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Gábor Halász: Educational Policy Coalitions

The paper describes the structure of potential educational conflicts and coalitions in Hungary on the basis of public opinion survey data. The data were collected in 1990 on a sample of 1000 persons representing the adult population of Hungary. A high level of variance of opinions was observed in two dimensions: (1) opinions in favour of traditional vs. modern educational objectives; (2) opinions in favour of selective vs. egalitarian policies. According to these dimensions a typology of educational policy expectations was developed with four different types: (1) traditional-selective; (2) modern selective; (3) traditional-egalitarian; (4) traditional-selective. Survey results are analyzed based on differences in the social composition (age, educational level, income, political attachment etc.) of the groups representing the four types. Some hypotheses were formulated on possible conflicts and compromises between individuals belonging to the four different groups. According to their position in the educational policy field individuals were grouped into three categories, each of them characterized by their readiness for compromise: (1) "the centrist", (2) "the one-sided" and (3) "the extremists". The article puts forward two major conclusions: (1) the social arena of educational policy-making in Hungary has a rather clear structure based on relatively stable social factors; which (2) creates a certain possibility to predict potential conflicts and compromises between the different actors of educational policy-making.

MAGYAR PEDAGÓGIA 91. Number 1. 51-62. (1991)

Levelezési cím / Address for correspondence: Halász Gábor, Országos Közoktatási Intézet, H-1399 Budapest, Dorottya u. 8.

 
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Magyar Tudományos Akadémia