For persons age 3 and over
37. What is the highest level of school [the respondent] has attended: Preschool, primary/basic, secondary/high school, university?
[] 1 Preschool (skip to question 42)
[] 2 Primary/elementary
[] 3 Secondary/high school
[] 4 University or higher (skip to question 39)
38. What is the last level of school [the respondent] has completed?
Last year completed _ (skip to question 42)
Question 37. What is the highest level of school [the respondent] has attended: preschool, primary/basic, secondary/high school, university?
The level of education refers to, "each stage of the educational system that is determined by the cognitive, emotional, and physical development of students as well as their social needs" (Art. 31, Section (a), of the Law of General Education 66-97, of the Dominican Republic). This question is aimed inasmuch as people who currently attend an academic institution as those who attended in the past.
Chart 1 shows the structure of the education system in the Dominican Republic, exhibiting the years of study, according to the level:
Preschool or Early Childhood Learning- Three years long
- Early Childhood Learning is the first level of education and occurs before Basic or Primary Education is set up with the family and community. It targets the population of infants and young children 5 years of age or less. The final year is obligatory for children who are 5 years old.
Primary or Basic Level if Education- Eight years long
- The first set, that lasts 4 years, includes grades 1st through 4th. This level usually begins when the child is 6 years old, and never younger than 5 years old.
- The second set, lasts four years and includes 5th through 8th grade.
Secondary or High School- Four years long
- The first set of grades in Secondary school is the same for all students.
- The second set of Secondary or preparatory set is made up of three areas: General, Technical/Professional, and the Arts, in which students who complete it, will receive a diploma or degree in the area studied.
College or University- Approximately five years long
- Universities consist of departments offering majors or "careers" that generally take between 3 and 5 years to complete depending on the specific course of study. The exception is medicine, which can take up to 7 years to complete.
- In order to record the year in school as given by the informant, be aware that: 2 semesters equal one year, 3 trimesters equal one year, and 4 quarters are equivalent to one year.
Postgraduate Studies- Approximately five years long
- This level of studies corresponds to the specific degree obtained by the student during their university studies, and the degree levels are called Master's, or Doctorate. Typically, a Master's degree takes about 2 years to complete, and the Doctorate is the next degree level obtained immediately following the Master's and generally takes 2 more years to complete.
Question 38. What is the highest level of education [the respondent] has completed?
This question inquires about the last year of school completed by the person being surveyed in the highest level of education that he/she is studying or has studied. It is important to remember that this means the actual years of school completed, therefore the level he/she is currently attending or any incomplete levels he/she attended do not count.
Record in the corresponding boxes the last level of school the person completed and then skip to question 42.
In order to illustrate how to record the last level of school [the respondent] has completed, see the following examples:
Example 1: If the interviewee was in the first level of secondary or high school, but did not completed it, then in question 37 you should record code 3 and in question 38 you should record 0.
Example 2: If the interviewee completed the third level of secondary or high school, but continued studying, then in question 37 record code 3 and then in question 38 you should record 3.
Example 3: If the interviewee is currently in second grade of primary or basic school, then in question 37 you should record code 2 and then in question 38 you should record 1.
Example 4: If the interviewee states that the person being surveyed is in first level of primary or basic school, then in question 37 you should record code 2 and then in question 38 you should record 0.
Example 5: If the interviewee states that the person being surveyed is currently in the first level of secondary or high school, then in question 37 you should record code 3 and in question 38 you should record 0.