Scientific evidence demonstrates the importance of intentional social and emotional development for students’ life and learning. This project aims to provide support to Instituto Ayrton Senna (Ayrton Senna Institute) for the execution of the OECD’s “Survey on Social and Emotional Skills” (SSES) in two Brazilian states: Rio Grande do Sul and Para. SSES is an international large-scale assessment, which investigates SES of 10- and 15-year-old students from different countries.

The first round of the SSES took place in 2018-2020 in ten cities around the world, with a second round completed in 2023 across sixteen sites.The third phase of the survey will take place in 2025, 2026 and 2027 across fifteen sites worldwide, including Brazil. The survey is a collaborative process between the OECD Secretariat and national entities such as Instituto Ayrton Senna. This international effort provides a unique opportunity to collect and analyse longitudinal data related to character and socio-emotional skills, thus paving the way for the development of targeted interventions.

The objectives of the survey are (1) understand how the students’ SES are developing; (2) to check factors in students’ homes, schools and community environments that promote or delay the development of SES; (3) to understand how SES contribute to life outcomes (such as wellbeing, health, academic success, etc.); and (4) to identify the skills or combinations that are most related to positive life outcomes and seeking intentional development. 

This research seeks to strengthen the socio-emotional agenda in Brazil, bridging research and educational policy to make the latter increasingly evidence-based. The project also aims to help verify whether educational objectives are being met and gauge the extent to which students are supported in their comprehensive development.