COMPREENSÃO IDENTITÁRIA PROFISSIONAL DE PROFESSORES DO ENSINO MÉDIO EM ESCOLAS ESTADUAIS DO MUNICÍPIO DE CORUMBÁ-MS

Abstract

This research seeks to investigate the understanding of high school teachers, from state schools in the municipality of Corumbá-MS, regarding their professional teaching identity. The research is justified, above all, by the connection between daily school practices and the recent curricular reforms of High School. From a methodological point of view, a qualitative research was carried out, in which 20 teachers who work in high school from state schools participated, through a semi-structured interview. The results were systematized and analyzed using the Content Analysis technique. The teachers' responses generated different categories, revealing their isolated understanding of what is teacher identity. In other words, they highlighted aspects that influence the process of building professional identity, such as personal awareness (regarding what they think it is), the relationship with the work environment, professional profile and professional performance (practices, knowledge and experiences). The passion for the profession was also an important factor for their identification with the profession, as well as their relationship with high school students, which from the teacher's perspective, contributes to job satisfaction. On the other hand, there were also cases in which teachers did not feel identified with this stage of teaching, especially due to the discrepancy in the students’ learning. In addition, they listed numerous challenges faced during their practices in high school, resulting from the negative impacts caused by the pandemic and the reform of this stage of education, such as the reduction of workload dedicated to essential disciplines and adjustments made to legal documents related to the job practice. The teachers’ perceptions related to the difference between the teaching profession and others include devaluation, work overload and lack of respect by the society. Despite many adversities, the vast majority of teachers did not consider seeking another profession, which can be attributed to the experiences they had. Thus, it is expected to be able to contribute to the initial and continuing training of teachers, because the understanding of teacher identity is fundamental to their professional development.

Keywords: High School. Teacher identity. Curriculum reforms.