Percursos e percalços entre a formação e o ser professor de física: motivações para a prática pedagógica

Abstract

The education of physics teachers is surrounded by the problem of high dropout rates. There is a high shortage of physics teachers working in public schools, one of the reasons being a lack of interest in remaining in a teaching career. Teachers' working conditions present adverse scenarios: violence at school, disregard for teachers' physical and mental health, few resources and support. Being a physics teacher involves numerous challenges, ranging from professional practice to public policies and social relations. With this in mind, the aim of this research is to identify which motivational elements can contribute to physics teachers graduating from UFU becoming engaged in the teaching profession. Studying motivation means analyzing what makes people take certain actions to achieve their goals. In order to understand the aspects that contribute to teacher motivation, the Self-Determination Theory and the Self-Efficacy Theory were brought to support the research. The participants in this research were teachers who had graduated from the Physics degree course at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Santa Mônica campus, and who work in basic education. The corpus consisted of two stages: a questionnaire and an interview, both applied remotely. The data was analyzed using Textual Discourse Analysis. The categories were drawn up a posteriori based on the conceptual structure defined for the research and the data collected. From the analysis, it emerged that the interest in physics has a tangential effect on staying on the course,which allows them to experience activities that involve teaching practice and reflections that are pertinent to building solid training in the knowledge needed to practice the profession. Some external motives also guide their intentions as undergraduates, such as the search for financial independence. The biggest complaint about initial training is how pedagogical knowledge was developed during the course by the teacher educators. The figure of the teacher educator influences not only becoming a teacher, but also their professional attitude, so their actions must take into account what is expected of the future teacher. It is considered that experiences during undergraduate studies are relevant to identifying with the profession and regulating the motivation for choosing to work as a teacher. The majority of teachers show that they remain engaged to some degree. This permanence is mediated by environmental factors, which support the need for autonomy, competence and belonging. The importance of satisfying the need to belong for emotionally engaged behavior was identified. Despite this, it is noted that the work structure of the Minas Gerais state school system leads teachers have the desire to work at other levels of education or federal institutes. They also show that, even though they enjoy their work as teachers, the stresses can make them look for other ways to maintain a proper life for themselves and their families.