The parents' determining process of the high school type for their children within the context of social reproduction

Schools are at the forefront of places where social inequalities turn into educational inequalities. In the process of determining the type of school for children, schools are differentiated according to the types of capitals that families have. It causes educational inequalities. In the research, the function of schools in the reproduction of social inequalities is examined through the effect of families' capital types on the process of determining high school type for their children. At the research, to be able to analyze the effect of the capital types that the families have on the process of determining the school type of their children and to understand social realities in the subjective context, Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction was utilized. In addition, Giddens's structuration theory, which evaluates the acting and the structure together, was used in order to understand how the decisions taken by the families in the process of determining the school type for their children structure and legitimize inequality. The research was designed as a case study. Within the scope of the case study, it is primarily aimed to present a general profile regarding the capitals of the families and the types of schools. Therefore, questionnaire developed within the scope of the research was used. The sample of the research consists of 417, 9th grade students studying in different types of secondary schools (science high school, social science high school, Anatolian high school, religious high school, vocational and Anatolian high school, and private high school) in Menteşe district of Muğla in the 2020-2021 academic year. In the analysis of quantitative data, descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CATPCA) were used. In the other part of the research, the social practices of families in the process of determining the school type were examined. In this context, a semi-structured interview form developed during the research process was used. The study group of the research consists of the three parents of students, each from a relatively low, middle, and high socio-economic level, studying in different types of secondary schools in the Menteşe district of Muğla. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with totally 18 parents. Content analysis was used in the analysis of qualitative data. As a result of the research, it has been found that the types of families' capital are effective in determining the school type of their children. It has been concluded that parents with relatively high economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital send their children to science high schools, social sciences high schools and private high schools. It has also been obtained that parents with relatively low economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital send their children to religious high schools and vocational high schools. In addition, it has been concluded that the social practices of the families while determining the school type of their children vary according to the types of capital that the families have. Moreover, it has been found that parents with relatively high levels of capitals attach more importance to their children's academic development and exhibit social practices to reach a higher social position while determining the school type of their children. On the other hand, it has been obtained that parents with relatively low levels of capital give priority to living conditions when determining the school type of their children and struggle not to fall down in the social class. Besides, it has been concluded that families with low capital types legitimize the reproduction of inequalities due to their social practices and their habitus. Keywords: social inequality, education inequality, school type determination process, social reproduction, structural theory, parents, types of capitals