Challenging Rational Choice Frameworks in Education: The Case of the New School Admission System in Chile

• In Event: 34.095 - MTCC Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 34.095-7 - International Perspectives on School Choice and Market Reform

Abstract

Chile is recognized for its neoliberal educational policies, where each school has its own admission process and may select students based on academic and social criteria. In 2015, a new law prohibited student selection and created an online centralized school admission system (SAS) that employs lottery assignment for oversubscription. Parents select their school preferences through the SAS assisted by systematized information provided through an online platform. This qualitative analysis explores 80 parents’ school preferences before and after participating in the online platform to detect responses to a system based on rational choice with nudge theory. Results confirm that school choice is strongly influenced by hot knowledge and social class influence, with minimal use of online school profiles for school selection.

Authors

• Juan Oyarzun, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

• Alejandro Carrasco, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

• Ngaire Noelle Honey, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile