DOCÊNCIA E GÊNERO NA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL: O QUE PENSAM AS CRIANÇAS DA REDE PÚBLICA DE ENSINO SOBRE TER UM PROFESSOR HOMEM

Abstract

This thesis is linked to the research line Formative Processes, Educational Practices, Differences and to the Study and Research Group on Development, Gender and Education (GEPDGE). It is known that the process of inclusion and acceptance of these professionals is complicated due to different social, political, and economic factors; therefore, the following question is posed: What do children attending early childhood education institutions think about having a male teacher? Thus, this doctoral research aims to understand, through a Historical-Cultural perspective, what children in early childhood education think about having a male teacher. The methodology used in this work is qualitative and descriptive in nature. Initially, a bibliography review was conducted on the researched topic, focusing on theses and dissertations published in recent years. This search is justified precisely to find the originality required for a doctoral work. As a theoretical framework, the Historical-Cultural Theory was chosen to understand the constitution of the human being and the meanings attributed by children when they have contact with a male teacher. For the collection of empirical data, the institution, which had a male teacher in early childhood education, was indicated by the Municipal Education Department of Praia Grande, SP, where the research was conducted. After contacting the institution and the children's families, an observation process was carried out so that the students could become accustomed to the researcher's presence. Subsequently, group interviews were conducted with the children, following the playful narrative methodology. The data were organized and analyzed through the formation of meaning nuclei. The research used observation, a logbook, and interviews with children as instruments for collecting empirical data. The results show that play constitutes a mediator of learning. The children narrated their perspectives on the importance of play as an activity for appropriating social roles. It was found that they do not feel any kind of prejudice regarding male teaching, but that they like it and feel represented by it. Thus, this thesis understands that the fragility of basic education and the superficiality we see taking hold in teacher training are created through a culture lacking theoretical foundations for the teacher's work and the absence of solid training to guide teaching practice. The study confirms the thesis defended in this work that the teacher can be a figure of reference, from the point of view that, upon perceiving their presence in early childhood education, many children are surprised by the presence of so many women and only one man, but this surprise is not related to gender, since the children are puzzled by the reason for the scarcity of men because they do not yet understand the extent of men's exclusion from the first stage of basic education.