Sentimentos vividos na escola: o que dizem as crianças sobre o ensino fundamental

Abstract

The objective of this work was to understand the feelings involved in the school s experience of children attending primary school. Data collection was done through the technique of focal group, which was applied to eight students (4th and 5th grades) attending a private school located in a southern neighborhood of the city of São Paulo. The kids, whose ages varied from nine to eleven years, spoke freely about the feelings involved in their school s experiences in the initial phase of formal education. The data analysis and discussion were oriented by the ideas of Henri Wallon. The results indicated the presence of favorable and adverse feelings about the school routine, their social interactions with friends and teachers and their relation with the learning process. Positive feelings prevailed when it came to relationships in general, with emphasis on the essential role that peers and teachers occupy in the students lives. Negative feelings were linked mainly to some current practices of elementary school. However, if there are some requirements to be fulfilled at this level of education, others must be reconsidered and revised. Hear the children proved to be crucial for knowing the students' points of view and emotions concerning school