O rugby como ferramenta para a cultura de paz: uma experiência com estudantes do ensino médio

Abstract

Beyond physical and sporting performance, rugby instills values in its practitioners that can be applied off the field, being important in various life contexts such as social relationships, quality of life, identity formation, among others. Integrity, respect, solidarity, passion, and discipline are values that will govern the conduct of a rugby player both on and off the field. The objective of this project was to analyze how rugby can influence the promotion of a culture of peace according to the perception of high school students at a Federal Institute of Education. The specific objectives were: to promote the practice of rugby and its values among the participants; to understand how students relate the experience of rugby to attitudes of respect, cooperation, and peaceful conflict resolution; and to analyze how the practice of rugby in the school context can foster dialogue, teamwork, and the appreciation of differences among students. This is a cross-sectional qualitative research study. A logbook and a questionnaire were used for data collection. The sample consisted of 16 participants, 8 male and 8 female students, aged between 17 and 19 years. All were part of the same class, in the 6th semester (3rd year), regularly enrolled in the technical course in building construction at the Federal Institute of Ceará, Quixadá campus. During the 20 weeks of application, various data were generated from the logbook and the questionnaire applied at the end of the study period. The NVivo software was used to assist in the data analysis. With the responses obtained, it was possible to achieve the main objective of the study. In general, the participants believe that the values of Rugby, especially respect and discipline, are crucial for promoting a Culture of Peace inside and outside the school. They also believe that other factors inherent to the practice, such as dialogue, the culture of the game, and teamwork, can promote a Culture of Peace and assist in aspects of personal and professional development. It was possible to promote the practice of Rugby and its values among the participants. It was possible to understand how students associate the experience of Rugby with the development of attitudes of respect, cooperation, and peaceful conflict resolution. It was possible to analyze how the practice of Rugby in the school context can foster dialogue, teamwork, and the appreciation of differences among them, which, despite conflicts, including some not resolved satisfactorily, was considered positive.