Constructs Measured by the 2002 School Census – Primary Education

Abstract

The School Census, source of yearly information about establishments of primary education, collected data related to 172,508 schools of primary education in 2002. The present study has the following objectives: (1) to identify factors that represent characteristics of primary education schools and (2) compare the Brazilian states in relation to these factors. Principal Component Analysis indicated the existence of four factors with reliability coefficients varying between 0.70 and 0.95: (1) school and technological infrastructure; (2) basic and quality of alimentary infrastructure; and (3) favorable teaching conditions. Comparative analysis revealed that primary education schools in the Distrito Federal and São Paulo have better teaching conditions and better technological infrastructure. This study allows the conclusion that the secondary education schools of the Distrito Federal and São Paulo are best equipped to offer quality teaching.