Parental Belief Systems, Conflict Resolution

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Parental Belief Systems, Conflict Resolution PARENTAL BELIEF SYSTEMS, CONFLICT RESOLUTION STRATEGIES, AND CULTURAL ORIENTATION IN THE MOTHER-CHILD INTERACTIVE CONTEXT: a comparative study of two Costa Rican samples Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Cultural and Developmental Psychology, University of Osnabrück in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor in Sciences (Rer.Nat.) by Mariano Rosabal-Coto San José, Costa Rica Supervisor: Prof. Dr. HEIDI KELLER Co-supervisor: Prof. Dr. SIEGFRIED GREIF NOVEMBER, 2004 ii Dedicated to My children Mariel and Mariano , who have remained by my side, growing, supporting, and building a dream. iii PREFACE Psychological research on socialization goals and parent-child interaction began in Costa Rica almost 40 years ago, when the country’s mainstream investigation of these subjects was oriented toward epidemiological studies. Several academic and government institutions, some more systematic than others, have developed incursions into this matter, but up until now a systematic research line including a systematic theoretical and methodological approach has not been established. This document discusses and analyzes the theoretical implications as of developmental psychology, relating to variables that are essential for the study of socialization, such as parental ethno-theories and the context of the mother-child interaction, from the specificity of a cultural context. A relevant subject for psychology is approached, focusing on subjects of cultural, trans-cultural, and developmental psychology. Thus, our research interest intends to fulfill the need for a first proposal of exploration and systematization of a culturally sensitive approach, which at the same time will facilitate further specific studies either with Costa Rican or with Latin American samples. Thus, we reassess the subject of cultures of separateness and cultures of relatedness ever-present in psychology discussions, not in order to classify a culture but to know it in its specificity and variability. Osnabrück, May 2004 Mariano Rosabal-Coto iv Acknowledgements I give special thanks to my mentor, Dr. Heidi Keller, for offering me, throughout different contexts and along a period full of experiences and learning, her support and constant guidance. To the mothers, girls and boys who generously accepted to participate in this study, To my parents, Ana and Fernando, my siblings Ana V., Fernando and Guillermo, for their solidarity and support in good times and bad times, To Ligia, who shared an important time of her life with me, To professor Dr. H.W. Sievert, for his support and company since the very first days in Osnabrück, To Mr. Giovanny León S. and Mr. Rigoberto Cárdenas, who were key players during the sample recruiting process and the first part of this research, To my colleagues in the Department for Development and Culture of the Unviersity of Osnabrück (Daniela, Athanasios, Suzanne, Relindis, Jürgen, Florian, Akiko, Brad and Jan), for their solidarity and relevant contributions all along the process, To my PhD colleague, Relindis Yovzi, with whom I not only shared an academic project, but also the intense experience of crossing cultures and the warmth of “cultures of relatedness”. To Marita Bjojan, who was always willing to listen, help, and facilitate the whole process, To the HIWIS team: Fátima Wessels, Barbara Sühlemann, Carolina Cárdenas and Christa Broering-Wichman, without whom a substantial part of the work would not have been possible, To the students of the EMPRA II courses, who collaborated with the reliability tests, To Miguel Kazén, for being my interlocutor in all dimensions, To Uwe Nerger for the constant support and availability, To Domingo Campos for his support, both academic and personal, especially for his company during the last part of this research, To Barbara Linninger, Guillermo Rosabal and Natalia Rodríguez, for their valuable work in translation and proofreading, To all the people who, in one way or another, were present and helped in materializing this project. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………..ii PREFACE……………………………………………………………………………iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………..iv TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………………...v LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………...viii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………ix LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS ………………………………………………………..….x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS…………………………………………………………xi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………….1 1.1. Problem Definition……………………………………………………………...1 1.2. Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………….……2 1.3. Rationale………………………………………………………………………...2 1.4. Assumptions…………………………………………………………………….3 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK…………………………………..4 2.1. Development and Culture: the Contributions of Cultural and Cross-Cultural Research…………………………………………………………………………….5 2.2. Interdependent and Independent Social Orientation……………………………….9 2.2.1. Interdependence between Latin American Cultural Contexts………………….12 2.2.2. Particularities in Childrearing…………………………………………………..14 2.3. Developmental Pathways…………………………………………………………16 2.3.1. Component Model of Parenting………………………………………………..18 2.3.2. Description of the Different Styles of Parenting and Interactive Mechanisms Adapted for this Research………………………………………………………19 2.3.2.1. Body Contact……………………………………………………………….…19 2.3.2.2. Warmth………………………………………………………………………..20 2.3.2.3. Maternal Stimulation……………………………………………………….…20 2.4. Parenting and Socialization Goals………………………………………………..20 2.4.1. Early Childhood, Discipline and Conflict……………………………………...21 2.4.2. Parenting Goals and Conflict…………………………………………………...24 2.5. Historical Background of Costa Rica……………………………………………..25 2.5.1. Pre-Columbian Period………………………………………………………….26 2.5.2. Demographic Situation of Early Indigenous Population……………………….27 2.5.3. Organization and Social Life of Ancient Indigenous Population………………29 2.5.4. Mestizaje and Costa Rican Identity…………………………………………….30 2.5.5. Shaping of a Culture of Relatedness……………………………………………32 2.6. Cultural Background of Contemporary Costa Rica……………………………….35 2.6.1. Values and Culture……………………………………………………………..36 vi 2.6.2. Social Change…………………………………………………………………..38 2.6.3. Guanacaste at Present…………………………………………………………..40 2.6.4. San José and the Greater Metropolitan Area…………………………………...42 2.6.5. Summary………………………………………………………………………..42 2.7. Research on Socialization Goals and Parent-Child Interaction in Costa Rica……43 2.7.1. Local Studies…………………………………………………………………...44 2.7.2. Cross-Cultural and External Studies…………………………………………...51 2.7.3. Summary……………………………………………………………………….53 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY………………………………………………...58 3.1. Geographical Location and Description……………………………………….58 3.1.1. Demographic Descriptors………………………………………………………59 3.1.1.1. Population and Demography………………………………………………59 3.1.1.2. Health……………………………………………………………………...61 3.1.1.3. Education…………………………………………………………………..61 3.1.1.4. Poverty……………………………………………………………………..61 3.1.1.5. Family Patterns…………………………………………………………….61 3.1.1.6. Types of Mating……………………………………………………………63 3.1.1.7. Development Level………………………………………………………...63 3.2. Sample Frame of the Study…………………………………………………….64 3.3. Contacts and Sampling…………………………………………………………64 3.4. Participants……………………………………………………………………..64 3.4.1. Socio-Demographic Description of the Samples………………………………65 3.4.2. Contextual Variables of the Mothers…………………………………………..65 3.4.3. Infant Characteristics of the Sub-Samples……………………………………..67 3.5. Time Frame…………………………………………………………………….68 3.6. Data Collection…………………………………………………………………68 3.6.1. Instruments of the Study………………………………………………………..68 3.6.1.1. Conflict Situations Vignettes……………………………………………….68 3.6.1.2. Interview……………………………………………………………………68 3.6.1.3. Scales……………………………………………………………………….69 3.6.1.4. Socialization Goals Inventory (SGI)……………………………………….69 3.6.1.5. Videotaping………………………………………………………………...71 3.7 Coding System of Mother-Child Interaction……………………………………..71 3.7.1 Coding of Behavioral Categories………………………………………………71 3.7.2 Coding of the Conflict Scenarios: Content Categories………………………..76 3.7.3 Coding Procedure ………………………………………………………….…..77 3.8 Inter-Observer Agreement and Reliability………………………………………...77 3.9 Statistical Analysis…………………………………………………………………79 vii CHAPTER IV: PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS…………………………81 4.1. Descriptive Results with Regard to Time and Setting of Interactions……………81 4.1.1. Descriptive Results regarding Interaction Time………………………………..81 4.1.2. Descriptive Results Regarding Interaction Settings……………………………82 4.2. Relationship Between Results and Assumptions…………………………………83 4.2.1. Assumption 1: Cultural Orientation of the Samples…………………………..83 4.2.1.1. Cultural Orientation According to the Collectivism Scale……………………83 4.2.1.2. Cultural Orientation According to the Family Allocentrism Scale………...…84 4.2.2. Assumption 2: Variability of Interactive Components………………………...86 4.2.2.1.Differences in Interaction Between the Two Geographical Zones…………..…86 4.2.3. Assumption 3: Conflict Resolution Styles and Parental Beliefs………………89 4.2.3.1. Differences Regarding Orientation and Type of Solution…………………….89 4.2.3.2. Differences Regarding the Content Quality of Stories and the Use of Norms..91 4.2.3.3. Differences Regarding Conflict Resolution and Parental Beliefs…………….92 4.2.3.4. Maternal Values Towards Conflict Resolution……………………………….93 4.2.3.5. Desirable and Undesirable Resolution Styles for Children…………………...93 4.2.3.6. Differences Regarding Parental Beliefs………………………………………95 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION………………………………………………………..96 5.1. Purpose of the Study………………………………………………………………96
Recommended publications
  • Cultural Practices of Literacy: a Case of Costa Rica Final Report for the Spencer Foundation1
    Cultural Practices of Literacy: A Case of Costa Rica Final Report for the Spencer Foundation1 Victoria Purcell-Gates, Ph.D. Canada Research Chair – Early Childhood Literacy University of British Columbia Focus of Study In cooperation with officials from the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education, I conducted a six-month ethnography in Costa Rica, from January 1, 2006 – June 30, 2006. One focus of the research was to explore factors that may account for many of the difficulties that are experienced by poor and marginalized children in the Costa Rican Schools, particularly those of Nicaraguan immigrants. This focus reflects the primary interest of education officials in Costa Rica. The second focus of the study was to come to deeper understandings of the relationships of young children’s community-based literacy practices and their ways of learning from early literacy instruction in school, one of the central goals of my larger project, Cultural Practices of Literacy Study (CPLS) (Purcell-Gates, in press). This latter I view as key to much –needed theorizing of social and cultural marginality as it relates to academic achievement. I focused exclusively on the early literacy learning of the children primarily because high rates of first-grade retention is considered to be a problem in the Costa Rican schools and because the success in first stages of learning to read and write determines the level of success at learning in other subjects and in the later grades. Theoretical Frame & Related Research This study of literacy in community reflects a theoretical frame of literacy as social and cultural practice (Street, 1984) that is patterned by social institutions, historical settings, values, beliefs, and power relationships (Au, 2002; Barton & Hamilton, 1998; Brandt, 2001; Fishman, 1988; Moje, 2000; Purcell-Gates, 1995, 1996; Scribner & Cole, 1981; Street 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • Education in Costa Rica
    Education in Costa Rica HIGHLIGHTS 2017 Costa Rica WHAT ARE REVIEWS OF NATIONAL POLICIES FOR a strong focus on improving learning outcomes; equity in EDUCATION? educational opportunity; the ability to collect and use data to inform policy; the effective use of funding to steer reform; OECD Education Policy Reviews provide tailored advice and the extent of multistakeholder engagement in policy to governments to develop policies that improve the skills design and implementation. of all members of society, and ensure that those skills are used effectively, to promote inclusive growth for better jobs Based on these tough benchmarks, the review both underlines and better lives. The OECD works with countries to identify the many strengths of Costa Rica’s education system and and understand the factors behind successful reform and provides recommendations on how to improve policies and provide direct support to them in designing, adopting and practices so that the country can advance towards OECD implementing reforms in education and skills policies. standards of education attainment and outcomes. These highlights summarise the main findings of the Review: WHY A REVIEW OF EDUCATION IN COSTA RICA? l Early childhood education: Higher priority should be given higher priority in public spending and policy, given the In 2015, the OECD opened discussions for the accession of vital role it can play in tackling disadvantage and poverty. Costa Rica to the OECD Convention. As part of this process, Costa Rica has undergone in-depth reviews in all the relevant l Basic education: The quality and equity of learning areas of the Organisation’s work including a comprehensive outcomes should become the centre point of policy and review of the education system, from early childhood practice.
    [Show full text]
  • World Bank Document
    PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: AB169 CR EQUITY AND EFFICIENCY OF EDUCATION Project Name Public Disclosure Authorized Region LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN Sector General education sector (100%) Project ID P057857 Borrower(s) Government of Costa Rica Implementing Agency Ministry of Public Education Environment Category [ ] A [X] B [ ] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined) Safeguard Classification [ ] S1 [X] S2 [ ] S3 [ ] SF [ ] TBD (to be determined) Date PID Prepared December 30, 2003 Date of Appraisal February 4, 2004 Authorization Date of Board Approval May 4, 2004 Public Disclosure Authorized 1. Country and Sector Background Key elements of Costa Rica Education Sector Strategy and Implementation Instruments. Costa Rica seeks to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of education at all levels. Specific sector goals include: (i) increasing early childhood care and education (ECCE) for ages 0-5; (ii) universalizing at least one year of preschool (for 6 year-old children); (iii) universalizing primary education completion with quality of learning; and (iii) expanding nationwide secondary education (both academic and vocational) with quality. These specific goals will be achieved with keen focus on equity—by targeting education services to traditionally underserved populations (including rural communities and ethnic minorities)—and with increased institutional efficiency and cost-effectiveness. While some goals are nationwide (ECCE and Public Disclosure Authorized Secondary Education), others focus on closing the gaps between regions and across income groups (preschool and finalization of quality primary education). The overarching policies of the Consejo Superior de Educación (CSE), the national body that defines education policies, orient these national educational aims: • Generating educational initiatives that increase equal access to pertinent, high quality opportunities for education and training, including universal access to preschool, increasing enrollment in secondary education, and improving quality at all levels.
    [Show full text]
  • Country Brief Costa Rica
    INSTITUTE COUNTRY BRIEF COSTA RICA Frida Andersson, Valeriya Mechkova and Staan I. Lindberg February 2016 Country Briefs THE VARIETIES OF DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE Please address comments and/or queries for information to: V-Dem Institute Department of Political Science University of Gothenburg Sprängkullsgatan 19, PO Box 711 SE 40530 Gothenburg Sweden E-mail: [email protected] V-Dem Working Papers are available in electronic format at www.v-dem.net. Copyright © 2016 University of Gothenburg, V-Dem Institute. All rights reserved. Country Brief Costa Rica About V-Dem Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) is a new approach to conceptualizing and measuring democracy. V-Dem’s multidimensional and disaggregated approach acknowledges the complexity of the concept of democracy. The V-Dem project distinguishes among five high-level principles of democracy: electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian, which are disaggregated into lower-level components and specific indicators. Key features of V-Dem: Provides reliable data on five high-level principles and 22 lower-level components of democracy such as regular elections, judicial independence, direct democracy, and gender equality, consisting of more than 400 distinct and precise indicators; Covers all countries and dependent territories from 1900 to the present and provides an estimate of measurement reliability for each rating; Makes all ratings public, free of charge, through a user-friendly interface. With four Principal Investigators, two Project Coordinators, fifteen Project Managers, more than thirty Regional Managers, almost 200 Country Coordinators, several Assistant Researchers, and approximately 2,600 Country Experts, the V-Dem project is one of the largest-ever social science data collection projects with a database of over 15 million data points.
    [Show full text]
  • Is a 501(C)3 Non-Profit Organization Committed to Providing International Learning Opportunities for US-Based Social Work Students
    SWAP PARTICIPANT MANUAL GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS Social Work Abroad Program (SWAP) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to providing international learning opportunities for US-based social work students. www.socialworkabroad.org Table of Contents: About SWAP Page 2 Mission Statement Page 2 Organization and Structure of SWAP Placement/Service Learning Page 2 Selection Process Page 2 SWAP’s Professional Conduct and Performance Expectations Page 3 Participant Roles and Responsibilities Page 4 Knots and Bolts Page 6 What to Pack Page 9 Living with a Family Page 12 Costa Rica Projects Page 15 Background Information on Costa Rica Page 17 SWAP Re-entry Support Page 20 1 ABOUT SWAP Social Work Abroad Program SWAP is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization, is the vision of social workers who are committed to providing international learning opportunities for US-based social work students. Participants are able to practice and exchange ideas in an international setting which promotes compassion, cultural sensitivity, effective practice and competency. MISSION STATEMENT SWAP’s mission is to provide enriched, supported, intercultural internships for US social work students who transform both personally and professionally, through meaningful exchange. SWAP further seeks to enhance US social workers knowledge of international social work in order to foster global citizenship. Vision: Transforming social workers into global citizens. ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE OF SWAP PLACEMENT/SERVICE LEARNING The field placement/service learning is the heart of SWAP. The experience offered by SWAP is an opportunity for participants to integrate and apply theoretical knowledge and social work practice and intervention skills in an international setting under the supervision of SWAP Facilitators.
    [Show full text]
  • Education for a Sustainable Future: Analysis of the Educational System in Osa and Golfito
    This document is a part of The Osa and Golfito Initiative, Education for a sustainable future: Analysis of the educational system in Osa and Golfito M.Sc. Claire Menke Anthropology, Stanford University Professor Martin Carnoy, Ph.D. Graduate School of Education, Stanford University San José, Costa Rica July, 2013 “Education for a sustainable future: Analysis of the educational system in Osa and Golfito” M.Sc. Claire Menke Anthropology Professor Martin Carnoy, Ph.D. Graduate School of Education Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment Stanford University This document is part of: Iniciativa Osa y Golfito, INOGO Stanford, California Julio de 2013 Citation: Menke, Claire and Martin Carnoy. 2013. Education for a sustainable future: Analysis of the educational system in Osa and Golfito. Stanford, California: INOGO, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, July 2013. 2 Contents Acronyms ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Osa and Golfito Initiative Overview ............................................................................................... 5 What is INOGO .................................................................................................................................................. 5 The INOGO Study Region .............................................................................................................................. 7 Executive summary ............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Building Quality Education: a Pact with the Future of Latin America Education Are Critical to Achieve Equitable Development in Latin America
    Educational progress in Latin America has been slow in the past few years. While enrollment rates and investment in education have grown in practically every country in the region, learning gaps are still very pronounced and represent a serious challenge for equitable development. This book presents the vision of the Commission for Quality Education for All about how Building Quality Education: education quality can be improved. A Pact with the Future of Latin America Convened by the Inter-American Dialogue, the Commission is chaired by former Presidents Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and Since its founding in 1979, Fundación Santillana has sought to collaborate Ricardo Lagos of Chile, and comprised of in the creation and dissemination of relevant information that contributes to the twelve prestigious members representing improvement of education in Latin America and Spain. Numerous partnerships Building Quality different countries and perspectives. with important international, private and non-profit organizations, universities, Building Quality Education: A Pact with experts and researchers, have promoted our vocation to disseminate relevant work the Future of Latin America seeks to draw and have allowed us to collaborate in the creation of educational knowledge. Education: A Pact attention to the issue of low education In the words of the Inter-American Dialogue’s President, this rigorous and quality in the region and proposes a well-documented report seeks to propose an agenda that has the objective to with the Future transformative agenda, identifying priority change and improve education, and that spurs the interest and commitment of areas that need reforms and innovations. all relevant actors; Fundación Santillana shares this objective and commitment.
    [Show full text]
  • Initial and Continuous Mathematics Teacher Preparation in Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela
    CANP National Report Series #2 Initial and Continuous Mathematics Teacher Preparation in Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela Report on the Initial and Continuing Preparation in Central America and the Caribbean. CANP Project, Costa Rica. Table of Contents Forward .................................................................................................................................. 5 Colombia: Mathematics Education and Teacher Preparation. Consolidating a Professional and Scientific Field .................................................................................................................. 6 1 The Education System in Colombia and School Mathematics .................................................................. 7 1.1 Features of the Education System in Colombia ......................................................................................... 7 1.2 Mathematics in the School Curriculum ........................................................................................................ 8 2 The Preparation of Mathematics Teachers in Colombia´s Historical Context ..................................... 9 2.1 The Initial Preparation of Mathematics Teachers .................................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Teacher Preparation for Lower and Upper Secondary Education ............................................................. 9 2.1.2 Teacher Preparation for Elementary Education ............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Costa Rica/Nicaragua Study Trip Aimy Steele July 2017 from the Moment
    Costa Rica/Nicaragua Study Trip Aimy Steele July 2017 From the moment I found out that I would be able to attend the Costa Rica/Nicaragua study trip, I was elated. I have always wanted to attend a study trip to Costa Rica to learn more about the natural resources, the school system, the commerce, and the overall way the people of Central America interact with those from other parts of Latin America. What I walked away with was much more than that. I left with an experience that is unparalleled to all of the trips I have taken in the past. For this journey, I would like to formally acknowledge and thank the following education partners for making this experience possible Wells Fargo, Carolinas HealthCare System, Bank of America and UNC Charlotte for their support of the 2016-2017 Council Scholar program. The Preparation We began our journey with a 2-day orientation in Chapel Hill sponsored by the World View organization. For those teachers and administrators who went on the study trip with me, this was a welcomed orientation. For those who knew about the Latin American culture either through previous in depth interactions or previous travel, the two-day orientation served as an update of the current status of Latin America. This was the case for me and several of those traveling with me. As a former Spanish teacher, I spent years teaching and learning about Latin America culture. The most I’d ever taught on Central America dealt primarily with Guatemala and Honduras due to their rich Native and indigenous heritage.
    [Show full text]
  • Costa Rican Composer Benjamín Gutiérrez and His Piano Works
    ANDRADE, JUAN PABLO, D.M.A. Costa Rican Composer Benjamín Gutiérrez and his Piano Works. (2008) Directed by Dr. John Salmon. 158 pp. The purpose of this study is to research the life and work of Costa Rican composer Benjamín Gutiérrez (b.1937), with particular emphasis on his solo piano works. Although comprised of a small number of pieces, his piano output is an excellent representation of his musical style. Gutiérrez is regarded as one of Costa Rica’s most prominent composers, and has been the recipient of countless awards and distinctions. His works are known beyond Costa Rican borders only to a limited extent; thus one of the goals of this investigation is to make his music more readily known and accessible for those interested in studying it further. The specific works studied in this project are his Toccata y Fuga, his lengthiest work for the piano, written in 1959; then five shorter pieces written between 1981 and 1992, namely Ronda Enarmónica, Invención, Añoranza, Preludio para la Danza de la Pena Negra and Danza de la Pena Negra. The study examines Gutiérrez’s musical style in the piano works and explores several relevant issues, such as his relationship to nationalistic or indigenous sources, his individual use of musical borrowing, and his stance toward tonality/atonality. He emerges as a composer whose aesthetic roots are firmly planted in Europe, with strong influence from nineteenth-century Romantics such as Chopin and Tchaikovsky, but also the “modernists” Bartók, Prokofiev, Milhaud, and Ginastera, the last two of whom were Gutiérrez’s teachers. The research is divided into six chapters, comprising an introduction, an overview of the development of art music in Costa Rica, a biography of Gutiérrez, a brief account of piano music in the country before Gutiérrez and up to the present day, a detailed study of his solo piano compositions, and conclusions.
    [Show full text]
  • Problems; Relevande Costa Rican Education, Al
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 248 570 EA 016 879 AUTHOR Wahab, Zaher TITLE Education in Costa Rica: An Overview. PUB DATE Dec 83 NOTE 19p.; Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Western Region of the Comparative and International Education Society and the Far Western Philotophy of Education Society (Los Angeles, CA, December 2 -4,. 1983). PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) Speeches/Conference Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Access to Education; Curriculum; *Education; Educational Finpnce; *Educational History; Educational Objectives; Educational Planning; *Educational Policy; Educational Quality; *Organization; Political Influences; Politics of Education; Private Education; *Problems; Relevande (Education); Rural Urban Differences; Special Education; Teacher Education IDENTIFIERS *Costa Rica; United States ABSTRACT Costa Rican education, although fairly successful compared to other Third World.or Latin American countries, has serious problems needing, action, including (1) large discrepancies between educational ideals and the realities of urban- privilege, with regard to access and quality, and (2) a rote, narrow, superficial, impractical education. Other problems include a lack of textbooks,' support services, and well-trained teachers; inadequate coordination within education and between education and national needs and realities; the heavy politicization of education; the need for decentralization of educational management; a lack of educational research; heavy United States influence; and declining cost-effectiveness. This overview includes sections on,the history of educational development, educational planning, school system structure and organization, educational access and quality, private education, national financing and costs of education, student costs, curriculum, special education, teacher training, United States influence, and Problems. (DCS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EARS are the best that can be made from the original document.
    [Show full text]
  • KOF Factbook Education System Costa Rica
    KOF Factbook Education System Costa Rica Edition 1, September 2015 KOF Swiss Economic Institute ETH Zurich LEE G 116 Leonhardstrasse 21 8092 Zurich Switzerland Phone +41 44 632 42 39 Fax +41 44 632 12 18 www.kof.ethz.ch [email protected] Contents FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................ 1 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 2 EDITING AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. 2 1. The Economy of Costa Rica and its Political System ................................................. 3 1.1 The Economy of Costa Rica ...................................................................................... 3 1.2 The Labour Market ..................................................................................................... 7 1.2.1 Overview of Costa Rica’s Labour Market ........................................................... 7 1.2.2 The Youth Labour Market ................................................................................... 8 1.3 The Political System ................................................................................................ 11 1.3.1 Overview of Costa Rica’s Political System ....................................................... 11 1.3.2 Politics and Goals of the Education System ..................................................... 13 2. Formal System of Education
    [Show full text]