Impactos do ensino remoto no aprendizado de estudantes brasileiros

Abstract

Formal education is a fundamental element in the formation of human capital, playing an important role in income determination and overcoming inequalities. In this context, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic imposed a major challenge to learning at a global level, by requiring the suspension of in-person activities in schools and the adoption of remote learning as an alternative. Thus, the objective of this dissertation is to evaluate the effect of the transition to remote learning, imposed by the pandemic, on the learning of Brazilian students in public schools, comparing students from 2019 and 2021. In addition, it seeks to understand how previous inequalities in the educational system may have modulated the effects of this transition, unequally affecting the quality and effectiveness of remote learning among different groups of students. To this end, data from tests and questionnaires from SAEB (Sistema Nacional de Avaliação da Educação Básica) were used, from which the effect of remote learning on the learning of Brazilian students was estimated through Propensity Score Matching. This method allows for the pairing of students with similar characteristics, ensuring a more accurate comparison between the groups analyzed. A considerable loss of learning was found among students in 2021 (post-remote learning), when compared to students in 2019 (pre-remote learning). Evidence was also found that educational and social inequalities that existed before the pandemic played a relevant role in increasing the loss of learning.