Family resources and cognitive performance by primary school students in Brazil

• Main Authors: José Francisco Soares, Ana Cristina Murta Collares
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro 2007-01-01
• Series: Dados: Revista de Ciências Sociais
• Subjects: Sistema Nacional de Avaliação do Ensino Básico - Saeb; résultats scolaires; effet de la famille; effet de l'école
• Online Access: http://socialsciences.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0011-52582007000100006&lng=en&tlng=en

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.