ERIC Number: EJ1374184
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Nov-15
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1068-2341
Available Date: N/A
Educational Belief Systems among American Parents: Exploring the Relationship between Integration, Testing, and Enhanced Academics
Education Policy Analysis Archives, v30 n166 Nov 2022
Current research typically uses surveys to study parental preferences but examines the responses in isolation from each other. A key insight from the sociology of culture and political psychology, however, is that the meaning of responses in opinion data comes from their relationships with one another. To make progress in understanding the meaning of parental preferences, it is necessary to study their educational belief systems -- the structural configuration of their attitudes related to schools. Using data from Phi Delta Kappa's annual survey on education, I employ correlational class analysis to identify three subsets of parents whose members configure their beliefs about integration, standardized testing, and enhanced academics in distinct ways. These three groups of parents are "convergents," who see testing and integration as being aligned; "integration divergents," who see standardized testing and integration as being in opposition; and "academic divergents," who see standardized testing and enhanced academics as being in opposition. Compared to the full sample, these subgroups display more structure in the associations among their preferences. I also examine if the relationships between preferences and sociodemographic characteristics vary across subgroups and if political ideology predicts belief systems. I conclude with a discussion of implications for policy and future work.
Descriptors: Parent Attitudes, Parent Background, Beliefs, Parent Surveys, National Surveys, Public Schools, Socioeconomic Status, Advanced Courses, Political Attitudes, Diversity, Public Opinion
Colleges of Education at Arizona State University and the University of South Florida. c/o Editor, USF EDU162, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620-5650. Tel: 813-974-3400; Fax: 813-974-3826; Web site: https://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/epaa
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A