Evaluation of an integral education program in pernambuco, northeastern of brazil from the perspective of teachers

Abstract

Full-time high schools are a reality in the state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. It initially emerged as a pilot project in 2004, and in 2008 became officially the Integral Education Program, associated with the State Education Department. The general objective of this study is to evaluate the Integral Education Program implemented in a state public institution from the perspective of teachers. Regarding the specific objectives, within the teachers' perception, we aimed to describe the importance of integral education in the students’ education, as well as the process of choosing a school, the implementation process, the difficulties that were faced during said processes, the benefits after its implementation, and the changes needed to keep the program running. The theoretical framework used is based on the evaluation of public policies and programs. The research is qualitative, descriptive and exploratory and, in terms of its purpose, it was the applied research. In relation to processes, ex post facto evaluation research was used. The data collection technique adopted was the semi-structured interview. The results converge towards a recovery of both students’ and teachers’ self-esteem regarding the values defended by integral education, as well as new investments in physical and pedagogical infrastructure, and human resources. As for the teachers themselves, the benefits were more than just remuneration, it was described as a stronger feeling of professional and personal satisfaction.