O efeito escola, o efeito aluno e o efeito sócio-económico no âmbito da análise de desempenho aos estabelecimentos de ensino secundário portugueses

Abstract

We hope that this thesis, written for the Masters Degree in Economics, contributes to the performance appraisal of the Portuguese secondary schools. It deals with the Portuguese education system analyzing it within the framework of the OECD countries. Special attention is dedicated to the accomplishment of students in mathematics, bearing in mind that the same methods could be used for any other area of academic study that requires an examination at national level. Answering a recurrent question in the economic literature dedicated to this theme (do schools make a difference?), our aim is to demonstrate that, in the Portuguese context, indeed schools are different, and it is justifiable to state that schools can make a difference. In order to determine the exact measure of the school effect, the empirical study undertaken includes in the analysis the impact of other factors, which, similarly to those regarding schools, may influence the performance of students. More specifically, we try to account for the student effect (which measures the contribution that the specific characteristics of a given student may have in his/her performance, namely inbred capacities) as well as the effect of external factors related with the social economic environment. It will become clear that not taking these factors, and eventually others, in due account (as it is the case with some studies that we quote) may distort conclusions, which under or over evaluate the school effect, by attributing to the school, in the evaluation of its students’ performance, the effect of other factors which are alien to the school. It is our understanding that the practice of performance appraisal of schools (in particular as far as their contribution to students’ learning capabilities is concerned) should not be seen as an end in itself, but rather as an instrument to foster their understanding on how to add more value to their students.

Date of Award	2008
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria Silva (Supervisor)