Chilean School Research Articles

Incorporación de la Historia Reciente en la Enseñanza Escolar Chilena

ABSTRACT This bibliographic paper aims to reflect on incorporating recent history in Chilean school education based on educational policies and scientific literature on the subject. The theoretical proposals formulated by Tuithof et al. (2021) and Villalón-Gálvez and Zamorano-Vargas (2018) are examined to explore the obstacles that history educators face when teaching the subject. Three characteristics of the historiographical field Stand out: contemporaneity, historical sources, and conception of history related to teaching objectives identified in the teacher’s thinking from different perspectives of history teaching. Finally, teachers face challenges linked to the teaching of recent history due to their beliefs and knowledge on this subject, as well as to their citizenship experiences.

Integration of Recent History in Chilean School Education

RESUMEN El objetivo de este ensayo bibliográfico es reflexionar sobre el proceso de incorporación de la historia reciente en la enseñanza escolar chilena, a partir de las políticas educativas y la literatura científica respecto a ello. Además, se discuten los desafíos que esto plantea para el profesorado de historia al abordar su enseñanza desde las propuestas teóricas desarrolladas por Tuithof et al. (2021) y Villalón-Gálvez y zamorano-Vargas (2018). Para ello, se resaltan tres características del campo historiográfico: contemporaneidad, fuentes históricas y concepción de la historia, vinculadas a objetivos de enseñanza identificados en el pensamiento del profesorado, desde diversas perspectivas de la enseñanza de la historia. Finalmente, el profesorado enfrenta desafíos ligados a la enseñanza de la historia reciente, debido a las creencias y conocimientos que tiene sobre este tema, así como a las experiencias ciudadanas que posee.

Responding to external accountability in high‐performing, high‐capacity public secondary schools in Chile

AbstractThe qualitative study on which this article reports explored how senior leaders, mathematics and Spanish language teachers (N = 72) in four high‐performing, high‐poverty, public secondary schools in Chile enact performance‐based accountability policies related to standardised assessments. These four public schools were selected because prior to when the study was conducted all were part of the Bicentennial Schools Programme led by the Ministry of Education from 2010 to 2014. The aim of the programme was to develop effective secondary schools to serve low‐income students. A thematic analysis of data produced through individual and group interviews and observations of departmental meetings shows that the enactment of performance‐based accountability involved two dimensions of learning‐centred leadership, distributed among senior leaders and department heads. An aim shared by parents, students, teachers and senior leaders was to ensure students' access to, and completion of, studies in higher education. Attaining good scores in national standardised SIMCE tests was key to meeting the vision. Collective trust among all actors and macro level trust in standardised testing served as a resource for strong collaboration to improve instruction and learning as well as teachers' collective efficacy. The discussion focuses on school‐level practices and policy‐level decisions that create conditions for the effective use of information produced from standardised assessments. A key point supported by our findings is that successful performance in external assessments is resourced by, and fosters, trust formation in schools.

School design and learning: a sociomaterial exploration in rural schools in Chile

ABSTRACT Drawing on a socio-materialist perspective, this study analyses connections between cultural contexts, the social situatedness of learning experiences and the material artefacts in rural Chilean schools. Our focus on different dimensions of design foregrounds the ways materials and places may act together with other elements to influence human thinking, learning and action. Results show that all the schools in the study met minimal standards on physical variables (temperature, air quality, lighting, noise and safety), and that in recent times, school designs emphasise a participatory design process, which includes community consultation, and where cultural and natural aspects of the surroundings are taken into account and prioritised. Given the richness of the natural landscape and culture observed in rural areas, this paper offers original insights into the ways that educators can explore the natural environment and indigenous culture to promote meaningful situated learning and empower students in rural schools.

Reciprocity heightens academic performance in elementary school students

Social relationships are pivotal for human beings. Yet, we still lack a complete understanding of the types and conditions of social relationships that facilitate learning among children. Here, we present the results of a study involving 855 elementary school children from 14 different public schools in Chile designed to understand their social learning strategies in classrooms. We mapped students' social relationships using a behavioral experiment–a non-anonymous social dilemma–that allows us to measure cooperation and infer reciprocal and asymmetrical relationships between peers. We implemented the experiment synchronously in each classroom using networked tablets and a friendly user interface to mitigate cognitive barriers and boost students' engagement. Using regression models, we found a positive and significant association between reciprocity and academic performance. This result holds after controlling for class attendance, sex, parents’ education, social status, individual cooperative dispositions, and fixed effects per class group. Finally, using a difference-in-difference framework, we found robust evidence that reciprocity heightens academic performance by comparing two consecutive academic semesters. This effect is heterogeneous and is considerably more prominent for the top 20% students experiencing higher levels of reciprocity in their social relationships. We expect these results to inform cooperative learning interventions in elementary education.

Emotional education challenges in Chilean school education

En este artículo se presenta un análisis que problematiza los principales desafíos del sistema educativo escolar chileno, para incorporar la educación emocional desde primero a sexto año de Educación Básica en su currículum escolar. La metodología es cualitativa, de tipo descriptivo y corresponde a una revisión documental de las Bases Curriculares de nueve asignaturas del currículum escolar chileno. La técnica de análisis de la información es el análisis de contenido, mediante el cual se buscan develar los núcleos de sentido explícitos e implícitos sobre la educación emocional en la educación escolar. Los principales resultados permiten sostener que en el currículum escolar chileno predomina una invisibilización transversal del desarrollo de la educación emocional en sus contenidos escolares y, por consecuencia, en los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Concluimos en la urgencia de repensar los currículos escolares, para así poder avanzar en la incorporación de la educación emocional, lo que favorecería el éxito escolar y educativo de todos los estudiantes.

“Contingency”, an overlooked factor by school leadership: evidence from primary urban schools in Chile

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the levels and type of contingency faced by school principals in Chile and the way certain aspects of the Chilean school system result in a greater or lesser presence of these contingencies.Design/methodology/approachThe results reported here are based on the application of a structured questionnaire to 381 elementary school principals in Chile. A “Leadership Contingency Index” was created to analyze the extent and characteristics of this phenomenon, which was complemented with a multiple regression analysis to observe the variables that influence the levels of contingency.FindingsThis study has shown that the main contingencies faced by school leaders in Chile revolve around the relationship between actors: assist families, relationship with and among students and resolution of school staff problems. Also shows that the level of contingency faced by principals is strongly conditioned by the socio-educational context of the school and is not related to the individual characteristics of the leaders. This level of contingencies is significantly higher in the public system, although the most recurrent contingencies are the same in each type of school administration (public, private subsidized and privately funded schools).Originality/valueThis paper addresses an important but relatively unexplored dimension in specialized research on leadership: variable contingencies under which the leadership role is performed daily, including significant gaps between schools. Understanding and analyzing school leadership from the perspective of the complexity of tasks currently faced by principals, many of them highly unpredictable, ensures a realistic view of the possibilities and limitations of leadership in action and, consequently, provides better tools to strengthen the school leadership role and its contribution to improving student learning.

Elevated Risk of Overweight/Obesity-Related Markers and Low Muscular Fitness in Children Attending Public Schools in Chile.

In Chile, children of low socioeconomic status usually attend public schools and have few opportunities to engage in healthy behaviors. This may increase their risk of overweight/obesity and low muscular fitness. Therefore, we aimed to determine the association between the school type attended with overweight/obesity-related markers and the muscular fitness of children in Chile. We included 1410 children (6-13 years old) attending public, subsidized, or private schools. Overweight/obesity-related markers included BMI Z-scores, waist circumference, and body fat percentage. Muscular fitness assessment included handgrip strength and standing long jump. The odds ratios [95% CI] of overweight/obesity, elevated waist circumference, elevated body fat, low handgrip strength, and low standing long jump were compared between school types. Compared with boys attending public schools, those attending subsidized or private schools had lower odds ratios of low handgrip strength (0.63 [0.42-0.94] and 0.44 [0.25-0.78], respectively). Girls attending subsidized schools, compared with those in public schools, had lower odds of overweight/obesity (0.63 [0.44-0.90]) and of having low handgrip strength (0.51 [0.34-0.78]). Compared with girls in public schools, those attending private schools had lower odds (vs. public schools) of overweight/obesity (0.45 [0.28-0.74]), of having elevated body fat (0.53 [0.29-0.96]), and of having low standing long jump (0.41 [0.21-0.77]). The elevated risk of overweight/obesity-related markers and lower muscular fitness in children, particularly girls, attending public schools increase their current and future disease risk. This suggests that childhood socioeconomic status plays a central role in determining disease risk. Health-promoting interventions specifically focused on children from disadvantaged contexts are required.

Collaborating inside and outside the school: together overcoming COVID-19 challenges in Chile

PurposeThis research paper explores the value of collaborative inquiry networks of headteachers and curriculum coordinators to cope with 2020's coronavirus pandemic in Chile. Specifically, the authors describe the main challenges that networks identify in their contexts, the collaborative practices performed by different schools to address these challenges, and the influence of the networks on the innovative responses of teachers in their own schools.Design/methodology/approachThis is a mixed-method study from a complementary stance using different methods and data of a project implemented with a total of 54 headteachers and curriculum coordinators. The data sources were participants' individual reports, the network teams' reports of their collaborative inquiry projects, and a short open-ended questionnaire responded by teachers that did not participate directly in the networks but benefited from their work. The data were analyzed using content analysis, categories were created to organize and describe the main findings.FindingsParticipants of the networks reported that their active participation in the collaborative inquiry allows them to share knowledge among different schools and has helped them to support innovative practices in their own schools. Specifically, they have reported that collaborating has permitted them to maintain a pedagogical focus, foster distributed leadership within the school communities, provide them with greater autonomy, and develop skills to favor the emotional containment of their teams. Inquiry teams perform diverse collective practices; they designed and applied virtual surveys, planned and implemented virtual workshops with teachers, and generated meaningful reflection about formative assessment and pedagogical practices.Originality/valueThis work offers insights into how the Chilean school system has responded to COVID-19 challenges and shows how despite the negative aspects of the pandemic, it has become an opportunity to recognize and enhance teachers' professional development through the collaboration among different schools. Most headteachers and curriculum coordinators reported that an active collaborative inquiry changed how they used to think about their leadership and strengthened the value of professional relationships to address extremely difficult challenges as a result of the pandemic. These lessons can be taken for the future, to rethink and rebuild educational systems.

Schools, circumstances and inequality of opportunities in Chile

The equality of opportunity approach establishes that welfare inequalities emerge from differences in individual efforts and circumstances of origin. However, observable data on adults’ childhood circumstances are usually lacking. To identify these, we take advantage of the Chilean school system implemented in 1981, which instituted three types of school: public, private-voucher and private-paid schools clearly differentiated according to the children’s socioeconomic background. Using longitudinal data, parametric and nonparametric techniques, our main finding suggest that there is a substantial impact of childhood circumstances, captured by the school type, on the wage rate: attending private-voucher or private-paid schools systematically increases Chileans’ wages.

The Influence of Educators, Followers of John Dewey’s Educational Thought, in the Chilean School System: Irma Salas, Amanda Labarca, and Darío Salas

Background/Context: This article discusses the influence and legacy of three Chilean educators in the country’s schooling system during the first half of the 20th century. Focus of Study: Based on the changes that Darío Salas, Irma Salas, and Amanda Labarca promoted in the Latin American country, it explores how the ideas of their teacher John Dewey spread through Chile and endure to this day as part of the national curriculum. The article also debates the impact of cultural exchange between the United States and Chile since the influence in their country extended to social issues, such as the fight for gender equality, the creation of associations, and the improvement of civic engagement participation. Research Design: The study corresponded to historical research and was carried out in Chile based on the bibliographic background of the educators themselves and what the author himself has deepened about them for several years, that is, primary and secondary sources were investigated. Conclusion: The shifts towards secular education, the new experiential methodology, and the universal access to education were the main reforms achieved by the Chilean educators once they held leading positions in the education sector.

Patterns of variation in sociomusical identity of school-goers in a condition of social vulnerability and musical gaps in their education

ABSTRACT Sociomusical identity pursues integrative goals, as it establishes bridges between musical identities from a perspective based on transculturation and post-ethnicity. The current study aims to observe the influence of social groups in the construction of sociomusical identity, using a simple random sample comprised of 417 students who attend Chilean schools classified in a condition of social vulnerability. The chosen nonexperimental quantitative method is survey research, as two scales were applied to measure musical activities in different social groups. Results indicated that the musical performance variable explains social differences in the distribution of sociomusical capital because, just as Western culture fosters the musician-listener dualism, it also causes gaps in sociomusical identity. In conclusion, differentiation points in sociomusical identity are linked to social matters concerning musical performance, as school-goers’ musical practice is not encouraged inside nor outside of schools.

Use of mobile technology in the development of cognitive skills of high school students with special educational needs

Mobile technology can help personalize instruction and enhance generic and specific learning skills for students with special educational needs. This study examines the effects of a technology intervention strategy on the attention/concentration and spelling skills. Participants were students with permanent and temporary educational needs attending secondary schools in Chile. A pretest-posttest experimental design with a control group was adopted. 73 students participated, under three conditions: a) control group, with a printed guide-based strategy and without the use of technology, b) an experimental group with a computer-based strategy, and c) an experimental group with an iPad-based strategy. Analysis of Variance was used to compare the means of the three groups. The results show that the iPad-based strategy obtained significant differences compared to the other conditions. It is concluded that iPad mobile technology can improve both the generic attention/concentration skills and the specific spelling skills in students with special educational needs.

Implementation of a web-based system to measure, monitor, and promote school engagement strategies. A Chilean experience.

This paper presents the implementation and usability of a technology-based web system and the available evidence on educational engagement’s predictive capacity to influence students’ educational trajectories in Chilean schools. The web-based system was developed through collaborative work between universities, the information technology team, school communities, and stakeholders (government institutions). It is an online system composed of six steps whose axis is centered on a decision-making space between teachers-students-parents (School Engagement Board) tasked with applying online and scientifically validated school engagement and contextual factors measurement instruments, checking specific report results for each actor involved in the system (teacher, School Engagement Board coordinator, school) as well as reviewing promotion strategies relevant to the school context and managing the implementation of strategies supported by the management datasheets that the model offers to schools. The objective of this paper is to present the usability of the system through a case study of the implementation in Chilean public schools. In order to discuss about what elements should be incorporated to adjust and improve the usability of the system and to guarantee its effective implementation, the paper describes those aspects that have favored and/or hindered the use of this educational technological platform in the Chilean case. The results show that there have been more difficulties related to management aspects than IT aspects, which indicates that these conditions are critical for implementation, even when system for evaluation, monitoring and strategies for the promotion of student engagement and contextual factors (SIESE) is designed for stand-alone use. Although there are aspects to be improved, such as extending its use to other browsers, improving the intervention guidelines and other systems functionalities, this web-based system has been considered by the educational communities as a simple, useful, and intuitive platform. The paper concludes on the importance of having this type of platform in Chile and other Latin American countries, for its contribution to school management -being helpful for day-to-day educational practice- due to the different technical facilitators.

Increasing Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention in EFL Young Learners through the Use of Multimodal Texts (Memes)

This research assessed the use of multimodal texts for vocabulary acquisition and retention of 18 EFL young learners from 6th grade aged between 11 and 12 years and enrolled in a primary school in Chile. The multimodal texts (memes) were designed by the researchers and selected to meet different criteria in terms of vocabulary. To gather information, three vocabulary tests were administered: before, right after, and two weeks after the end of the intervention. The data from the tests were analyzed with descriptive statistics, while the focus groups were interpreted with the content analysis technique. The results reveal an increase in the acquisition and retention of the selected vocabulary. Furthermore, the focus group conducted with the students shows that young learners value the acquisition of English as a foreign language, especially through the use of vocabulary. Finally, the use of multimodal texts in the classroom is perceived by students as an innovative and fun way to learn.

Victimization by Caregivers: Prevalence and Risk Factors in Chilean Children and Adolescents

This study examined the prevalence and risk factors associated to victimization by caregivers in a national large sample of Chilean children and adolescents. 19,687 children and adolescents aged 12–17, selected by random probability sampling of 699 public schools in Chile who were surveyed by trained interviewers. Victimization by Caregivers was evaluated through a module of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ). The prevalence (12 months) for physical abuse were (12.9%), for emotional abuse (27.9%), neglect (5.3%) and parental interference (3.5%). The results suggest as risk factors, sex, age, migration status, disability, geographical location, and type of school. The findings highlight the urgent need to address the issue of child maltreatment and victimization by caregivers in Chilean society and minimize its impact.

Political socialization and legitimation of radical actions in adolescents: evidence from Chile (Socialización política y legitimación de acciones radicales en adolescentes: evidencia desde Chile)

ABSTRACT Can exposure to mass events with the presence of radical actions influence the legitimation of this type of protest in adolescents? How are changes in legitimation levels conditioned by socioeconomic status or by political socialization at home and school? To answer these questions, we used a sample of 1,203 students in their second year of secondary school in Chile who were surveyed as part of the School Citizenship Panel (Panel de Ciudadanía Escolar, PACES). In the middle of fieldwork in this study, the event known as the estallido social (‘social outburst’) stood out for its mass and presence of violence. We compare the students surveyed before and after this event. Contrary to our expectations, the students had similar levels of legitimation of radical actions before and after the estallido. We also found a trend towards moderation in students with a higher socioeconomic status, who had more frequent political conversations with their parents, and in students from schools that conduct civic education activities. In short, experiences of family and school political socialization can help lower an adolescent’s support of radical actions in radicalized contexts.

Relationship between Attention Capacity and Hand-Eye Reaction Time in Adolescents between 15 and 18 Years of Age.

Some experiences demonstrate a direct correlation between attention capacity and reaction capacity. However, the evidence from adolescents enrolled in the Chilean school system is scarce. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between attention capacity and hand–eye reaction time (RT) in adolescents between 15 and 18 years of age. Thirty-one adolescents participated voluntarily in this study. The variables were: attention capacity, evaluated through the Evalúa-10 battery (item 1.1), and hand–eye RT, assessed through a simple RT test (SRT) and complex RT (CRT). The relationship between the variables was performed through Pearson’s correlation. Comparisons between males and females were performed with the t-test for independent samples (p ˂ 0.05). There was a moderate correlation between attention and CRT (r = −0.43), a very high correlation between attention and SRT in males (r = −0.73), and between attention and CRT in females (r = −0.73). Between males and females, there was no difference in attention (p ˃ 0.05), while males showed better RT in all tests (p ˂ 0.05). Attention positively influences hand–eye RT in both males and females. Likewise, male adolescents present better hand–eye RT than their female peers.

Moving Beyond Racism? Tensions Between Interculturalism and Conviviality in Chilean Schools from a Figurational Perspective

ABSTRACT Efforts to overcome racism in Chilean school contexts have primarily been enacted through intercultural and conviviality policies. While indigenous people’s participation in schooling is much more equitable than in the past, we discuss some of the implicit tensions in staff members’ narratives about overcoming racism. We draw on a figurational perspective to underscore staff members’ perceptions of progress, the diminishing presence of racial discrimination toward indigenous students, and how this creates a sense of exceptionality. This, we argue, creates certain dangers of colour-blindness in these school environments. A figurational approach provides a long-durée perspective on racism as a social process that allows us to critique simplistic notions of progress and anti-discrimination, while also providing some countermeasures rooted in the concept of interdependency.

Care entanglements: Upholding difference through the uses of mental health diagnosis in Chilean schools.

This article draws upon findings from fieldwork conducted with Chilean mental health practitioners and school staff to explore how children's mental health diagnoses can be used in the school setting as a particular rationale to mobilise and convey new forms of care practices (Mol, The logic of care: Health and the problem of patient choice, 2008). Inspired by the framing of care as an interrelational, interdependent and more-than-human affair promoted by Science and Technology Studies, and drawing from conceptual tools offered by post-humanist approaches, we focus our examination on the diagnosis of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Following the diagnosis since its formulation by clinicians in the public sector to its enactment in an urban school in Santiago, Chile, we explore how certain caring/uncaring practices are enacted in relation to the diagnosis, reconfiguring the classroom by incorporating (non)human actors to care for the diagnosed child. However, care is ambivalent, and the diagnosis can be put into action for other purposes as it interweaves with educational policies and other agendas. Thus, to produce policies that truly foster inclusion, attention must be given to the micropolitical level where disabilities and disorders are enacted, developing appropriate ethico-political and affective sensitivities to care accordingly.