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ERIC Number: EJ1261755
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jun-1
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2719-5651
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Parental School Choice Misery: Middle Class Parents' Dilemma in Choosing a Primary School in Berlin's Multi-Ethnic Neighborhoods
Mayer, Tanja; Geist, Viktor; Pohl, Vera S.; Schwarz, Judith; Koinzer, Thomas
Journal of Pedagogy, v11 n1 p35-57 Jun 2020
To follow up on research conducted in several countries, in this paper, we look at the dilemmas middle-class parents face of being "good parents" by choosing the "best" school with a milieu-related environment for their child versus being "good citizens" by choosing a "local" public school with a large proportion of students from a working-class or migrant background. Analyzing semi-structured interviews with parents, the paper explores whether and how parents in Germany's capital city of Berlin refer to this dilemma concerning primary school choice and how they resolve it and justify their decision. The parents interviewed applied strategies in deciding to be "good parents" or "good citizens" or at least to make it easier to solve the dilemma. All the strategies presented in other studies can be found in our sample as well. In addition, we identified two more parental strategies: the strategy of downward comparison and the strategy of choosing a private school. It is notable that the perceived proportion of children with a migrant background in the neighborhood played a major role in relation to the dilemma and the strategies chosen.
Sciendo, a company of De Gruyter Poland. 32 Zuga Street, 01-811 Warsaw, Poland. Tel: +48-22-701-5015; e-mail: info@sciendo.com; Web site: https://www.sciendo.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany (Berlin)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A