Motivação no ensino superior: um estudo de caso com estudantes do curso de Pedagogia da UFAL Campus do Sertão

Abstract

Motivation is part of different human behaviors, providing changes in the actions of individuals so that they can achieve their goals. In the educational scenario, it is a determining factor for learning, as it contributes to the student to invest and complete their studies. In this work, to understand the motivation, we dialogue with Bergamini (1990), Bzuneck (2001; 2010), Campos (2011), Crestani (2015), Fita (1999), Lefrançois (2008), Libâneo (2010), Neves and Boruchovich (2004), and more. Considering the importance of motivation in the educational context, the following question arose: what motivates students in the Pedagogy course at UFAL - Campus Sertão to invest, stay and complete the course? Based on this issue, we aim to identify and reflect on the motivation of students of Pedagogy at UFAL - Campus Sertão, emphasizing their relationship with professional training. Thus, a case study and a mixed quali/quantitative method research were used. 148 Pedagogy undergraduate students participated of the research and a questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collection took place in March 2019.The data collected allowed the elaboration and analysis of 4 axes, namely: 1) the choice of the course; 2) the degree of motivation to study Pedagogy; 3) the Motivational Factors within the course; and 4) Motivation and professional training. It was possible to identify the reasons that led to the choice of the Pedagogy course, to investigate the student's motivation, as well as to analyze which factors favored or not for the permanence in the course and, finally, to observe the students' perceptions regarding the importance and contribution of the motivation for vocational training. Such investigations are expected to signal new ways of working, understanding and fostering the debate about motivation in higher education.