בחצר האחורית של ישראל – לימודי דוקטורט בחינוך בארצות בעולם - פרופיל ומניעים, תשומות ותפוקות

The study examines the motivations of Israeli doctoral students, particularly in education, who choose to study for their PhD at foreign institutions of higher education rather than in Israel. The study focuses on the perceptions of these individuals regarding the professional and occupational contribution of their doctoral studies, their satisfaction with studies abroad, improving their knowledge and research abilities, as well as comparing between the level of doctoral studies abroad and of similar studies in Israel.As part of the study, experts-evaluators were also asked about their perception of the level of PhD holders who studied abroad compared to their peers who studied in Israel, their recommendations to academic institutions regarding employing doctoral graduates from abroad, and their experience as members of Ministry of Education PhD equivalence and accreditation committees for doctoral degrees. The study utilized a qualitative method, where semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 individuals holding a PhD in education who chose to earn their degree at foreign institutions of higher education and who subsequently requested that the Israeli Ministry of Education recognize their degree (henceforth: doctors). Also interviewed were 15 members of PhD equivalence committees (henceforth: experts-evaluators) in charge of evaluating individuals who studied for a PhD and graduated abroad.The research findings may help promote Israel’s policy upon examining the high value versus the cost of PhD degrees earned in different destination countries and bringing holders of these advanced academic degrees, both Israelis and foreigners, to Israel, and herein lies the significance of the study.