As concepções de alunos e de professores sobre a educação em tempos de Covid-19: um estudo sobre as escolas públicas de Itajubá

Abstract

The sanitary crisis caused by COVID-19 created an unprecedented scenario for educational systems worldwide, demanding rapid adaptations and exposing pre-existing inequalities. This dissertation aims to analyze, based on the experiences reported by teachers and students, the challenges faced by public education in the municipality of Itajubá-MG during the pandemic and the implementation of emergency remote teaching. To contextualize this scenario, a detailed bibliometric review was conducted on the main obstacles faced by public education in the pandemic period, with emphasis on the adoption of emergency digital education. The analysis was based on 593 publications indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases until January 2024, using the Bibliometrix software, which allowed the mapping of international scientific production, highlighting authors, journals, institutional collaborations, and thematic trends. Locally, questionnaires were applied to teachers from basic to higher education in Itajubá’s public network, as well as to students from the Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI), in addition to the analysis of institutional documents. Data interpretation followed the qualitative approach proposed by Robert Yin, enabling the organization of information according to the discussion settings defined in the research and highlighting the relevance of technological integration in the face of emerging educational challenges. The results reveal that, despite creativity and resilience, the lack of institutional support, inequalities in access to technology, work overload, and the impacts of socioeconomic disparities exacerbated the difficulties faced by both teachers and students. The participants’ perceptions emphasize the fundamental importance of incorporating technology to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning processes in critical contexts, as well as the need for more inclusive and accessible strategies for all students. It is concluded that emergency remote teaching, although necessary in the context of the crisis, cannot replace face-to-face education, reinforcing the need for public policies aimed at digital inclusion, continuous teacher training, and the expansion of educational infrastructure. Furthermore, the findings of this research may provide subsidies for the formulation of more equitable and innovative educational policies, with the potential to improve pedagogical practices and enhance the quality of public education, even in adverse scenarios.