“E tu não é homem não?”: futebol e masculinidades nas aulas de educação física escolar no ensino médio

Abstract

The School Physical Education in given its historical context, it can reinforce the reproduction of gender norms within the school environment. Bodily practices can be interpreted as gendered, gender-defining and thus contribute to various types of inequalities and endorse male hegemony. On the other hand the School Physical Education classes, if mediated in a dialogical, reflective, and critical way, they can question these stereotypes, attempt to promote equity and reframe the relationships between students. The central focus of the investigation proposed here was, more specifically, the investigation of the constitutions of masculinities and their modes of expression in school physical education classes in a high school class at a public school in Fortaleza-Ce. The aim was to understand how the experience of playing soccer can express and problematize aspects related to gender issues and their possible unfolding. The study is based on authors such as Connell, Altamann, Devide, and Brito, who discuss gender, male hegemony, and physical education. Through the construction of a didactic unit, composed of eight lessons, the research adopted a qualitative approach based on intervention research. By analyzing teaching and learning practices in their complexity and context, it aimed to problematize issues involving soccer and how they interfere with ways of being a man and vice versa. Field notes and participant observation were used for data collection. The analysis was conducted using the qualitative method suggested by Bogdan and Biklen (1994). The results showed that, initially, soccer appeared as a space for the reproduction of discourses associated with hegemonic masculinity, influencing forms of participation, recognition among peers, and expectations of physical performance. The questioning of these discourses through the proposal of adaptations in the game and the collective construction of more inclusive forms of participation, along with pedagogical strategies used, such as discussion circles, documentary screenings, debates, and bodily experiences, contributed to broadening the dialogue about masculinities among students, even though some traditional norms and expectations remained present in the interactions. It was concluded that soccer when is worked on critically in Physical Education classes, can constitute a powerful content for problematizing hegemonic patterns of masculinity and fostering reflections on gender inequalities in the school context. Furthermore, the research resulted in the production of an educational resource aimed at supporting teachers in building more inclusive and sensitive pedagogical practices that address the different ways of experiencing masculinities at school.