Entre a escola e o Instituto Federal: um estudo de caso sobre visitas guiadas como estratégia de inclusão educacional no Barreiro

Abstract

This research investigated the socio-spatial relationship between the future campus of the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais (IFMG), to be established in the Barreiro region, and the Municipal School CIAC Lucas Monteiro Machado, located in Vila Pinho, a peripheral and low-income community. The analysis was grounded in the understanding of geographical spatiality as a phenomenon composed of multiple dimensions – space, time, scale, processes, and method – recognizing space not merely as a setting, but as an active element in the production and reproduction of social inequalities. Historically, the formation of the urban space of Belo Horizonte has promoted the exclusion of poor and Black populations from the central areas of the city, while the Barreiro region, one of the oldest in the capital, was initially designated for agricultural supply and remained for a long period on the margins of the distribution of public facilities. Within this context, the municipal elementary school and the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais, both resulting from social demands, constitute the locus of this investigation. The study aimed to analyze whether conducting a guided visit to the IFMG campus could stimulate the interest of elementary school students in enrolling in technical and vocational education, thereby contributing to the democratization of access to quality public education and to the reduction of social inequalities. The methodology adopted combined quantitative and qualitative approaches. Questionnaires were administered via the Google Forms platform to 8th- and 9th-grade students from the Municipal School CIAC Lucas Monteiro Machado, including both those who participated in the guided visit and those who did not, allowing for comparative analysis between the groups. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with community leaders and long-term residents of the region. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics through Excel spreadsheets, while qualitative data were interpreted through content analysis, enabling the categorization and understanding of the meanings attributed by participants to the presence of the new IFMG campus in the territory. The establishment of the unit in Barreiro was part of the federal policy to expand the network of federal institutes and represented a significant achievement for the local community, which has historically been mobilized in struggles for social rights. Located approximately 5.5 km from the future campus, the Municipal School CIAC Lucas Monteiro Machado proved to be a strategic point for promoting the educational inclusion of young people residing in peripheral areas. The results highlighted the potential of guided visits as a pedagogical strategy capable of bringing the school territory closer to the technical training opportunities offered by the federal education network. The initiative contributed to expanding students’ knowledge about IFMG and to fostering interest in continuing their studies in technical education, strengthening the bond between the institution and the local community and broadening access to the cultural capital necessary to overcome conditions of social vulnerability.