Research Activity and Research Culture in Academic Teachers' Colleges in Israel

This paper discusses the importance of research activity in academic teachers' colleges in Israel and analyses how this activity is organised. It investigates the contribution of research to development of professional staff and the state of research activities at teacher training colleges. Major obstacles impeding research at the colleges are pointed out and conditions affecting research performance are indicated. The character of the actual research activity is analysed and five different models are specified. The paper focuses on the research committees and research units, which are the central organisational tools for research development, by analysing and describing the range of research culture in the colleges: from absent to optimal. The paper contributes a theoretical and an applied framework that may support the further development of research at the colleges.