International Journal of Sociology of Education

Promoting Student Agency through Writing Projects: The Role of Classroom Interaction, Autonomy from the Teacher, and Control over one's own Performance

Alejandra Andueza- Correa — 2024-10-25

The concept of agency has gain increasing importance in educational research given that it refers to the capacity of students to make decisions and influence their own learning based on the resources and opportunities available to them. In our diverse classrooms, to promote agency is key as it allows each student to progress according to his or her own pace and abilities. This qualitative research, a classroom design experiment, analyzes how learning projects can favor the development of agency. To do so, writing projects were applied, in three educational establishments, to 16-17 years old students. Then, six focus groups were conducted to gain an insight about students' perspective on their learning experience. A content analysis of the transcripts was carried out and three mechanisms favoring agency were identified: (1) greater interaction among classroom members (increased student protagonism), (2) greater student control over their own performance, and (3) greater autonomy with respect to the teacher.

New responsibilities for a New Public Education? Analysis of the Chilean accountability reform

Claudia Carrasco-Aguilar — 2024-10-25

Since 2017, the Chilean school system has been undergoing reforms stemming from the New Public Education (NEP) project. This study analyzed the responsibilities of the new intermediate administrative level, known as Local Public Education Services (SLEP), as outlined in various government documents. A mixed-methods document review was conducted. The textual corpus included Law No. 21.040, the First National Public Education Strategy, and the three documents that outline the Performance Standards at the General, Early Childhood Education, and Technical-Professional Secondary Education levels. The content analysis was qualitative, followed by descriptive quantitative analysis to estimate the frequencies and proportion of responsibilities across five management dimensions: leadership, pedagogy, resources, territory, and school climate. The results identify 114 responsibilities, with an overrepresentation in the leadership and pedagogical management dimensions, to the detriment of the school climate dimension, as well as an imbalance in management tasks without clear accountability mechanisms. The findings are discussed in terms of the implications for the reform of the Chilean educational quasi-market and the challenges that remain in moving towards an approach that challenges the current accountability model.

Identifying Key Concepts of the Language of Desire and the Language of Ethics in Dialogic Literary Gatherings

Garazi López de Aguileta — 2024-10-25

Given the high prevalence of gender violence among adolescents and youth, research has underscored the importance of preventing it from an early age. The literature has clarified that the prevention of gender violence requires the union of the language of desire and of ethics to promote egalitarian relationships as desirable. Nevertheless, there is a need for a more in-depth and extensive analysis of the key concepts that emerge in DLG, implemented in diverse contexts to better understand their potential as a space for the prevention of gender violence. To contribute to filling this gap, this study explores key concepts of desire and ethics that adolescents surface in DLG implemented in 5 Learning Communities have in common. To that end, 26 observations in 9 different DLG groups with students aged 10-15 and 45 interviews with students and teachers were conducted. Results show one key concept of desire and ethics in these DLG: many students reject violence and peer pressure. Implications of these findings for the prevention and overcoming of gender violence are discussed.

The Structural Model of Influential Interplay among Cultural Practices, Social Support, Economic Factors, and the Suku Anak Dalam Community’ Perceptions of Religious Education

Sutarto Sutarto — 2024-10-25

The Suku Anak Dalam (SAD) community in Sumatra, Indonesia, faced unique educational challenges influenced by cultural, social, and economic factors. This study aimed to explore and confirm the influential relationships among cultural practices, social support, economic factors, and SAD’s perceptions of religious education. A total of 356 literate SAD from some regions in Sumatra were sampled. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), data were collected through a structured questionnaire translated into the local language. The results revealed that cultural practices positively impacted SAD’s perceptions of religious education (H1, t=7.550, p=0.000) and significantly enhanced social support (H4, t=3.870, p=0.000). Social support positively influenced perceptions of religious education (H2, t=4.880, p=0.000), while economic factors had a strong positive effect on both perceptions of religious education (H3, t=9.119, p=0.000) and social support (H5, t=31.108, p=0.000). These findings highlight the necessity of integrating cultural, social, and economic aspects in educational policies for the SAD community. The study's novelty lies in its structural model, offering deep insights into religious education perceptions. Future research should explore similar dynamics in other indigenous communities using longitudinal and qualitative methods.