Representações sociais de um grupo de professores da Rede Municipal de Cuiabá sobre as famílias de seus alunos (2001/2002)

Abstract

The research was developed in 2001/2002, in order to know the social representations of some teachers from the local county schools in Cuiabá, about the families of their students. The Theory of Social Representations of Serge Moscovici and Jean-Claude Abric’s cognitive-structural complementary theory were used as reference, which permitted to identify the content and the organization of the elements which formed the representations. The investigation of the family representation is relevant when its integration in the infant’s life and the educational context are comprehended, considering its importance in the social life building process. The teachers who share their experiences, reflections and social practise were chosen as objects in the research. The group was composed of three hundred and twenty-seven teachers, among six hundred professionals seventy-seven county schools in Cuiabá, that work with the first cycle, also known as primary school. For the data gathering were used observation, questionnaire to identify the objects chosen and the free association thecnique. To work with the data collected the software EVOC was used. The results indicate that the family participation is seen as positive in the educational process. The teachers seem to built their representations on two bases: a) in the family formation and its bound with the child; b) the relationship between the family and the school, highlighting the participative but the not estructured families as central points in their representations. Two family groups were found, one which has the positive aspects from the representations, participative, worried and helpful and the other, absent, not worried and not interrested, where the negative elements were identified.