A educação no Instituto Federal de Rondônia: visando à reprodução ou à transformação social?

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing the guidelines and social, educational, pedagogic and political functions of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rondônia (IFRO), Campus Porto Velho Calama, from the opinion of teachers and students in the attempt to comprehend to what extent those guidelines and functions determine the social reproduction or transformation character. In order to do so, this objective unfolded into analysis of education function, showing the ideal of human being the Institution intends to form; investigation of the relation between what was planned and what was carried out and; last, description of level of teacher and student satisfaction. Questions of cultural and economic privilege of wealthier classes, compared to the less favored ones, were inevitable, concerning the approach focus – conservative educational model versus transformative perspective. This is a qualitative research with bibliographic study, collection and interpretation of focus groups data and applying of questionnaires to four teachers and twenty students from the third year of high school (technical teaching integrated to high school). Data collected showed that students thought that the Institution has to qualify technicians for the work market, while the teachers understand that the Institution has to qualify students not only technically but also intellectually. The answers obtained from the questionnaires allowed us to identify three different perspectives on educational work developed at IFRO: 1) non-fulfillment of the technical qualification function and of the general culture qualification, both necessary to the continuation of studies; 2) personal citizenship formation for the work market and for the academic follow-up; 3) technical qualification for work in companies and industries. The subjects of this research pointed out institutional problems of pedagogic, political and structural order, which affected the teaching and learning process. When it comes to pedagogical practices, the teachers transited between traditional and historic-critical tendencies. The teachers of this research, although trying to practice a transformative education, recognized the Institution as highly conservative. The revealed themselves as conscious of the fact that they might not be educating in the social transformation perspective. Thus, they were partially satisfied with the results of their work. On the other hand, the students believed they were going by the process of transformative education. Nevertheless, in their opinion there was the need of enhancement, once the institutional potential exists; however, according to them, political will lacks. The conclusion of this study pointed to a definition of IFRO, Campus Porto Velho Calama, as a conservative institution, with isolated attempts to practice transformative education, what, in this case, can be described as a place of political and ideological dispute.