Trust Strategies for Coordinating Interests in Education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to show how a coordination of interests in education occurs based on trust. Trust in sociology of education is usually understood as an indicator or a foundation of social consensus. In the latter case, researchers focus on the essential characteristics of trust (transparency, openness, etc.). However, such an understanding only fixates a certain state of interaction, or just prepares the ground for it. In this text, the focus is on ways or strategies of trust. They allow us to see not only the existence of a consensus, but also how it is achieved. In this case, we are not talking about the best or only form of consensus, which is often identified with the notion of ‘‘quality education’’. The emphasis is on there existing many forms of consent in the field of education. The source of legitimacy for justifying the transition from single to multiple forms was the joint research work of L. Boltanski and L. Theveno on the problem of reconciliation of interests. Different forms of consent arise when the expectations of interested participants in interactions are justified. Thus, the basis for their occurrence is not a reference to a bad or good education, but to how much it meets expectations or does not meet expectations.