University of São Paulo: School Failure Linked to Self-Esteem and Social Relationship Challenges, Study Shows
Brazilian researchers analyzed students in the country born between 2000 and 2005 and identified that around 48% of them did not complete primary education within the expected time of nine years, in addition, 10% left school before reaching the final year. Professor Vivian Batista, from the Faculty of Education (FE) at the University of São Paulo, analyzes the factors that influence academic delay and the effects that these failures can have on interpersonal relationships and the future of students.
The expert says that, according to Law No. 11,274 (February 6, 2006), the child must enter elementary school at the age of 6 and, as elementary school I has five grades, the prediction is that, without any repetition occurring, she completes this stage at 10 years old. After this, the student goes to elementary school II, which lasts four years, therefore, it must be completed at the age of 14, and then high school, which lasts three years.
According to the teacher, even though students are the same age, it is not possible to guarantee that everyone will learn the same content in the same way. It reinforces that learning occurs in movement and in different ways within a classroom, with students of the same age group, therefore, issues related to cognitive, social experiences and social interactions between students must be considered.
“We are increasingly realizing that, if our idea is that school is for everyone, attempts at homogenization end up producing inequalities, because they disregard the various ways students learn. And this is linked not only to your cognitive capacity, but also to a series of other elements that are involved in the trajectories”, he explains.
Impacts in the future
According to the teacher, the feeling of repeating a school year has negative effects on the child’s social life, because they will be placed in a new class, with younger students and with whom they have not had much contact, which can leave them it isolated. In addition to problems with self-esteem and social relationships, the teacher says that, sometimes, failing a student can be more harmful than letting them move on to other grades, at the same time that it helps them to look for different ways to learn.
“I think schools need to think about their times and spaces for teaching and learning, which today are still very focused on homogeneous classes. As we know, learning takes place in the plural and is in permanent movement, it is not as linear and progressive as it seems. Perhaps it is time to rethink traditional school organizations”, he reinforces.
Socioeconomic differences
According to Vivian, there are several studies proving that the students who fail most at school are those with more disadvantaged social and economic conditions, in addition to other racial and gender issues. She states that poorer students, black students and women are groups that tend to have more difficulties in relationships within society and this situation is reflected in performance within the school environment.
For the specialist, it is important that the observation of cases of students who fail and have difficulty learning cannot be restricted to individual perceptions: “I think we need to broaden the analysis perspective. We need to look for explanations that cannot be restricted only to students’ personal characteristics, but need to think about the interactions and ways in which they are welcomed and what are the rules through which they go through school life”.
Transition and adaptation
For professor Fraulein de Paula, from the Institute of Psychology (IP) at USP, the expansion of primary education from eight to nine years, also established by Law No. 11,274, was not well established by school networks and even today, almost two decades later , presents complications. She highlights that one of the main difficulties students face in adapting is the transition from early childhood education to primary education, which is often carried out inappropriately.
According to the teacher, school networks have a major challenge in receiving children from early childhood education and presenting a new configuration of learning experience. Furthermore, according to her, many children do not get places in daycare centers and other children’s institutions, so elementary school ends up being their first school experience.
“The biggest challenge is to think about how this school will be able to offer this transition so that the child builds the ability to interact in a different way, to pay attention, to contain their movements. Perhaps it is important to create an environment more similar to that of early childhood education, with smaller tables, with more playful and less curricular activities. The challenge is in terms of emotional and social adaptation, of learning to interact in a different space, with different people and finding oneself there”, he explains.
Solutions
For Fraulein, factors external to the school will always exist and must be considered, therefore, it is essential that school networks offer resources for these conditions, with the aim of overcoming the individual problems of each student. “I believe that the most important thing is not what or who is to blame, but what can we do given such conditions, what can we offer despite these circumstances? We spend a lot of time looking for reasons for failure, dropout and repetition under conditions that are external to what is under the control of our school systems,” she elaborates.
The expert states that a fundamental role of the school in the formal educational process is to offer alternatives to gaps in students’ curricula and reinforces that, often, it is easier to deal with the problem when it is just beginning, as there are fewer variables involved and it decreases the chances of lag accumulation. “If the child doesn’t have a book at home, the school does. Nowadays, almost all schools have a library very well equipped with books, they have their own computer room, so, if the child doesn’t have one, the school will offer them”, he concludes.