Differentiation and Diversification in Compulsory Education: A Conceptual Analysis

Abstract

What is meant by school differentiation and diversification and how can such multifaceted phenomena be precisely described and conceptualized? The authors illustrate linguistic, conceptual, and epistemological challenges that researchers face in defining these phenomena. Looking beyond narrow theoretical frames and disciplinary boundaries, they analyze conceptualizations of school differentiation and diversification and examine related terms, such as segregation, stratification, and polarization. The authors explore school differentiation from various angles, including societal differentiation, diversity of school populations, symbolic hierarchies, and curricular diversity. The chapter offers a broad perspective on school differentiation as well as conceptual tools for understanding the processes of societal differentiation in compulsory education.