Merit as an Attitude: Chilean School Communities' Repertoires in Chile and the Perception of the "Good Student" in a Post-pandemic Scenario.
Due to its commodification policies, the Chilean educational system is a paradigmatic case for study. It comprises private subsidies, achievement incentives, competition, selection, and segregation. After years of student and social protests, the 2015 Inclusion Law mandated that publicly funded scho...
| Published in: | Social Justice Research Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 264 - 290 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
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Springer Nature
Sep2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=187165597&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 187165597 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 08857466 4LL jtl: Social Justice Research issn: 08857466 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Sep2025 vid: 38 iid: 3 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 187165597 10.1007/s11211-025-00456-2 ppf: 264 ppct: 26 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 797KB tig: atl: Merit as an Attitude: Chilean School Communities' Repertoires in Chile and the Perception of the "Good Student" in a Post-pandemic Scenario. aug: au: Moyano Dávila, Camila Alarcón-Arcos, Samanta Angelcos, Nicolás Castillo, Juan Carlos Salgado, Mauricio affil: https://ror.org/0225snd59 Family Science School, Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago de Chile, Chile Millennium Nucleus, Digital Inequalities and Opportunities., Santiago de Chile, Chile https://ror.org/04teye511 Instituto de Sociología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile https://ror.org/047gc3g35 Sociology Department, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile https://ror.org/01qq57711 School of Social Sciences, Centro de Estudios Públicos & Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago de Chile, Chile su: Santiago (Chile) Chile Meritocracy COVID-19 pandemic Educational equalization Social networks Students Outcome-based education Inclusion (Disability rights) sug: subj: Meritocracy COVID-19 pandemic Educational equalization Social networks Students Outcome-based education Inclusion (Disability rights) Santiago (Chile) Chile Other Individual and Family Services keyword: Attitude Effort Merit Schools Studies in Human Society Sociology Education Specialist Studies In Education Attitude Effort Merit Schools Studies in Human Society Sociology Education Specialist Studies In Education ab: Due to its commodification policies, the Chilean educational system is a paradigmatic case for study. It comprises private subsidies, achievement incentives, competition, selection, and segregation. After years of student and social protests, the 2015 Inclusion Law mandated that publicly funded schools accept all admitted students. Critics argue this restricts family choice and undermines merit. The COVID-19 pandemic further deepened inequalities, exposing contradictions in a merit-based system. This article examines how meritocratic ideals emerged post-pandemic in parents' and teachers' perceptions of school communities within a neoliberal educational model promoting meritocratic values alongside inclusive policies. Based on 32 interviews with parents and teachers from two private and two publicly funded schools in Santiago, findings show meritocracy is deeply entrenched, even in public education. The "meritorious student" is defined beyond academics, encompassing behavior, responsibility, and respect—traits also expected of families. The importance of effort as a mechanism for improvement permeates the notion of the "good student", thereby overshadowing the importance of inclusive educational environments, as merit also becomes relativised by the post-pandemic scenario. The deep educational inequalities and behavioural problems force teachers and parents to focus on and solve different aspects rather than academic achievements. Merit, as understood by educational communities, is perceived as a process and an attitude intertwined with social opportunities. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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