The purpose of this study was to assess the evaluative culture at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), based on the social representations of administrators as well as technical and administrative faculty of the academic units on the campus of Fortaleza which participated in the cycle of Institutional Evaluation 2005/2006. We used as subjects for this research the nine administrators who integrate these academic units and a sample of thirty-six technical and administrative staff, four in each unit. Due to the specificity of this exploratory and descriptive study, we used the inductive method, which allowed us to analyze from the individual to the general, that is, to infer about the specific representations of each subject to the reality of the UFC. As the most appropriate tool for field research, we used the previously structured questionnaire. We asked about SINAES and the evaluation policy, as well as internal community participation in the process of Institutional self-evaluation of UFC. In considering the representations of each segment, we found that they have a specific character, not because they are subjective, but by the social dynamics of the conditions in which they are produced and reproduced. Representations of the administrators as well as of the technical and administrative staff have specificities concerning social inclusion and interests which are inherent to each segment.
Educational Evaluation; Higher Education; SINAES; Social Representation; Evaluative culture
