Perspetivas sobre os caminhos do (in)sucesso escolar

Abstract

Education in the 21st century faces numerous challenges, one of which is School Failure. It seems like a simple concept, but there are actually several definitions. The (In)Success of students is evaluated, mainly, in a quantitative way. However, is it fair to analyze students' abilities through tests/examinations, which may even "have gone wrong at that moment", due to circumstances beyond cognitive aspects? School Failure is, in fact, a challenge for which they will hardly find solutions applicable to all schools, as these guidelines do not contemplate the diversity of learning styles, the different motivations, socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of students, or even the emotions of students. At this juncture, the scientific community, educational institutions and their educational agents, as well as the political system, are also added. These are, in fact, the agents who discuss and promote the resolution of this problem. In the 21st century, given the multiplicity of available resources, namely technological ones, the School Failure Rate, although declining, remains high. In fact, the School Failure Rate in Portugal has been falling since the 80s of the last century, but it remains excessive, which is why it is important that the problem is well analyzed. For example, we have too much failure when we compare the Portuguese situation with that in the Nordic countries. This situation led us to reflect on the factors that condition (In) School Success and the intervening agents, questioning whether a possible weak scientific and pedagogical preparation of the teachers will be prevalent, or, on the contrary, if the socioeconomic and cultural status of the students stands out. On the other hand, will the interference associated with the profile of students and their parents predominate? It is therefore necessary to evaluate the responsibility of School Failure by addressing the different interveners, since, unquestionably, there is a disconnect between all agents involved in the teaching-learning process. To try to address these issues, we opted for a work methodology that was based on the application of a questionnaire survey in order to understand the different variables that are at the base of school failure, continued by a second survey through which we questioned students about their Life Project, but connecting these school results with those obtained throughout the school year in question.