The Public Conceptualization of Educational Goals: The Relationship Between Belief Systems and Policy Preferences (Poster 32)

• In Event: Thursday Poster Session 2:30 pm
  In Poster Session: The Public Conceptualization of Educational Goals: The Relationship Between Belief Systems and Policy Preferences

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the public's educational belief systems and policy preferences. Using relational data from a survey of 1,881 Americans, distinct belief system groups were identified based on three ways of measuring the perceived relationships between 8 key educational goals. These groups significantly differed in attitudes towards policies like integration, school choice, testing, and funding, even controlling for individual demographics. Findings demonstrate the utility of studying belief system structures and provide evidence they shape public opinion above and beyond characteristics like race, class, and ideology. Mapping these cognitive belief systems advances understanding of how the public's conceptualizations of education's purposes relate to their policy views.

Author

• David K. Diehl, Vanderbilt University