Studying culturally valued texts: Teachers' conception vs. students' conceptions

This study is based on in-depth interviews with Israeli teachers and students studying culturally valued texts and focuses on their respective conceptions of Bible studies. The findings indicate that the students see their encounter with the Bible as first and foremost a process of cultural encounter with the text. On the other hand, teachers see their role as one of imparting knowledge and one which is almost devoid of any cultural dimension. The paper concludes that the teachers of Bible and other culturally valued texts should change their conception of their role from one focusing on the transmitting of knowledge to one focusing on intercultural mediating.