Institutionalization of teacher education: analysis of a professional development program

Abstract

Based on the discussed literature, this study has the main goal of analyzing the institutionalization of a professional development program in a Brazilian public university. It aims at identifying the level of the program’s consolidation and also the opinion that participant teachers have about it. The methodology applied was qualitative research. Document analysis and structured survey were also applied to raise data from teachers participating in the program. The theoretical referential is underpinned by university pedagogy studies, in particular, those by Cunha, Masetto, Morgado. It was possible to infer that the institutional documents analyzed reinforce the image of the teacher training program as a mere legal formality in the path for approval in the supervised traineeship and, as such, a program aimed at newcomers only. The study also demonstrates an increasing interest in issues related to practical and/or bureaucratic aspects of teaching (use of academic systems, legal procedures) over the specific knowledge related to teaching practice. However, the experience analyzed portrays a fairly new program, with no more than ten years. Considering the changes the program has already been through, there is the interest to improve the pedagogical training program and the teacher’s professional development program.