The Circle of Non-Dialogue: Everyday Interactions at Schools from a Poverty Context in Chile

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to understand, through an ethnographic approach, how interactions and dialogue transpire in the classrooms of three high-risk primary schools in Chile. We address the problem in an educational model with an evaluation system based on high-stakes testing. The results give an account of interactions do not favour dialogue, hurry to cover the curriculum predominate, and the evaluation standards for learning are limited to content tests in the form of a standardised high-stakes test. The rationale behind follows a circular logic where the students are both the cause and consequence of the lack of dialogue. Keywords: classroom dialogue; standardised testing; ethnography; Chile