Browsing by Author "Pickenpack, Astrid"

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    Policy Translation of Social Movement Demands: The Case of Tuition-Free Higher Education in Chile
    (UNIV CALIFORNIA, ESCHOLARSHIP, 2022) Veliz, Daniela; Pickenpack, Astrid; Villalobos, Cristobal
    In 2011, Chile experienced massive student protests against the marketization of education. During 2013, center-left President Michelle Bachelet proposed tuition-free higher education for Chile's families in the bottom 70th percentile of the income distribution, fueling controversy due to the uncertainty and unexpected consequences of the policy. This study analyzes how the tuition -free policy was developed, the actors involved, the political discourse deployed during implementation, and the strategy used to make this policy a reality. Using semi-structured interviews with key actors, such as policymakers and scholars, and a review of newspaper columns, we explore how politicians and bureaucrats translated the students' demands into the tuition-free policy. Our findings suggest that the policy translation process included the involvement of former student leaders, prioritization of the tuition-free policy, and a quick, straightforward implementation process that enabled the government to fulfill its promise.
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    The ethical implications of collecting data in educational settings: discussion on the technology and engineering attitude scale (TEAS) and its psychometric validation for assessing a pre-engineering design program
    (2021) Miranda, Constanza ; Goñi, Julian; Pickenpack, Astrid ; Sotomayor, Trinidad
    K-12 Engineering Education has placed a lot of attention on students' attitudes or predispositions towards science and technology. However, most assessment methods are focused on STEM as a whole or only on technology. In this article, we will discuss the instrument called Technology and Engineering Attitude Scale (TEAS) which focuses on attitudes towards technology. Previous studies and applications of this particular scale lacked proper statistical validation of the instrument. The following research looks at the application of an adapted version of the TEAS to assess a GEDC awarded pre-engineering design program in Chile. This version was psychometrically analyzed in 436 cases to validate the interpretations driven by a particular cultural context and specific to the discipline of engineering. The article focuses on the modifications applied to the instrument after the statistical validity process. The discussion is centered on the ethical importance of adapting an existing scale in a valid and reliable way to assess a pre-engineering design program in a local context. Lessons learned and recommendations for future research in this area are proposed based on this particular experience.