A sociologia como caminho para articulação do currículo integrado na EPTNM

Abstract

The debate on curricular integration in upper secondary technical and vocational education (TVET) poses a challenge to teachers, institutions, and researchers to rethink pedagogical practices and the role of disciplines in the integral human formation of students, within which sociology assumes relevance due to its capacity to articulate knowledge and promote critical reflection. This dissertation aims to understand how sociology can contribute to the articulation of an integrated curriculum in upper secondary TVET, unfolding into the following specific objectives: to analyze the process of constructing the sociology curriculum in upper secondary TVET; to verify whether the enacted curriculum corresponds to the prescribed curriculum; to investigate teachers’ knowledge and perceptions regarding the integrated curriculum; and to propose pedagogical and methodological strategies that foster the effective curricular integration of sociology. The research adopts a qualitative approach of an exploratory and descriptive nature, seeking to understand the perceptions of the subjects involved in the investigated context. It is developed as a multicampus study within the Federal Institute of Amazonas (IFAM), involving sociology teachers, using a questionnaire as the main data collection instrument, complemented by bibliographic research and documentary analysis. Data analysis employs Bardin’s (2016) content analysis technique. The findings indicate that the process of constructing the integrated curriculum at IFAM presents significant weaknesses, as it does not prioritize collective work and is often developed in an individual, isolated, or segmented manner. This assessment is reinforced by the analysis of curricular organization and the relationship between the prescribed and enacted curricula, as some teachers demonstrate a lack of knowledge about the curriculum development process, while others report the existence of systemic and local committees. The enacted curriculum implemented by most teachers differs from the prescribed curriculum, with adaptations justified by factors such as affinity with specific content, standardization, contextualization, and updating, which characterizes a predominantly solitary teaching practice. Although teachers recognize the conceptual foundations of technical and vocational education and demonstrate an understanding of the integrated curriculum concept, the analyzed data reveal contradictions between this understanding and the effective implementation of integrated curricular practices, indicating that integration occurs in a fragmented and non-systemic manner. In this context, bibliographic and exploratory research seeks to open pathways for articulating the integrated curriculum by recovering pedagogical keys that may serve as a starting point for curricular integration, while acknowledging that individual efforts have limitations and that the construction of an integrated curriculum in upper secondary TVET requires collective commitment. As an outcome of the research, an educational product entitled “Didactic Guide: Sociological Keys for Curricular Integration” is developed.