Formação profissional no ensino superior: representações sociais de docentes bacharéis das áreas de Ciências Humanas e Sociais

Abstract

This research aims to analyze, through social representations, how higher education professors in the Humanities and Social Sciences understand and construct their training for teaching in higher education. To pursue the central purpose of this study with greater clarity, three specific objectives were outlined: (i) to verify, from the professors' perspective, how the training process for teaching in higher education has occurred; (ii) to identify which studies are developed by professors concerning the pedagogical practices applied in the classroom; (iii) to examine the trajectory experienced by professors upon entering higher education and its implications for their teaching practices.To guide the research and define the objectives, we formulated the following question: "What do the social representations of higher education professors reveal about their training for teaching?" The path to obtaining oral reports begins with interviews conducted in a field study focused on understanding professors' social representations regarding the training process for teaching in higher education. Data collection was carried out in public and private institutions in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, through interviews with professors. The interviews began in an open, in-depth format, using the thematic life story as an instrument. This methodological trajectory enabled the organization of an oral and written corpus composed of professors narratives.The theoretical foundation of this study is based on the Theory of Social Representations (TSR), developed by the social psychologist Serge Moscovici. For the analysis of the data collected in the interviews, we relied on Content Analysis, as proposed by Laurence Bardin (1977).The results revealed a gap in the training process of higher education professors in Brazil. Although professors have solid technical training in their respective fields of expertise, their social representations indicate that their preparation for teaching is still considered insufficient. Another important aspect identified in the research was the difficulty of accessing continuing education programs that align with the real challenges faced in higher education, in addition to highlighting the most recurrent challenges encountered in their teaching practices.Regarding pedagogical development, professors reported undergoing a self-taught training process due to the limited availability of pedagogical training programs, combined with an overwhelmingly theoretical approach. Despite these challenges, the social representations of professors regarding teaching were found to be positive, as they perceive the profession as meaningful and essential.