Os cursos de educação e formação

: a perspectiva dos seus intervenientes : análise do contexto real nas escolas do concelho de Viseu

Abstract

The “School for All” of today is organized by standards that confer uniformity, disregarding individual particularities. The emergence of Courses that orientate young people to a differentiated learning, of vocational nature aiming professional teaching, as Educational and Training Courses (CEF), seems the answer for the needs of those whose school has not been able to accommodate and have, therefore, been contributing to the rising of school failure and school dropout rates, in Portugal. In spite of the growing number of students in these denominated CEF and its recognized effectiveness, it is generally accepted the presence of a stigma associated with this kind of Courses. And it was precisely because of this contradictory situation that we were impelled to deepen this issue, by giving voice to the actors of this process. The investigation analyses the performance of the CEF at Viseu’s county schools, with the main purpose of understanding if, under the legislation of its creation, these paths fulfill its main objectives: the decrease of school dropout; the compulsory schooling; the achievement of a professional qualification. It is, still, questioned the CEF philosophy, that is, the dialectic between the benefits that the Courses exhibit for the school dropout and the existing stigma, in political and social terms. The point of view of the main participants - students, teachers, tutors and School Executive – is observed using a mixed methodology, embodied by the application of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results suggest the presence of some constraints caused by the classes profile, the integration and inclusion of students at schools and, mainly, the recent ruling legislation. Nevertheless, the virtues of these courses are acknowledged and extensive to all the involved. In this sense, the CEF of the schools in study are characterized and identified and we come to the conclusion that, in general, despite the improvement on the school results and the decrease on school dropout, the CEF are becoming extinct in the county.

Date of Award	7 Oct 2011
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Célia Ribeiro (Supervisor)