Are there different cultures of retention across Portuguese Regions? Evidence from public primary schools

• Author(s): Sousa, Diogo maria Silva e
• Date: 2017
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/22249
• Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
• Subject(s): Primary school; Grade retention; Culture of retention; Persistency analysis; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Sociais::Economia e Gestão
• Document Type: Master thesis
• Language: English
• Advisor(s): Nunes, Luís Catela
• Contributor(s): RUN

Description

One of the possible explanations for the high levels of grade retention in Portugal is a prevailing “culture retention” - the set of beliefs embedded in society regarding the benefits and costs of grade retention for pupils - that favours grade retention practice. This paper focuses on checking whether the culture of retention differs across Portuguese regions. This phenomenon can be identified if persistent differences on grade retention rates at the regional level are detected after controlling for grade retention rate determinants. The sample includes all the 4th-grade students enrolled in Portuguese public primary schools between 2007 and 2012. Results suggest that 4 out of 28 NUTS III2 regions have a regional-specific culture of retention.