Factors of school choice in parents’ views: Why do parents choose the Piarist schools in Hungary?

Abstract

This empirical study focuses on the factors of school parents’ school choice whose children just started to attend one of the Piarist (Catholic) Schools in Hungary. 270 parents completed an online questionnaire where the groups of questions concerned several facets of their beliefs and values. The results show how parental expectations and beliefs are organized, and how they related to the values manifested in the ‘Piarist spirit’. Both the transfer of religious values and secularized goals are very important for parents. Parents’ educational level and the type of settlement they live in have almost negligible role in explaining differences in answer patterns.