Mathematics recent graduates who are no longer teachers: reflections on teaching condition and profession

Souto, Romélia Mara Alves

doi:10.1590/S1517-9702201608144401

Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Brasil

Español English

sumário « anterior atual seguinte »

Sumário

Articles • Educ. Pesqui. 42 (04) • Oct-Dec 2016 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-9702201608144401 copy

Mathematics recent graduates who are no longer teachers: reflections on teaching condition and profession

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study about Mathematics recent graduates from the Federal University of São João del-Rei, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The investigation sought to identify and analyze the difficulties experienced by these professionals while they were teachers in basic education. In the cases when they were no longer teaching, I sought to identify and analyze also the reasons why those undergraduates made such a decision. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire with open and multiple-choice questions that was emailed to 114 teachers from the mentioned university until July of 2012. Out of the total questionnaires sent, 89 responded. There was a significant amount of undergraduates with a license to teach (53%) who were not practicing or who were not willing to practice the teaching profession. The resulting data may help understand the disturbing deficit of teachers to work in the public basic education in Brazil. Results have shown that the greatest difficulties found by the practicing teachers participating in this study are associated with students and their families, and are the consequence of lack of interest and indiscipline expressed by pupils. The major cause for abandoning the teaching profession, among those herein researched, is due to the feeling of professionally undervalued as well as to the working conditions in the schools. Based on the results, reflections are made about the challenges faced by beginning teachers about the education, profession and teaching conditions in Brazil.

Keywords
Degree courses; Teaching career; Teaching conditions; Teacher education

Units of meaning transcribed from the questionnaires	Transcription to the researcher´s language	Frequency
Students are not interested / lack of motivation / lack of stimulus / students are not committed to study	Students are not interested	37
Low salary of teachers/ lack of financial stimuli /financial depreciation	Low salaries	33
Undervalue of teachers or education professionals, professionals are not respected / professional is undervalued / little social recognition / teachers are disrespected by public policies and the community / teaching career is not properly valued / contempt of education professionals	Professional devaluation	16
Students lack discipline / rudeness /lack of respect / lack of focus / students do not show respect nor human values / ethics	Students´ indiscipline	16
Students have great difficulty with mathematics / it is hard for students to learn mathematics / students are blocked against mathematics / aversion to mathematics / fear of mathematics	Students´ difficulties to learn mathematics	16
Families do not support and assist professionals who work at school / parents are not interested in participating in the school life of their children / weak school-family integration / students lack experience with their families / parents do not check upon their children / weak family structure	Families do not support the work done in the school	11

Units of meaning transcribed from the questionnaires	Transcription into the researcher´s language	Frequency
Low salary	Low salary	14
To take a graduate course	To take a graduate course	6
To work in a different field	To work on a different field	5
Students are not interested	Students are not interested	2
Indiscipline	Students´ indiscipline	2
I did not relate to the profession	Did not relate to the profession	2
Government policy of automatic promotion	System makes teacher pass a student even though he/she does not master the curriculum	1

Groups of meaning	Final categories
Students are not interested; Difficulties students have to learn mathematics; Students´ indiscipline.	Difficulties associated with students and their families
Low salaries; Professional devaluation; Professionals are not motivated; Bad working conditions. Lack of material resources in the schools; Lack of infrastructure in the schools; Excessive students in the classroom; Profession causes illnesses; Lack of investment; Heterogeneous classrooms; Teacher´s role is distorted.	Difficulties associated with professional devaluation and bad working conditions
Insufficient class time; Lack of support to beginners in the school; Increased professional demands; Failures in the school organization and management; Schools do not support innovative teaching activities; Distance between early education at the university and the school reality; Difficulties to teach contents in the early career; Students are not motivated because curriculum is inadequate; System prioritizes approval rates rather than the quality of teaching; Authorities do not support the schools; Obligation to pass students even when they do not master the curriculum; Scarce opportunities to join the profession; Need for professional improvement; Lack of encouragement for continued training.	Difficulties associated with the school system, teacher education and public educational policies

Groups of meaning	Final categories
Low salaries; To take a graduate course; Professional devaluation; No job stability; No expectancies of professional development; To work in a different field.	Professional devaluation and bad working conditions
Students are not interested; Students´ indiscipline.	Indiscipline and students are not interested
System makes teacher pass students even when they do not master the curriculum; No relation with the profession; Teachers do not make up a strong political force.	Other

Faculdade de Educação da Universidade de São Paulo Av. da Universidade, 308 - Biblioteca, 1º andar 05508-040 - São Paulo SP Brasil, Tel./Fax.: (55 11) 30913520 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revedu@usp.br

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

[1] Romélia Mara Alves Souto is an associate professor at the Mathematics and Statistics Department in the Federal University of São João del-Rei. She is a member of the faculty in the Education Master Program in the same university, and works with mathematical education, emphasizing the relations of history with mathematical education and in the training of those who teach mathematics.