Family socioeconomic status (SES) has a significant influence on children’s academic success and is related to parents’ attitudes toward education. Moreover, according to the expectancy-value theory, parental expectations are linked to their children’s perceptions of school, which, in turn, influences the way their children invest themselves in education. In this study, we aimed to test a part of the theorical expectancy-value family socialization model that links family SES and parental expectations and explore their influences on children’s mathematics self-concept and achievement. This study was conducted in the Chilean context, which is characterized by strong neoliberal educational policies that induce a strong relationship between family economic resources and children’s educational trajectories. We utilized a longitudinal design, and our study sample (N = 157,814 Chilean students) came from a national assessment that was conducted from 2007 to 2013 when students were in their 4th, 8th, and 10th grades. Our results showed that, while controlling for children’s previous mathematics achievement, their final mathematics achievement was influenced by children’s mathematics self-concept, the family socioeconomic and educational context, and parental expectations regarding their children’s academic achievement. Our findings also highlighted that Chilean parents base their expectations on parents’ capacity to support their children’s education as much as on their children’s previous academic achievement.

En este trabajo se presenta el diseño y validación de un cuestionario para profesores de matemática sobre la percepción de sus propias prácticas docentes y sobre sus creencias motivacionales relacionadas con la resolución de problemas. Se analizaron las respuestas al cuestionario de 549 profe- sores. Los análisis psicométricos muestran evidencias de confiabilidad y validez basadas en la estructura interna. El instrumento es novedoso ya que conecta el dominio afectivo con las prácticas docentes durante la resolución de problemas. Puede ser utilizado para investigación y para la evaluación de pro- gramas de desarrollo profesional o de innovación. En particular, permite estudiar las relaciones entre creencias motivacionales y prácticas docentes en la resolución de problemas de matemáticas.

Educational inequalities in access to higher education are constituted by multiple intersecting factors that impact equity and the pursuit of tertiary studies. This study seeks to explore the disparities related to gender, socioeconomic level, rurality or urbanicity, and academic trajectory of 202,688 Chilean students who graduated from high school in 2016, to elucidate how these variables generate intersections that impact access to higher education. To carry out the analysis, an intersectionality approach was considered and an innovative quantitative model called the Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminant Accuracy (MAIHDA) model was applied, which allows for entering multiple variables to generate a complex analysis of their interactions. The results showed that a large amount of variance (20%) in math scores is explained by the aforementioned variables. These are socio-demographic variables, which ideally should not be indicative of one’s academic performance. It was also found that males, students of higher socioeconomic status, those from urban areas, and those with more favorable academic trajectories tend to have higher test scores. In addition, relevant interactions and mutual reinforcement between variables were identified. These results highlight the need to address the barriers and inequalities certain groups face in accessing higher education.

Mental health, cognitive development, and social background are related to educational success. While growing evidence is available in cultural settings other than Western countries, more knowledge is needed, especially regarding interactions among these dimensions. Rather than studying isolated factors, we propose an integrated approach to consider the diverse interrelated dimensions influencing children’s learning. Life course theory supports this approach underlying the role of early events in subsequent life paths and the multidisciplinary nature of these events. The sample consisted of 610 children (49.1% male) attending first grade. The children completed reading, mathematics, and visuospatial working memory (VWM) assessments. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-P) and reported their demographic information. A multilevel path model was estimated, including direct relationships between (i) children’s socioemotional behavior (SEB) and learning, (ii) VWM and learning, and (iii) SEB and VWM. The effects of sex and maternal education were also controlled. School and student level variances were modeled. At the school level, VWM, reading, and mathematics have variance, whereas SEB does not. At the student level, VWM, SEB, and maternal education have significant and differential effects on learning. Hyperactivity and peer problems were negatively related to reading and mathematics, while emotional problems were not, and conduct problems exhibited mixed results. These results reinforce developmental life course approaches, that is, from the beginning of schooling, promoting positive mental health can improve children’s learning outcomes.

En este artículo se estudia la implementación, en cinco universidades chilenas, de una ley que mandata la aplicación de una evaluación diagnóstica inicial en las carreras de pedagogía. La ley indica que los resultados de esta evaluación serán referenciales y tendrán un uso formativo para los estudiantes; asimismo, da autonomía a las universidades para definir qué y cómo evaluar. Considerando la importancia de esta evaluación y su alcance, el objetivo de este artículo es entender cómo se implementan estas evaluaciones y cómo su aplicación se relaciona con el contexto de cada institución. La metodología utilizada corresponde al estudio de casos y los datos analizados corresponden a entrevistas a representantes institucionales, al análisis de las evaluaciones efectuadas y a sus resultados psicométricos. Se concluye que los aspectos contextuales más importantes para definir las evaluaciones diagnósticas fueron las capacidades técnicas y los recursos a los que pudieron acceder las escuelas de pedagogía y se observó una desarticulación con los perfiles de ingreso o programas formativos.