Atitude de estudar como prática social no ambiente universitário: realidade empírica e concreta de graduandos

Abstract

This thesis presents a research that inquired the social practice of studying in the university and the student attitude of studying in the university, where student activities develop no only in a systematized learning process but also in accordance with didactic-pedagogical work. The research focused on the experience of Uberlândia Federal University’s undergraduates whose academic situation showed poor student performance, partial and total ceasing of enrollment, and abandoned. This situation makes up what is called academic risk in the thesis. The research’s starting point is three questions: what does characterize the student’s attitude towards studying at university and its interrelations with success or academic risk? What can limit academic performance of undergraduates after assessing their university reality? What considerations do students make of their student work after participating in a reflective educational guidance? Answering these questions demanded to establish the following research aims: analyzing the empirical and concrete reality of being a university student; mapping attitudes of studying at a university; understanding social, economic, emotional, pedagogical, didactic and institutional factors present in student life that limit a satisfactory performance; understanding the process of self-evaluation as to perceiving, unveiling and transforming student work through reflexive guidance. To fulfill these aims, participatory action research has proved to be a more viable option. Following quantitative and qualitative approach (the mixed design) and dialectical materialism methodological perspective, the action research was as a pedagogical workshop to advise undergraduates in the process of inquiring and understanding their social and educational reality. The analysis considers data obtained through questionnaire, semi structured interview, participant observation, field diary and student written records. Quantitative analysis relied on descriptive and inferential statistics to speculate the informants’ critical perception on the attitude of studying. The qualitative analysis relied mainly on the interviews to try to capture the subjective dimension of how student apprehends the university reality. From the analyzes derived inferences about the student perception about studying, learning and research in the university as well as on being a university student e on difficulties interfering in academic performance and student action to restrict the negative academic situation. Inferences allowed characterizing the Uberlândia Federal University’s undergraduates attitude towards studying: factors present in the student life that limit the academic activity; considerations on student work and on becoming more aware of themselves and of academic studies’ time and space in order to surpass limiting attitudes and achieve a fully meaningful education. The research has created conditions to comprehend, affirm and defend the thesis that the absence of a reflexive orientation about the university´s reality can limit the student´s self-evaluation about the circunstances wich affects negatively his academic and personal life. The research allows to realize objectively and subjectively the student´s attitudes of being and experiencing the university´s space. This possibility materialized in results of the pedagogical workshop. Some students managed to change their social and educational reality by changing their student’s and university life’s practices. Keywords: university reality; attitude towards studying; student activity.