Beliefs of School Principals and Teachers regarding the Grouping of Students within Schools

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-73782025000100081

Keywords:

Grouping, Academic segregation, Educational trajectories, Academic heterogeneity, Teacher’s beliefs

Abstract

Within the research on educational inclusion and school segregation has been addressed with special attention in recent decades, realizing that it can have negative effects on the educational trajectory of students and reproduce inequalities. These studies have focused mainly on segregation between schools; however, there are fewer precedents regarding the dynamics of segregation within schools. The present study seeks to describe and compare the beliefs of teachers and school principals in the Coquimbo Region, Chile, regarding the grouping modalities that occur within their schools. The study was approached from a qualitative approach and a Grounded Theory design. Semi-structured interviews were applied to 5 school principals and 5 teachers and they were analyzed with coding processes, from a descriptive to an interpretative level, using Atlas Ti software. The results show favourable beliefs, both from teachers and school principals, to heterogeneous grouping forms, opting for random modalities of grouping students, also finding schools that have advanced in grouping students with different academic performance.

Author Biographies

Juan Pablo Fajardo González, Universidad Central de Chile

Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of La Serena (ULS). Master's degree in Inclusive Education from the Central University of Chile (UCEN), International Diploma of Specialisation in Human Rights, Children and Public Policy from the Henry Dunant Foundation. He has worked on programmes related to the rights of children and adolescents and has supported management teams in educational establishments in areas such as leadership, participation and inclusion. He is currently in charge of the vocational support component of the Higher Education Access Programme (PACE) at the University of La Serena, Chile.

Alexis Araya Cortés, Universidad de La Serena

Professor of Special Education at the University of La Serena (ULS). Doctor of Education from the Catholic University of Cuyo. Master's degree in Psychology, specialising in Educational Psychology (ULS). Diploma in Inclusive Education and Disability (PUC). Diploma in Research Methodology (UST) and in University Teaching (UCEN). He has worked as an undergraduate and postgraduate academic in various education programmes. He is currently an academic in the Special Education Teaching Degree Programme at the University of La Serena, Chile.

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Published

2025-07-31

How to Cite

Fajardo González, J. P., & Araya Cortés, A. (2025). Beliefs of School Principals and Teachers regarding the Grouping of Students within Schools . Revista Latinoamericana De Educación Inclusiva, 19(1), 81–97. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-73782025000100081

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Temática Libre

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Copyright (c) 2025 Revista Latinoamericana de Educación Inclusiva

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