Social representations of being a teacher for finishing high school students

Abstract

In this article identifies the social representations of being a teacher constructed by students who have completed high school. We adopted the Theory of Social Representations as a reference. We conducted an (online) survey with 90 students from public and private schools located in Recife and other cities in Pernambuco. We used a questionnaire that was answered through Google Forms. The results indicated that, for students from public schools, the teacher is represented as a professional who, in addition to teaching, encourages academic development and establishes affective relationships with students. Similarly, students enrolled in private schools reveal social representations of the teacher as a subject who teaches and interacts with their students at school. As variations in the social representations of the group investigated, we found that students from private schools emphasize the importance of the teacher for the training of other professionals and the social devaluation of this category. In turn, students from public schools revealed stronger bonds of friendship and companionship with teachers who, for them, are sources of inspiration. We also found that the precariousness of teaching has contributed to keeping young people from wanting to become teachers. The research findings suggest the development of more incisive public policies that honor and encourage the teaching profession.