School Choice In Kazakhstan: Parental Strategies And Policy Drivers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31489/2025ec3/1168Keywords:
School choice, parental decision-making, education policy, capitation financing, trilingual education, public administration, KazakhstanAbstract
In Kazakhstan, schools in areas with fast population growth operate in multiple shifts to accommodate growing student populations amid limited infrastructure capacity. This challenge requires public policy initiatives in enrollment forecasting and school construction. In developing forecasting models, it is important to understand parental choices in school selection. Drawing on 24 in-depth interviews, this study investigates how parents navigate school choice among those from varied socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds. The research identifies nine key factors influencing decision-making, including perceptions of school quality, safety, accessibility, reputation, language of instruction, and cultural alignment. Framed through Bourdieu’s theory of capital and Gewirtz et al.'s concept of schooling circuits, the analysis reveals that parental choices reflect both long-term aspirations and immediate structural constraints. These choices, while often strategic and informed, are shaped by systemic inequities, such as disparities in infrastructure, access to inclusive education, and digital resources, that affect educational opportunities across social groups. The study shows how parental agency both reproduces and resists prevailing inequalities. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers aiming to align education infrastructure and planning with the needs of families in transitional contexts.
References
Balestra, C., & Tonkin, R. (2018). Inequalities in household wealth across OECD countries: Evidence from the OECD Wealth Distribution Database. OECD Statistics Working Papers, 2018/01, OECD Publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/7e1bf673-en.
Ball, S.J., & Vincent, C. (1998). ‘I heard it on the grapevine’: ‘Hot’ knowledge and school choice. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 19(3), 377–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142569980190307.
Ball, S.J., Bowe, R., & Gewirtz, S. (1996). School choice, social class, and distinction: The realization of social advantage in education. Journal of Education Policy, 11(1), 89–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/0268093960110105.
Barroso, J., & de Oliveira, R.P. (2008). The Educational Planning Process and the Role of School Infrastructure. Revista Brasileira de Educação, 13(38), 283–302.
Bensons, M., Bridge, G., & Wilson, D. (2015). School choice in London and Paris: A comparison of middle-class strategies. Social Policy & Administration, 49(1), 24–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12079.
Böhlmark, A., Holmlund, H., & Lindahl, M. (2016). Parental choice, neighbourhood segregation or cream skimming? An analysis of school segregation after a generalized choice reform. Journal of Population Economics, 29(4), 1155–1190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-016-0595-y.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241-258). Greenwood.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806.
Bray, M., & Borevskaya, N. (2001). Financing education in transitional societies: Lessons from Russia and China. Comparative Education, 37(3), 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050060120067820.
Bray, M., & Varghese, N.V. (2011). Financing education: Innovations to expand access and improve efficiency. UNESCO.
Brinkmann, S., & Kvale, S. (2018). Doing interviews (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529716665.
Chaney, B., Braun, H., & Jenkins, F. (2020). Novice middle school teachers’ preparedness for teaching, and the helpfulness of supports: A survey of one state. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28, 107. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.5001.
Creswell, J.W., & Poth, C.N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Crosnoe, R., Johnson, M.K., & Elder, G.H. (2004). Intergenerational Bonding in School: The Behavioral and Contextual Correlates of Student-Teacher Relationships. Sociology of Education, 77(1), 60–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/003804070407700103.
Comfortable School (2022). Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Pilot National Project in Education “Comfortable School” (Resolution No. 963 dated November 30, 2022). adilet.zan.kz. Retrieved from https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2200000963.
Denessen, E., Driessen, G., & Sleegers, P. (2005). Segregation by choice? A study of group-specific reasons for school choice. Journal of Education Policy, 20(3), 347–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680930500108981.
Digital Kazakhstan (2017). Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. State Program “Digital Kazakhstan” (Resolution No. 827 dated December 12, 2017). adilet.zan.kz. Retrieved from https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P1700000827.
Dixon, P., Humble, S., & Tooley, J. (2017). How school choice is framed by parental preferences and family characteristics: A study in poor areas of Lagos State, Nigeria. Economic Affairs, 37(1), 47–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecaf.12214.
Flick, U. (2018). Designing qualitative research (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. digital.casalini.it. Retrieved from http://digital.casalini.it/9781526425997.
Fullan, M. (2013). Commentary: The New Pedagogy: Students and Teachers as Learning Partners. LEARNing Landscapes, 6(2), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.36510/learnland.v6i2.601.
Gewirtz, S., Ball, S.J., & Bowe, R. (1995). Markets, choice and equity in education. Open University Press.
Heyneman, S.P. (2010). A Comment on the Changes in Higher Education in the Former Soviet Union. European Education, 42(1), 76–87. https://doi.org/10.2753/EUE1056-4934420104.
Inclusive Policy (2024). Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Concept of Inclusive Policy in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2025–2030 (Resolution No. 1143 dated December 30, 2024). adilet.zan.kz. Retrieved from https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2400001143.
Jerome, L., & Starkey, H. (2022). Developing children’s agency within a children’s rights education framework: 10 propositions. Education 3–13, 50(4), 439–451. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2022.2052233.
Johnson, M.S. (2014). Borrowing trouble? Student loans in post-Soviet Central Asia. In M. Kamenetz (Ed.), Generation debt: The promise and peril of student loans (pp. 126-149). Routledge.
Kambatyrova, A., & Sagintayeva, A. (2020). Implementation of trilingual education policy in Kazakhstani schools. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(7), 797–813. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1513586.
Lareau, A., & Cox, A. (2011). Chapter Six: Social Class and the Transition to Adulthood: Differences in Parents’ Interactions with Institutions. In M. Carlson & P. England (Eds.), Social class and changing families in an unequal America (pp. 134–164). Stanford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780804779081-009.
Lewin, K.M. (2007). Improving access, equity and transitions in education: Creating a research agenda. Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE).
Martinez Sainz, G., Devine, D., Sloan, S., Symonds, J., Moore, B., Barrow, N., et al. (2024). A rights-based explo-ration of children’s pedagogic voice in the classroom. Education 3–13, 52(6), 874–890. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2024.2331953.
Mulkeen, A. (2009). Teachers in Anglophone Africa: Issues in teacher supply, training, and management. World Bank Publications.
Nowell, L.S., Norris, J.M., White, D.E., & Moules, N.J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847.
Palinkas, L.A., Horwitz, S.M., Green, C.A., Wisdom, J.P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y.
Phillipson, R. (2009). English in Globalisation, a Lingua Franca or a Lingua Frankensteinia? TESOL Quarterly, 43(2), 335–339.
Pigozzi, M.J. (2006). Planning for quality education in the context of Education for All. International Review of Education, 52, 469–482.
Piller, I. (2016). Linguistic diversity and social justice: An introduction to applied sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistic Studies, 11(2), 461–465. https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.33777.
Protection for facilities (2022). Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Instruction on organizing anti-terrorist protection for facilities vulnerable to terrorist threats in the field of education (Or-der No. 117 dated March 30, 2022). adilet.zan.kz. Retrieved from https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V220000117.
Reay, D., & Ball, S.J. (1997). Spoilt for choice’: The working classes and educational markets. Oxford Review of Education, 23(1), 89–101.
Schneider, Friedrich, and Dominik, H. Enste. (2000). Shadow Economies: Size, Causes, and Consequences. Journal of Economic Literature, 38(1), 77–114. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.38.1.77.
Silova, I. (2009). Varieties of Educational Transformation: The Post-Socialist States of Central/Southeastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. In: Cowen, R., Kazamias, A.M. (eds) International Handbook of Comparative Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education, 22. Springer, Dordrecht, 295–320 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6403-6_19.
Smagulova, J. (2008). Language policies of Kazakhization and their influence on language attitudes and use. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 11(3-4), 440–475. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050802148798.
Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S., & Young, T. (2018). Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: Systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), 148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7.
Vincent, C., Rollock, N., Ball, S.J., & Gillborn, D. (2012). The educational strategies of the black middle classes. Sociological Research Online, 17(3), 4. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.2789.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 BUKETOV BUSINESS REVIEW
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
