Prejudice in physical education classes: perception of public-school teachers of a city in the south of Brazil

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The present work deals with the manifestations of prejudice identified by physical education teachers from primary public school system in a city of the south of Brazil, and the consequences of such manifestations in the course of their classes. 
OBJECTIVE: It sought to identify the types of prejudices observed in physical education classes and the consequences for: the aggressor student, the student who suffers from prejudice and the group of the class in which they are inserted. 
METHODS: It is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, in which the data collection took place through an interview. For data analysis, the content analysis technique was used. 27 physical education teachers were interviewed, 11 men and 16 women. 
RESULTS: The results showed that the types of prejudice most frequently identified by teachers in Physical Education classes are ethnic-racial, of bodily differences and those related to social class. The data showed that prejudice encourages aggression, in addition to causing trauma, decreased self-esteem and reduces the participation in the proposed activities to those who suffer aggression. 
CONCLUSION: It was evident the lack of more effective actions related to the reduction of the manifestations of prejudice within the school environment.