The social representations of school and the impact of a constitution of identity of students enrolled in a Chemistry teacher initial training course

Abstract

The present article presents results of a research, through the dialogue between two theories: the social representations theory, in the Serge Moscovici´s perspective, and the one proposed by Claude Dubar refering to professional identity, to investigate the social representations (RS) about school and its influence in the constitution of the professional identity students of a Chemistry teacher initial training course, and came from public High School. From the analysis of the interviews show that the sharing of a SR regarding an social object does not necessarily implies in similar modes of action, these students share the SR that about the teachers acting in the governmental Basic Education system (compulsory school period; in Brazil it comprises primary school, lower secondary education, and high school period, totalizing 12 years) have a poor training to be professionals. Nevertheless, the subjects investigated in this work have different perspectives of action deriving from this shared RS. While some of them intend to work in the public basic schools, the other ones do not divise this possibility. For some individuals, to teach in the basic school public system might imply, to accept the low quality attribution while, for others, this action can favour an opposite intervention in relation to what is portrayed in this SR.