Time at school
Concern about the study of school hours has taken on a new dimension with the debate surrounding international assessments, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the results they have revealed. By revealing major differences in the performance achieved by students in the countries concerned, these publications have highlighted the need to understand which factors related to education systems and schools are decisive in determining this diversity, placing the emphasis on comparative studies.
Teaching time is thus among the variables indicated as possibly having some weight on the different results found in international assessments. This study by Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos therefore seeks to understand the Portuguese reality with regard to this variable, looking at issues such as:
- How much time Portuguese students spend in school
- The workload of each of the different subject areas taught in Portugal
- How school hours in Portugal have changed
- How the Portuguese reality compares to that of other countries, not only in terms of the workload in general, but also in terms of the teaching time for the different subject areas.
