Chilean Higher Education System Research Articles

Unmothering the Conversation on Gender in Academia

The number of academic women working in universities has increased significantly in Chile. This article analyzes discourses on gender in the Chilean higher education system coming from academics working as scholars in the educational field in private and public universities in three different regions of the country. Based on a large qualitative study on research policies, we revisited data from 43 semistructured interviews with feminist poststructural discourse analysis (FPDA) to reflect the ways gender policies on research are being designed, justified, and resisted within academic spaces. The results show that the promotion of gender policies has been reduced to an idea of women as a homogeneous category, leaving aside a complex comprehension of politics of care and gender, without incorporating intersectionality in the discussion. This has an impact on the resistance to the advancement of gender policies in research and the perpetuation of sexism within academic spaces.

Post-pandemic psychosocial variables affecting academic dropout in a sample of Chilean higher-education students

IntroductionUniversity dropouts are a problem in the Chilean higher education system, which causes psychosocial and economic damage and requires further studies to understand it comprehensively. This study aimed to determine the psychosocial variables influencing the risk of dropping out of the higher education system in a sample of Chilean university students post-pandemic.MethodsWith a sample of 655 students from the Chilean higher education system and with a cross-sectional study design taken in November 2022, a questionnaire was applied with sociodemographic and other variables of interest, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale DASS-21, the EAC-19 Coronavirus Affect Scale, the ECE Emotional Exhaustion Scale; the Okasha Suicide Scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). We performed descriptive, bivariate, and multiple logistic regression analyses through SPSS version 25. Variables with a value of p <0.05 in the final model were declared statistically significant. Odds ratios (OR) were adjusted to 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), which were used to determine the independent predictor variables.ResultsSignificant variables for the risk of dropping out of higher education were: failing four or more courses [AOR = 3.434; 95% CI: 1.272, 9.269], having depressive symptoms [AOR = 1.857; 95% CI: 1.214, 2.839], having suicidal ideation and thoughts [AOR = 2.169; 95% CI: 1.509, 3.118], having clinical insomnia [AOR = 2.024; 95% CI: 1.400, 2.927], low parental support [AOR = 1.459; 95% CI: 1.029, 2.069], impaired performance during the pandemic [AOR = 1.882; 95% CI: 1.317, 2.690], and impaired socioeconomic status during the pandemic [AOR = 1.649; 95% CI: 1.153, 2.357].ConclusionChilean higher education institutions should pay attention to the risk factors resulting from this research, such as students with more than four failed courses during their career, depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts, clinical insomnia, low parental support, and affectation in performance and socioeconomic level during the pandemic, which could contribute to improving academic retention indicators.

(Un)Limited choice: analysing the strategic choices of first-in-generation students in neoliberal higher education

In highly marketised higher education systems, massification has afforded greater access, particularly for first-in-generation students. Generally, this expansion has been fuelled by neoliberal ideologies that valorise the notion of choice and promise of social mobility. In this study, using interviews with 25 first-generation students, the issue of choice is critically examined in one of the earliest arenas of neoliberal experimentation: the Chilean higher education system. The study found that these first-in-generation students encountered complex and multi-levelled challenges in making higher education choices. Such choices were firmly anchored in differing levels of aspiration, and were strongly mediated by both family and school social capital. As a result, we propose an addition to traditional conceptions of choice: students (and their families) who act as strategic choosers. This outcome challenges the notion that first-in-generation students encounter unitary trajectories or equitable choices in encountering higher education.

Elite universities in Chile: Between social mobility and reproduction of inequality

The Chilean Higher Education System can be considered an exemplary case of massification based on the privatisation and heterogenisation of universities. These processes have created a dual system, with a large group of universities for mass education versus a small group of universities focused on educating elites. In this context, this paper aims to analyse the ethos and missions of elite universities and programmes, their selection mechanisms, and students’ socioeconomic and cultural background. Eight case studies were selected, and different data collection techniques were used: interviews with academics, non-participant observations, students’ survey and secondary data analysis. Results show that these elite universities (characterised by overrepresentation of students from the upper and middle-upper classes, high levels of excellence and prestige, and academic selection processes or high fees) respond to their own market niche’s needs, differentiating themselves not only from ‘mass universities’ but also from each other. To achieve this, each elite university has its own vision, set of values and practices. Despite these differences, all the elite universities and programmes seek to face the current tertiary massification scenario by opening up to student social diversity ensuring, however, that these changes do not structurally modify their sociocultural composition or their institutional mission.
 Received: 4 December 2020Accepted: 20 April 2022

More ideational than material: Exploring the contemporary role of student voices in Chilean universities

A key promise of neoliberalist ideologies in higher education is the valorization of student choice as a means of (re)shaping practices and improving the responsiveness of institutions. The power of this neoliberal imaginary (Ball, 2012) was grounded in market-like policies that demanded institutional accountability to both afford competition and maximizing prospects of student satisfaction. A key consequence of this imperative has been burgeoning institutional and system-level investment in metric-based instruments designed to measure and compare student experiences, engagement or satisfaction. However, how effective of these neoliberal policies been in empowering student choice and in producing more reflexive institutions? The research reported here investigated the influence of student voices in one of the earliest adopters of this neoliberal imaginary: the Chilean higher education system. This qualitative study explored the contemporary institutional role and function of student voices using a university typology, with data developed through artefact analyses and interviews with educational leaders. The findings suggest that institutions have heterogeneous orientations ranging from pseudo-democratic to instrumental forms of engagement, reflecting the distinctive sociocultural histories of institutions. However, the outcomes suggest that student voices are not a substantial presence in quality assurance or improvement practices.

Buscando un trabajo académico: un análisis exploratorio de las relaciones entre clase social de origen de los académicos y redes de contratación en universidades chilenas.

This research consisted of a qualitative case study on how a group of early-career doctorate holders in engineering (N=10) found academic positions in the Chilean academia. The analysis particularly explored how their social class of origin and their academic networks influenced their opportunities of getting an academic job. Findings show that social class of origin mediates the academic network configuration of academic-job seekers through unequal opportunities of completing their undergraduate degrees in prestigious Chilean universities with high research capacity, and subsequently, the unequal opportunities of studying a doctorate degree at top-ranked foreign universities. Only upper social class candidates who received their doctorate degrees from foreign highly prestigious universities were capable of securing positions at the top research-intensive Chilean universities. Overall, findings show that academic networks with professors who are knowledgeable of hiring processes are crucial at the moment of seeking academic jobs in the Chilean higher education system.

Tecnologías de gobierno en la formación de profesionales de la salud en una universidad tradicional

Resumen A partir de la década de 1980 el sistema de educación superior chileno ha experimentado sucesivas transformaciones, orientadas por concepciones de lo social y de los sujetos. Éstas han eludido el debate ciudadano presentándose como el resultado de decisiones técnicas que competen sólo a expertos. En el presente trabajo nos proponemos analizar dichos procesos de reformas en la formación de profesionales de una carrera de la salud en Chile desde un enfoque crítico, a fin de promover mayor espacio para el debate. Se utiliza el marco de gubernamentalidad para guiar el estudio de un caso, de una carrera del área de la salud en una universidad tradicional chilena. Así se analizan las lógicas y las tecnologías de gobierno en diferentes niveles, tales como los marcos legales de las reformas, los lineamientos de la universidad, los instrumentos de control sobre el quehacer docente, entre otros. Se da cuenta de cómo las diferentes tecnologías han ido transformando la profesión académica y la formación profesional, de manera coherente con una mentalidad de gobierno neoliberal. Se concluye que los nuevos modelos de educación superior están transformando los procesos de subjetivación de académicos y estudiantes con base en una marcada lógica de mercado, sin que se promueva la discusión respecto del modelo de sujeto y de sociedad que las reformas promueven.

Formación inicial docente para la Educación Inclusiva. Análisis de tres programas chilenos de pedagogía en Educación Básica que incorporan la perspectiva de la educación inclusiva

This article explores the importance of inclusive education in pre-service training by examining three academic programs focused on Pedagogy in Elementary Education in the Chilean higher education system that incorporate elements of inclusive education in their descriptions and profiles. Specifically, the research seeks to understand how to inclusive education is defined in the curriculum of these programs and how they include this dimension in the educational training of these students. Using mixed methods approach, the study analyzes the professional profiles and the curricula of each academic program. This analysis is contrasted with the discourse of directors and teachers from each of the programs. The results show that the most programs develop an approach towards inclusive education is based more heavily in theoretical discourse rather than in the implementation of specific teaching practices. Furthermore, the results show that programs incorporate the concept of inclusive education only in relation to specific subjects, without developing a transversal vision of the topic. Additionally, the study did not find high levels of internal consistency regarding what is meant by inclusive education and how this should be developed for initial training of teachers in the programs analyzed.

Universidad de Chile: self-assessment and its effects on university’s management

This paper presents a brief approach to the results of a case study of a university within the Chilean higher education system, focusing on the effects of self-assessment on the university’s management of undergraduate and postgraduate programs from 2011 to 2014. The research hypothesis is that the university’s management, as a dependent variable, is impacted by self-assessment. The data gathering process was structured in three methodological steps: Step 1 considered the consistency analysis to evaluate the use of managerial language and visualize any consequences of planning documents after self-assessment. Step 2 involved the elaboration of a semi-structured interview that was applied to a sample of 12 key informants with the objective of encouraging qualitative categorization regarding the self-evaluation process and its effects. Step 3 entailed the construction of a questionnaire that would allow for a quantitative description. Several impacts have been reported analyzing the results from three main perspectives: organizational learning, cultural shift, and university and stakeholders.

Credit constraints in higher education in a context of unobserved heterogeneity

This article tests the existence of credit constraints on higher education access by estimating actual marginal returns in the context of unobserved heterogeneity. We estimate higher education returns for those who attended and compare them with those of individuals who are at the margin of attending. Following the (Carneiro and Heckman, 2002) reasoning, if the returns of the latter group are larger than those of the former one we could be in presence of unobservable barriers to higher education access, such as credit constraints. We use a rich administrative database composed of three sources: data of enrollment and graduation from the Chilean higher education system, test scores and labor market outcomes from the Chilean Unemployment Insurance database. Our results suggest that there is no evidence of credit constraints for enrolling into the Chilean Higher Education system. However, we do find some evidence of credit constraints in graduation.

Organización de docencia e investigación en universidades: una exploración al caso chileno

The current investigation aims to explore the manner in which Chilean universities articulate their teaching and research activities. This is relevant as it has been shown that these activities do not always coexist harmonically, which can generate difficulties and tensions within the institutional organization. To approach this, a qualitative exploratory study was implemented, consisting of indepth semi-structured interviews of relevant institutional officials from diverse universities, belonging to different disciplines of knowledge. With the gathered information, a preliminary characterization of Chilean universities was constructed in reference to research and teaching. Among the main results, it can be observed that there are differences in regards to the following dimensions related to research and teaching: distribution of activities; promotion criteria; evaluation formats and incentives. In this sense, the more complex universities tend to present more rigid standards for the aforementioned dimensions. In addition, it has been concluded that the Chilean higher education system, in general, has a tendency to hold research in higher esteem, as occurs in industrialized countries.

Determinants of persistence and the role of financial aid: lessons from Chile

This article explores the determinants of persistence in the Chilean higher education system, considering academic and socio-demographic factors as well as the role of financial aid. The financial aid policy for students in Chile has undergone major changes over the last decade, which has allowed individuals from usually underrepresented income groups to enroll in higher education institutions. This analysis combines information from four public administrative agencies, obtaining a sample of over 75 % of all high school graduates for the period 2007–2010. Methods include descriptive statistics, logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM). Both continuous persistence and reentry were studied at the system and at the institutional level for all four cohorts. Descriptive results show that short- and long-term dropout rates at the system level are high, and dropout rates are even higher at the level of institutions. Findings from the PSM show that the non-subsidized state loan is the instrument that displays the strongest correlation with persistence and it holds homogeneously across students from different socioeconomic groups. Among grants, we find consistently positive effects of need-based grants targeting low-income students attending technical institutions. We provide educational policy recommendations based on our findings.

Análisis de las metodologías de evaluación de los programas de formación en base a competencias

El siguiente artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las metodologías de evaluación de los programas de formación basados en competencias en el escenario universitario actual cuya finalidad es levantar el estado de los procesos de renovación curricular que desarrollan las universidades del Consejo de Rectores de Chile y las tendencias internacionales. La metodología se adscribe al paradigma de investigación cualitativa mediante técnicas de investigación documental de informes ministeriales y consorcios, así como cuestionarios aplicados a actores involucrados en los técnicas de renovación curricular: Directores de Docencia, Directores de Centros de Apoyo a la Docencia; asimismo, se efectuarán análisis de fuentes de literatura especializada. Así, se procedió a triangular la información estableciendo categorías. Los resultados dan cuenta de cómo se están generando los procesos de renovación curricular en la educación universitaria en Chile y qué mecanismos o procedimientos de gestión curricular se adoptan para realizar la evaluación y monitoreo de los aprendizajes y del currículum basado en competencias. Lo anterior permitió concluir que las universidades carecen de modelos de gestión y monitoreo del currículum, sin embargo, se evidencian diversas estrategias que permiten evaluar el ciclo formativo. The aim of this article is to analyze a set of methodologies used for evaluating the skill formation programs in Chilean higher education institutions in order to set a state of art for the curricular renewal process leaded by universities that belong to Council of Rectors of Chile and international trends. The methodological approach uses the qualitative research paradigm through document analysis techniques on reports from ministries and consortia, questionnaires applied to key actors (such as Teaching Directors or Center of Teaching Support's Directors), and analysis of sources of specialized literature. Thereby, the above information was triangulated in order to establish several analysis categories. The results show how the curriculum renewal processes have been generated in the Chilean higher education system and what are the mechanisms (or procedures) of curriculum management that have been adopted to evaluate and monitor the learning process and the skill-based curriculum. Finally, the Chilean universities lack of a management model and curriculum monitoring, but they have several strategies aimed to evaluate the formation process.

English

  The article describes initiatives concerning social responsibility carried out by Chilean universities and the way these initiatives are incorporated into their strategic processes. The main goal is to determine opportunities and limitations wherein a university could take advantages of its role as social developer to impel sustainable development in the community it is inserted in. In this context, to face the huge competition existing in the Chilean higher education system, education institution have had to discover the role played by social responsibility as a powerful source of competitive advantage allowing them to keep a determined viability and to generate value in the “market”. This work is the result of an exploratory research built on the basis of literature and experience, through observation and participation in the Chilean system of higher education. The present document is limited regarding experimental data. Future research must examine exploration factors and correlation among them for experimental research. Results show competitive advantages for universities by maximizing their contributions to social causes, thus expressing greater commitments towards the community, which yields by providing better visibility throughout time.   Key words: Social responsibility, ethics, competitive advantages, higher education, Chile.

Higher Education: Institutionalism for New Challenges.

As starting point, this paper takes the idea that the Chilean higher education system - as a result of reforms by the beginning of eighties – shows important institutional shortcomings to face today challenges. After analyzing those shortcomings, it discusses and submits factors to consider in defining a new institutionalism providing suitable incentives for the higher education system to work accordingly to challenges of this new century.Â

El nuevo alumno y el desafío de la meritocracia: análisis del cambio cultural en la educación superior chilena.

This article intends to reflect on the significant change experienced by the Chilean higher education system in recent decades. This discussion does not focus on reviewing the institutional changes and their effects but in relieving the subject that has emerged from this process. It is an individual belonging to this historical moment which assumes the challenge that society offers but also demands its reward, since the opportunities in Chile are not evident. It notes a tension – on one hand the individual who accepts the training supply in order to have a life project guaranteed and on the other hand an elite that has not "opened” the doors to these new actors to play the role they expect. Thus, meritocracy still lies as something unresolved.

E2: Empleabilidad temprana y emprendimiento. Dos grandes desafíos en la formación superior en chile.

This article is aimed to show the relationship between Entrepreneurship/Early Employment Opportunity – "E2” – as an add value and a new asset for the Chilean higher education system. It presents the preliminary findings of a proposal included in a unique model "E2” (Modelo EmprénDT y Modelo Movile, by Universidad del Pacífico). It is a strategy developing basic competences across all areas of professional formation for early employment and entrepreneurship in those students entering into the world of work as dependant or independent workers. This supplementary and voluntary education includes a set of skills adequate for the labor market and intended to close the gap among the internship, the graduation and the first professional job and/or free lance work (entrepreneurship).

Diversidad y mejoramiento de la calidad en el medio universitario chileno.

Diversity is one of the characteristic features of the Chilean higher education system. The differences range from aspects such as when the universities were established to their public or ecclesiastical nature. This paper addresses the existence of universities that offer their own ideology, pointing out their historic value and the contribution that they make to the diversity of the system. The paper then refers to accreditation systems, calling attention to their value for assuring the quality of higher education.