Recursos familiares e o desempenho cognitivo dos alunos do ensino básico brasileiro

Abstract

This article discusses the processes by which family structure affects students' cognitive performance in Brazilian schools. The article's basic premise is that family influence is not a uni-dimensional construct, and the study thus uses four dimensions to capture such influence. The effects of these factors on students' performance are measured through a school attainment analysis model. The data are compatible with a model in which the parents' involvement acts as a mediating factor for the action of cultural resources, which in turn depend on economic resources, which have only indirect effects on students' cognitive performance in primary school.