Representações sociais de pedagogos sobre sua atuação na Educação Profissional e Tecnológica: um estudo de caso no Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais

Abstract

This dissertation, developed within the Graduate Program in Professional and Technological Education (ProfEPT) at the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais (IFMG) in the field of Education, is linked to the Research Line "Educational Practices in Professional and Technological Education (EPT)" and "Macro-project 3 – Educational Practices in the Integrated Curriculum." It investigates the social representations held by pedagogues—who hold the position of Technical-Administrative Staff in Education (TAE)—regarding their work in technical courses integrated with high school education. The general objective was to analyze the extent to which these representations guide their discourse concerning their practices in Professional and Technological Education (EPT). Specific objectives included characterizing the participants' profiles and career paths, examining their normative duties, mapping the constructed representations, and analyzing the meanings attributed to the practices they carry out. Methodologically, this was an applied qualitative study—structured as a case study—grounded in document analysis, sociocultural questionnaires (26 respondents), and semi-structured interviews (10 participants). Data analysis was conducted in light of the theoretical assumptions of Social Representations Theory (Jodelet, 2001, 2018; Moscovici, 1978, 2015), linked to the foundations of EPT and Bardin’s Content Analysis method (1977; 2016). The results indicate that social representations are formed through the interplay of professional training, prior experiences, length of service in EPT, official mandates, and daily interactions. A professional role marked by tensions became evident: on one hand, the pedagogues see themselves as mediating links that humanize educational processes and contribute to student retention and success; On the other hand, images such as "superpowers," "jack-of-all-trades," or "gap-fillers" express the breadth of demands, the lack of clearly defined roles, and the difficulties in having the specific nature of pedagogical work recognized. The results also highlight the importance of institutional working conditions, role clarity, and the recognition of pedagogical expertise in strengthening the work of these professionals. As an educational product, a theoretical-reflective guide was developed and evaluated for EPT pedagogical teams, aiming to support collective reflection on practices and contribute to strengthening pedagogical work. Regarding limitations, the research is confined to the institutional context of IFMG and the discursive nature of the analyzed corpus. The study concludes that strengthening the pedagogue's role requires institutional recognition, greater role clarity, and continuing education, all in dialogue with the principles of integral human development.