Coeducação e relações de gênero na educação infantil

Abstract

This study investigates gender relations in Physical Education classes in Early Childhood Education, based on the researcher’s experience as a teacher and on observations that raised questions about the construction of gender identities in childhood. Physical Education plays a fundamental role in children’s socialization regarding gender, influencing their perceptions and bodily practices from an early age. Adopting a qualitative approach, this dissertation is characterized as an ethnographic case study, using classroom observations, interviews, and document analysis. The observations and interviews with teachers were conducted in a group of children aged five to six years, enrolled in the second stage of Early Childhood Education, in a public school in Juiz de Fora. All participants, or their guardians, were duly informed about the research and provided consent, ensuring the confidentiality of the collected data. Data analysis was carried out through a descriptive examination of the recorded observations, organized into three analytical axes: (i) gender experiences in Physical Education classes; (ii) the role of teachers in mediating gender relations, focusing on the practices and pedagogical perspectives of the Physical Education teacher; and (iii) toys, body, and spaces as producers of meanings about gender, including the institutional guidelines expressed in the PoliticalPedagogical Project. The findings reveal that children reproduce, negotiate, and challenge gender norms from an early age; that teachers’ pedagogical mediation is essential for promoting coeducational practices; and that toys, spaces, and materials function as producers of meanings about gender, highlighting the need for intentional pedagogical interventions committed to equity.