Abstract

The construct of convivencia escolar (CE) has multiple meanings, some reduce it to school life without conflict and a punitive management of indiscipline. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to describe, understand and compare the meanings of CE and the procedures involved in school norms used to regulate students' behaviours in Chilean schools with high and low levels of punitive exclusionary practices (PEP). Schools with higher levels of PEP were mostly low-SES/municipal schools, with low academic achievement and school climate. Qualitative content analysis of schools' norms showed that schools with high levels of punitive practices constructed a sense of schooling as a way out of poverty through high discipline and values of respect and responsibility. Schools with low punitive practices pursued community values but had previous selection processes. We argue that in both cases, educational inclusion/exclusion is construed by reproducing social class segregation.