Pelas lentes das crianças: um estudo sobre fotografia e protagonismo infantil realizado com crianças da pré-escola

Abstract

This undergraduate final paper is a study on photography as a means of fostering children’s protagonism in preschool. The research was carried out through the extension project entitled “Through the Children’s Lenses”, conducted in two public institutions in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, although this study considered only the data produced in one of them – the Núcleo de Desenvolvimento da Criança (NDC CAp UFC). The general objective was to analyze how preschool children’s participation in photographic practices, within the scope of an extension project carried out in a public institution in Fortaleza, can contribute to strengthening children’s protagonism. The study was based on authors in the field of Childhood Studies, such as Malaguzzi (1999), Frota, Moraes, and Cysne (2019), and Oliveira (2020), as well as scholars of photography and Pedagogical Documentation, such as Sontag (2004), Kossoy (2001), and Fochi (2019). The methodology adopted was qualitative (Minayo, 2012), with an emphasis on Artistic Research Methodology in Education, analyzing ten photographic activities developed throughout the project. The instruments of data collection and analysis included photographic records, productions, narratives, and the processes observed in children during the proposals. The results affirm photography as an aesthetic and pedagogical language that strengthens children’s protagonism, expanding their autonomy and participation in everyday experiences. Furthermore, it was identified that throughout the photographic practices, children exercised their right to make choices, create, and participate actively, as well as representing their experiences, emotions, and perspectives during the activities. It is concluded that photography, when incorporated as a pedagogical resource with young children, corroborates a participatory pedagogy centered on childhood, promoting children’s protagonism and valuing their multiple forms of expression.