What Secondary School to Choose? Factors Influencing School Choice in Comparative Perspective

This chapter explores the complexity of secondary school choice in a comparative perspective drawing on data collected from Ireland and Estonia. It discusses the 'dual' selection at play in both countries whereby, on the one hand, students and their families are choosing secondary schools most suitable for them and, on the other hand, schools select students whom they see most appropriate regarding their reputation and character. These processes are strongly related to social class, irrespective of the type of society and structure of national educational systems. The selection processes are seen to reinforce the stratification processes already existing in the society, thus reproducing inequalities. By using overt and covert selection mechanisms, largely middle class schools limit access of these students whom they see less desirable and whose personal 'habitus' may not match the 'institutional habitus' (see Reay et al., 2003) of the school. The study confirmed previous research in that the factors informing school choice are varied and interlinked. However, it also brought out some important differences between Ireland and Estonia in terms of secondary school choice. While Irish secondary schools are likely to be influenced by a number of factors shaping school selection, Estonian general upper secondary schools use academic attainment as the most important selection criterion.