What to learn? Curricular interest among socially vulnerable students

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on Chilean students from vulnerable school contexts facing a standard national curriculum. It offers insights into students’ voices, while uncovering what they want to learn and the drivers behind this decision. Semi-structured interviews revealed the power of the school socialisation process; for the majority of students, core curriculum subjects are fundamental. The factors that drive their decisions are life in, outside and beyond school, where the family context and socioeconomic inequality are ever-present. This study reinforces our understanding of the importance of listening to student voices when developing school curricula. It also furthers our understanding of what students want to learn in terms of school subjects. These choices have significant implications for relationships of power when defining the curriculum, as well as being framed by a set of rules and an education system that are well-known to the students.

KEYWORDS:

• Curriculum
• student voice
• school socialisation
• inequalities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. According to the categorisation made by the Agencia de Calidad en la Educación that incorporates criteria of family income and educational level of the parents, among others.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniel Araneda

Daniel Araneda is studying for a PhD at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with undergraduate studies in economics. His research interests include curriculum, student voice and sociology of school.

Zvi Bekerman

Zvi Bekerman teaches anthropology of education at the School of Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is a faculty member at the Mandel Leadership Institute in Jerusalem. He is particularly interested in how concepts such as culture and identity intersect with issues of social justice, intercultural and peace education, and citizenship education.

María Rojas

María Rojas has a PhD in Education Sciences at the Universidad Católica/René Descartes-Paris University 5. She is professor at the School of Education, Universidad Alberto Hurtado. Her research interests include education policies, sociology of school, issues of education inclusion, equity and justice, and family–education relationships.

Miguel Nussbaum

Miguel Nussbaum is a professor at the Computer Science Department of the School of Engineering of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He was honoured with the Chilean award for innovation in the education category, has been a member of the board of Chile’s National Agency for Quality in Education, and is co-editor of Computers & Education.