Choosing a physical education course in the sertão of Paraíba: a social analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The formation of the individual’s personality stems from the socialization process, directly linked to this period is the professional training that is due to the identifications made throughout the person’s life, the formation of a professional teaching profile has influence on the insertion into social groups.
OBJECTIVE: The aim was to analyze the diverse social influences on the decision to choose Physical Education as a higher education course in the Sertão region of Paraíba.
METHODS: This research is a qualitative field study. The sample comprised 62 students of both sexes from the Physical Education Degree program at IFPB, Sousa Campus. All participants filled out an electronic questionnaire with both open-ended and closed-ended questions. The responses were analyzed qualitatively, and descriptive statistical analysis was used for the characterization of the subjects.
RESULTS: The choice of Physical Education as the first graduation option was negative for most of the participants. With regard to the graduation of the family members, it was possible to find the majority related to undergraduate courses, which is a possible family influence in the choice of teaching. Another influential factor was that most family members had a positive view of the teaching profession and fully supported the choice made by the graduates. The activity most encouraged in childhood was soccer, with low variability of stimuli being observed, as 50% of undergraduates did not receive encouragement. It was observed that the main influence for the choice of profession was the practice of sports, followed by school and family experiences.
CONCLUSION: It is concluded that each social influence has a significant weight for the training of the professionals in question and the fact of feeling the appreciation for physical activities and personal fulfillment were of extreme importance for the choice of this graduation.