As salas/classes multisseriadas nas escolas do campo: desafios, possibilidades e oportunidades educacionais

Abstract

This research aimed to conduct a robust study of multi-grade classrooms in Lima Duarte, a small municipality in Minas Gerais. More specifically, the thesis is part of the project "Multigrade Classes and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood Education: Effects and Processes," developed by the Educational Opportunities Research Laboratory (LAPOPE), which is funded by FAPERJ (Cientista do Nosso Estado - 2022). The questions guiding the study are: What are the effects of multi-grade classes on children's cognitive development at the beginning of compulsory schooling in rural areas? What processes explain the observed effects, considering: school location, type of organization (serial or multi-grade), and use of school transportation? To answer these questions, we used three methodological strategies. The first consists of a systematic review that aimed to investigate the first question: what is the impact of multi-grade classes in rural contexts on children's cognitive development at the beginning of schooling? However, the Systematic Review revealed a lack of studies with robust designs for making causal inferences about multi-grade classes. Furthermore, there is no consensus among the six articles found regarding the effects of multi-grade classes. The second strategy, which involved documentary research and interviews with some of the families of the participating children, as well as with former municipal and state employees of the municipality under study, aimed to better understand the context of school closures in Lima Duarte. This investigation demonstrated that school transportation logistics were not planned along with the compulsory closure of rural schools, becoming, to this day, a major problem for public administration and a torment for families whose children depend on this transportation. The third strategy involved a study with a longitudinal design and multivariate analyses to understand the effects of multi-grade classes and the use of school transportation by children living in rural areas on the cognitive development of children attending preschool and first grade (ages 5 and 6) in the public school system of this municipality. To conduct these analyses, we collected data at the beginning and end of the 2022 school year, assessing the cognitive development of a sample of approximately 200 children using an adaptation of the PIPS (Performance Indicators in Primary School) instrument. Furthermore, the analyses included contextual data from families and schools, collected through questionnaires administered to parents, teachers, and principals of the participating schools. The analyses suggest that children enrolled in rural schools and/or in multi-grade classrooms have similar or superior cognitive development to children enrolled in urban schools. The results do not support arguments for closing rural schools based on the idea that children's development is harmed in this context.