Transition to middle school and socioemotional skills

• Grant number: 20/10444-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2021
• End date: May 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics - Social Welfare Economics
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Domingues dos Santos
• Grantee: Vitor Henrique de Jesus Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade de Ribeirão Preto (FEARP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The last decades were characterized by improvements in Brazilian education. However, between elementary school and middle school, the educational quality indicators show discontinuity in this improvement process. This study aims to investigate how schools are organized in this transitional period, with special focus on the characteristics of schools and students. In addition, we will measure the relationship between educational cycle changes and students' socioemotional skills. Thus, the development of these skills is different depending on whether the students had to change schools or not during this transition? For this purpose, we used data from a longitudinal and census research conducted in 2018 and 2019 in Sobral/CE. 71% of students changed schools when they started 6th grade. The students' socioemotional skills were measured using the SENNA 2.0 instrument, developed to monitor the evolution of socioemotional skills in school. Finally, we hope to fill an important gap about the transition between basic education cycles in Brazil with this research.