Translating policies on school climate: Analysis of sociotechnical devices in Argentina and Chile

Abstract

Sociomaterial devices are key to understanding the translation of public policies into local practices. In this article we describe and analyze from a comparative perspective policies and practices of school climate in Chile and Argentina, from a perspective of the Theory of Actor Network (ANT), focusing on two sociotechnical devices: the classbook and its positive and negative annotations; and the charge note, used in Chile and Argentina respectively for the implementation and regulation of coexistence. The methodology included non-participant observations, in-depth interviews and a comparative analysis of the devices and the social regulations they proposed. We analyzed these devices using four analytical axes: the resolution of conflicts, the call for student participation, training for citizenship, and the construction of students as subjects. The results indicate that both devices form a network of sociomaterial relationships that position students differently with also distinguishable implications regarding their (auto versus hetero) regulation of behavior and the construction of student-subjects within the school system.