Possibilidades formativas no Programa de Educação Tutorial (PET): experiências do Grupo PET Medicina da UFTM

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the formative processes within the Tutorial Education Program (PET). Considering that content-based and utilitarian models of education have gained strength in higher education, we raise the following questions: what are the particularities of the Tutorial Education Program, a public policy that is not widely known, yet has remained active for decades? And what formative practices shape the PET Medicine group, the oldest PET group at UFTM? The general objective of this research was to LiveWITH the PET Medicine group at UFTM, aiming to understand their formative practices through their daily routines. The specific objectives were: to experience immersion in the PET Medicine group by getting to know it through its everyday practices, and to understand the formative aspects that emerge from its daily life. This is an ethnographic case study carried out between August 2023 and December 2024. The theoretical framework allowed us to explore the history of the Tutorial Education Program (Brasil, 2006; Castro, 2005; Martins, 2007; Muller, 2003; Melo Filho, 2019), to broaden our understanding of university models in the West (Maciel, 2017; Castanho, 2002), and to find guiding elements for integral human formation (Pereira, 2007; Goergen, 2010), all of which were fundamental for the development of this thesis. For data collection, we used document analysis, participant observation, and field diary. The data are presented through formative episodes. Each episode illustrates an activity developed by the PET Medicine group at UFTM. Through the narration of these experiences, we established dialogues with authors who discuss formative aspects that emerged from the group's practices (Hargreaves, 2000; Castanho & Amorim, 2008; Napolitano, 2009; Gallian, 2017; Bolsoni-Silva et al., 2010; Silva, 2018; Peres & Andrade, 2005; Rios & Caputo, 2019; Freire, 1997; Perrenoud, 1995; among others). The episodes describe moments that brought to light the importance of collaborative work, autonomy in carrying out activities, resilience in the face of difficulties, respect for the group’s diversity, and sensitivity toward complex human issues. Together, these experiences demanded ethical, critical, and reflective positioning, while also revealing the group's uniqueness. By mobilizing interpersonal, social, reflective, personal, and cultural dimensions, these experiences strengthen the PET students' formation. Our thesis is that "The daily life within PET Medicine at UFTM offers an experience that fosters both human and professional development for its participants." Based on the findings, we affirm that the daily practices of PET Medicine at UFTM align with a perspective of integral human formation. This thesis is part of the research line Fundamentals and Educational Practices of the Graduate Program inEducation at the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM). It is also integrated into the research project Higher Education and Basic Education: in a collaborative network – Teacher Education in Focus, funded by the Minas Gerais State Research Support Foundation (FAPEMIG), and developed by the Study and Research Group on Education and Culture (GEPEDUC), in collaboration with the Research Network on the Teaching Profession (REPPOD).