A rotina na educação infantil e sua contribuição para a autonomia moral da criança

Abstract

Early Childhood Education, as the first stage of Elementary School demands a plural curriculum which should consider, among other aspects, the organization of children’s daily actions while they are in school. Since routine is the category related to this organization, the present study aimed at analyzing the routine in pre-school education focusing upon its contribution to the development of moral autonomy in children. The specific objectives were: a) to describe the routine of a pre-school class, considering its elements: activities, time, space and pedagogical resources; b) to identify the teacher’s conception about routine and moral autonomy; c) to investigate the contribution of routine to the children’s moral autonomy. The theoretical framework of the study was Piaget’s theory, specifically its book “Moral judgment in children”. Routine was discussed considering studies upon the theme carried out by national and foreign researchers. The study may be characterized as qualitative research which used ethnographic techniques. Data were collected by means of participant observation, interview and documental analysis. Considering the routine, the main results were: a) the schedules were rigid; b) the spaces were inadequate and badly structured; c) the activities were not interesting to the children and d) the pedagogical resources were not diversified. The teacher demonstrated little understanding related to routine and moral autonomy. The data also showed that the elements of routine- activities, time, space and pedagogical resources- as well as teacher’s interactions with the children have not contributed to their moral development. Finally, it is important to emphasize that there is a wide gap between the methodological orientation of the School Pedagogical Project which guides the school’s educational practies and its implementation in the observed pre-school classroom.