Economic Crisis Incidence on Primary School Pupils. Teachers Perceptions

Abstract

This paper shows the main findings of a study developed in a state school on the influence of the economic crisis in primary education students. The alarming data that several agencies reports are publishing about the increase of poverty in Spain, led us to question how is the economic crisis really affecting girls and boys. There are still few studies about the particular and specific consequences of the crisis in children at school. We have selected a state school in a little village with a low economic growth, in order to explore the impact of the economic crisis in pupils. We have explored teachers’ opinions and conceptions about this topic through semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data analysis has revealed several interesting dimensions. The situation experienced today by many families is having repercussions on students in various aspects: food, hygiene, clothing, school material, academic results, mood and and/or behavior in the classroom. However, sometimes, teachers emphasize that these problems are not a direct cause of the family economic situation, but of their educational principles.