Família e educação: olhares de crianças de escola pública

Abstract

In the contemporary social and family context, children have undertaken the protagonist role, and, to listen to them, has been somewhat novel. It is in this line that the present study has been undertaken, with a general objective to understand the concepts of family and education of Salvador Public School children between ages of seven and eleven. Of the 200 students enrolled in grades one to four in this school, a meaningful sample, or be it, 30% (60 children) were randomly chosen to participate in this survey. A semi-structured routine of interviews with the children in the school setting was used as a data collecting instrument. A second type of routine was used on those responsible for the children, informing the data gleaned from the children. They also signed a Term of Free and Enlightened Consent, authorizing taping the interviews. The tapes were transcribed and the data utilized in a quantative-interpretative form, using a category system. The results reveal the concept of family as a legal definition (who pertains to it), as a group of persons living together, having affectionate links. The father is seen as family caring, the mother as educator and the affective presence, siblings those with whom one plays, the grandparents as care-takers. Education is perceived as learning proper behavior, and respect for one another. The children claim to learn elements relative to education, studies, reading and writing in the family. Regarding the school situation, aside from study, reading and writing, they confirm learning the rules of living together. Finally the participants consider that the school situation is more present in family conversation than in actual school conversations. In this sense, the outlook of the children seems to indicate that families value the school very much, but the actual school, even though perceiving its importance for the development of the children, does not discuss its own importance with its students.