodology, evaluates how successful this model is for teachers in 2019/2020. In-depth...

With more students taking online courses and with the growing popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs), it is important to examine whether the technical support students are provided with addresses their needs. Because students have a variety of academic and technical backgrounds, one type of support does not fit all. However, with thousan...

This paper explores the factors that predict children's willingness to have contact with those from cultures in conflict

This paper examines an intervention using experiential learning and simulations in a virtual world that can promote social proximity, tolerance, and cooperation in diverse societies. The participants in the study were 125 Jewish and Arab students living in Israel. A mixed linear model for repeated measures analysis that included time of measurement...

Abstract This study examines the effect of a simulation in a virtual world where the participants, 208 students, are wheelchair users and need to perform various tasks. The students’ reflections were analyzed, and three themes emerged: feelings while doing the simulation, feelings in the real world, and calls for action. In the simulation, the stud...

This article examines how mature Israeli teachers returning to academia after many years cope with the burden of their masters' studies in addition to their work as teachers and how the college can improve the well-being of these students and help avoid academic burnout. The study is based on repeated in-depth interviews with eighteen female teache...

Today many parents and preschool teachers communicate through social media. The purpose of this pilot study is to develop a tool that can reflect the new reality of parental involvement. The Parents' Involvement WhatsApp Inventory (PIWI) was developed through a questionnaire given to 324 preschool teachers in different areas in Israel. The question...

This exploratory study examined changes in intergroup attitudes and interpersonal relationships between members of virtual groups from diverse and conflicting backgrounds in an intergroup contact program. Seventy-six students took part in a collaborative online course during one academic year connecting Jews and Arabs in Israel. They marked their p...

Virtual Reality can be used effectively to enhance collaborative learning. This article will give an example of how a virtual world within a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) uses collaboration to construct knowledge, share and learn together in a semester program on intercultural education for graduate and undergraduate students. Much of the colla...

Abstract: As more academic institutions are developing MOOC courses, there is a need to make the courses more interactive and to reflect and incorporate 21st century learning skills. This round table presentation summarizes the dilemmas and deliberations in building a unique MOOC course offering a different model that emphasizes teaching and learni...

This study examines students in an online, collaborative, yearlong intercollege course. Arab and Jewish students from five colleges of education in Israel worked in virtual teams. The data includes pre and post questionnaires as well as open ended questions and ongoing reflective journals. The results of the t-test indicated that the perception of...

A journey in the last century from collaborative learning to online collaborative learning

This study examines Israeli Palestinian Arab and Jewish students from five education colleges in Israel. Students worked collaboratively through a yearly online intercollegiate program. The research includes qualitative analysis of open-ended questions and ongoing reflective journals as well as quantitative analysis of pre and post questionnaires....

This position paper looks at the design and pedagogical model for using virtual worlds in a collaborative multicultural learning environment. Virtual worlds are gradually becoming an integral part of education and this paper discusses the place of virtual worlds to connect between learners and cultures. The paper presents different pedagogical desi...

This paper puts forward a pedagogical model and design for using virtual worlds to not just connect people from different cultures, but to be a center for collaboration. It demonstrates how virtual worlds have been incorporated in a nationwide project to connect between Moslem, Druze, Christian and Jewish children in Israel and follows the developm...

The promise of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to reduce intergroup prejudice has generated mixed results. Theories of CMC yield alternative and mutually exclusive explanations about mechanisms by which CMC fosters relationships online with potential to ameliorate prejudice. This research tests contact-hypothesis predictions and two CMC theor...

Introduction Israel is considered a high-tech country, but it is also considered a country "in conflict." While these two subjects may not seem related, they actually offer an opportunity to battle the culturally diverse conflict while using technology. Since the development of the Internet, attempts have been made to use technology to bring peopl...

This case study through content analysis looks at the written group interaction in an online collaborative learning course between three distinct cultures in Israel; Arabs, secular Jews and religious Jews. The study looks at a sample of thirty one students in teacher colleges in Israel who studied in six groups. Frequency of specific comments were...

This paper presents an online inter-group contact hypothesis (OICH) model, developed within the Israel education system, whereby online and distance learning (ODL) is used in the service of multiculturalism. The goal is to build bridges among secular and religious Arabs and Jews in Israel based on small multicultural groups and collaborative learni...

Two classes from Talpiot Teachers’ College took part in a multicultural collaborative online experience over one semester with two parallel classes from the University of Gallaudet Washington D.C., the University for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Does the project build an online community or does this project simply create a feeling of collaboratio...

A suggested model for an experiential learning experience for faculty members through a multi-cultural, multi-dimensional conference where faculty participate using diverse unfamiliar technologies via a loaded controversial topic. The model was carried out between college faculty from three different institutions in Israel; a Moslem teachers colleg...