The transition from primary to secondary school: An exploratory study in Brazil

Abstract

The universality of secondary school, the last stage of basic, compulsory and free education, is underway in Brazil. However, one of the difficulties has been to ensure the continuous progression of incoming students. With the aim of analyzing the quality of the transition of students from primary to secondary school, we studied a public school located in Porto Alegre. In line with the theoretical references on transitions, we triangulated quantitative and qualitative data on the Brazilian assessment system as well as data from the analysis of student responses to a structured questionnaire. The main results indicate that the majority of students have made the transition to secondary school from the same school where they received primary education. More than half of respondents indicated that they will complete basic education within the appropriate age ranges and have made improvements in their schoolwork. The data allow us to conclude that, in the context studied, motivation was a decisive factor in good academic achievement and remaining in school until the last year of basic education.