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First Impressions of the Reorganisation of the School Network in Portugal
Author(s) -
PINTO FERREIRA JORGE MIGUEL FONSECA
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
european journal of education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1465-3435
pISSN - 0141-8211
DOI - 10.1111/j.1465-3435.2009.01404.x
Subject(s) - situated , exploratory research , closure (psychology) , rural area , pedagogy , work (physics) , administration (probate law) , sociology , psychology , mathematics education , political science , social science , law , mechanical engineering , artificial intelligence , computer science , engineering
The aim of this study is to provide a retrospective on the reorganisation of the school network in Portugal between 2005 and 2007. Underlying measures predicted the closure of approximately 2000 primary schools, mainly situated in rural areas. This is a current topic of considerable controversy considering the reform which is being implemented and the fact that relatively little work has been carried out in this area. The research comes from an exploratory study which took place between February and November 2007. The conclusions were presented at the Congress of Childhood Studies (2008). The case involved 20 primary school teachers from 12 schools located in rural areas. The main results show clear differences between what the central administration and teachers are saying. Teachers question improvements to the quality of teaching, since no changes were found in teaching‐learning conditions.