As vozes das juventudes: a participação estudantil nos órgãos representativos de uma escola da Rede Estadual de Educação de Minas Gerais

Abstract

This dissertation, linked to the Professional Graduate Program in Management and Evaluation of Public Education (PPGP) at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), examines the factors that hinder student participation at Pedro Ribeiro Cavalcante Filho State School, located in the municipality of Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais. In order to deepen the investigation, the study sets the following specific objectives: (1) to describe the context of Pedro Ribeiro Cavalcante Filho State School, the functioning of its representative bodies, and the participation students in these spaces; (2) to analyze the role students in the school's representative bodies, as well as the institutional actions that enable this participation; and (3) to propose an Educational Action Plan focused on promoting and fostering student participation in the school's representative bodies. In this context, it becomes essential to understand how the institution experiences democratic management, with an emphasis on the theme of student’s low engagement in participatory instances. The theoretical framework is based on the concepts of democratic management discussed by Dayrell (1996, 2003, 2007), also incorporating the contributions from Carrano (2000, 2009) about youth cultural identities within the school environment. This framework is complemented by the theoretical contributions from Cury (2008, 2011), Lück (2009), Gadotti (2014), and Paro (2016). The research adopts a qualitative approach, combining different methodological procedures: document analysis of institutional regulations and records, discussion circles, questionnaires administered to Final Years students (Elementary and High School levels), and semi-structured interviews with members of the school management team. This empirical phase allows for a deeper understanding of the experiences and perceptions of the involved participants, providing support for the development of an Educational Action Plan that strengthens democratic management and student agency in the investigated school.