Are the education policy preferences of teachers just a reflection of their occupational concerns?

Chantal Oggenfuss and Stefan Wolter
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Chantal Oggenfuss: Swiss Coordination Centre for Research in Education (SKBF), Aarau

No 101, Economics of Education Working Paper Series from University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW)

Abstract: Education policy opinions and preferences of teachers are important not only in shaping public opinion, they also play a key role in ensuring the acceptance, and hence the implementation, of education reforms. While media communicates a great deal about the education policy preferences of the organised teaching body, we know little to nothing about how much these preferences coincide with or differ from those of the rest of the population. On the basis of two representative opinion polls on education policy issues in Switzerland (2007, 2012), we analysed the differences in preferences between those who have completed teacher training and the rest of the population. This shows that preferences differ statistically significantly if the topic has a direct relation to teachers' working conditions. By contrast, in all other topics which relate to teachers' working conditions only indirectly or not at all, there are no differences in preferences. Alongside their specialist knowledge, therefore, vested interests of teachers must undoubtedly be considered as an explanation of different education policy preferences.

Keywords: Educational policies; public opinion; teachers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I20 I29 J38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22 pages
Date: 2014-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-hrm
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iso:educat:0101

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