Learning Deliberative Capacities in Brazilian Schools

Abstract

What are the impacts of teaching deliberation on students’ attitudes in practical discussions? This study presents research findings from a field experiment involving more than 500 students from five public schools in the Brazilian cities of Belo Horizonte and Belém. We found a small effect of deliberative training on students’ justifications of their views and telling personal stories. However, much larger effects emerged when data were analysed separately by schools’ socioeconomic contexts, suggesting that middleclass students benefited more from training than disadvantaged students. Respect did not vary between groups and school contexts. Overall participation in discussion increased, and the effect was significantly greater in treatment groups, with positive inclusion of female students. The results support the view that learning deliberation is not a unidimensional process, but a complex combination of different components, and some capacities are more easily achieved than others.