Received: 17/07/23 Reviewed: 12/01/24 Accepted: 26/01/24

Introduction

There are countless discussions about curriculum around the world, but there is no consensus on such a polysemic and complex subject, especially if we consider that its definition can vary according to the political-geographical location in which it is inserted, as well as its historical context. Likewise, we need to take into account the various types of pedagogical approaches that influence it, as well as the objectives for which it is proposed. Thus, any definition of a curriculum could be correct or incorrect, depending on whether it meets any of the above "requirements". Thus, initially, among the vast conceptual range on curriculum, we followed the guidelines of current studies and conceived the notion of curriculum as a field of struggle for meanings and re-significations which, expressing itself in the midst of tensions and power relations, contributes to the construction of identities. Therefore, we rely on the concept defended by Moreira and Candau (2007, p. 18), who define curriculum as "the school experiences that unfold around knowledge, in the midst of social relations, and that contribute to the construction of our students' identities".

There are many reasons why research is carried out: the search for answers to questions or hypotheses that arise in everyday life; the search for explanations when there are not enough elements to answer these questions, hypotheses and/or even solve problems; restlessness in the face of challenging situations that need to be overcome; the desire to get to know the object of research better, in order to plan actions that will help with new discoveries. In short, there are countless motivations that lead to research and Demo (2001, p. 12) gives us a very pertinent definition of what research could be: "intelligent dialog with reality, taking it as a process and attitude, and as an integral part of everyday life". It is from this perspective that we wanted to investigate the selection of content by teachers working in a particular school in the municipal education network of Salvador - state of Bahia (Ba), in order to reflect on the curricular proposals implemented in this teaching unit, seeking to understand how they determine the teaching praxis developed in everyday school life. To this end, we relied on the participation of the different social actors involved in the process of drawing up and implementing the school's curriculum proposal. We emphasize that the researcher is part of the context of the institution where the research took place. 

The school is a small educational establishment and its administrative staff consists of a principal, two vice-principals, a secretary and a pedagogical coordinator. The teaching staff is made up of seven civil service teachers and one teacher under the Special Administrative Law Regime - REDA, distributed over two shifts. At the moment, there are only three general service assistants on staff, taking turns as lunch ladies; two Early Childhood Development Assistants (ADIS), one for each Early Childhood Education class, and two porters. 

The school serves 284 students, distributed in the morning and afternoon shifts, in a total of ten classes, two in early childhood education and eight in primary education, grades 1 to 5. The community served by the school is populous and quite deprived, although it does have a few financially well-structured families. Most families survive on less than one minimum wage, income obtained through the Bolsa Familia program, small and precarious businesses, informal services and domestic labor.

In order to achieve the proposed research objective, we opted to analyze the data collected through questionnaires (open and closed questions). Between teachers and staff, we decided to administer the questionnaire to 100% of teachers and ADIs. As for the other employees, we administered the questionnaire to 50% of them. The survey data was collected during the months of February, March and April two thousand and nineteen. 

Curriculum: a social, political, educational and cultural tool

Our studies show that by the end of the 20th century, the number of people in the world had risen. In the 19th century, the curriculum was still divided into two paradigms: the trivium, which consisted of subjects such as grammar, rhetoric and dialectic, and the quadrivium, which consisted of music, arithmetic, geometry and astronomy. Already in the sec. In the 20th century, the curriculum focused on immigration, urbanization and industrialization. Then, in 1918, Bobbitt launched "The Curriculum", which assumed that the curriculum should be geared towards preparing children and young people to achieve the goals of the society in force, with ideas of standardization and efficiency. 

Another important milestone for curriculum design, according to some research, occurred during the Chicago Conference in 1947. At this conference, Ralph Tyler set out the tasks of a curriculum theory, and in 1949 he presented the rationale for his principles in Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction, which became known as the Tyler rationale: 1. What educational objectives should the school strive to achieve? 2. What educational experiences can be offered that are likely to achieve these goals? 3. How can these educational experiences be organized efficiently? 4. How can we be sure that these objectives are being achieved?

According to Roldão (1999, p. 18), the curriculum approach changed again at the end of the 60s and beginning of the 70s. Also, according to the author, as a result of student demonstrations and oppositions that strengthened libertarian values, as well as the emancipation of the human person, teaching began to focus on the needs and interests of the student, emphasizing the contemporary significance of social issues, in an integrative approach to knowledge.

We are thus moving towards a conception of curriculum that aims to encompass the most significant contributions of the various theoretical perspectives, even if they are sometimes difficult to reconcile. From this perspective, the school curriculum seeks its sources of inspiration in the knowledge and needs of the social context, as Moreira and Candau (2007, p. 32) point out when they suggest that "the curriculum should seek to rewrite the usual school knowledge, bearing in mind the different ethnic roots and the different points of view involved in its production". 

Thus, given all the context presented, this paper aims to promote reflection and discussion on the curricular practices developed in the daily life of the school where the research took place. The construction of this text is the result of a process of systematization, involving the participation of various actors who play a leading role in the day-to-day life of the school community. For this construction, we sought to discover and analyze important considerations about pedagogical thinking and doing at the institution, using the records produced and systematized in the period from February to April two thousand and nineteen, considering qualitative and quantitative data. 

In this context, we also set out the concepts that guided our work, the advances and difficulties experienced, as well as the challenges and obstacles during the data collection process. The first step in obtaining the participation of the subjects involved in the research was to create a comfortable and trusting environment where everyone could feel comfortable expressing their ideas and points of view in a sincere manner. To do this, we needed to win their trust so that they could share the information we needed to carry out the research. Therefore, in addition to authorizing us to carry out the research, we asked the management for a moment during the first Complementary Activity, the school's collective CA, held in February of that year, so that we could explain the purpose to the group, as well as the objectives of the research and how it would take place during the first three months of the 2019 school year. 

We did so, and were able to count on the participation of almost all the teachers and staff at the school, without too many obstacles. Only two teachers refused to take part, claiming that they were uncomfortable with the situation. They showed a sense of displeasure at feeling supervised, even though the researcher had explained the purpose of the survey. 

Methodology

In order to define the type of research intended, we used the theoretical contributions of authors such as Demo (2001) and Gil (2002), who understand research as a mechanism for adjusting, organizing and enabling understanding of a problem, which is proposed to be studied. Gil defines research as:

A rational and systematic procedure that aims to provide answers to the problems posed. Research is required when not enough information is available to answer the problem, or when the available information is in such disarray that it cannot be adequately related to the problem. [...] research develops through a process that involves numerous phases, from the appropriate formulation of the problem to the satisfactory presentation of the results (GIL, 2002, p. 17).

In this case, it is essential to think/reflect on the path to be followed, as well as the strategies that should be developed, in order to create and implement an intervention proposal, if necessary, once the results have been obtained. In addition, the methodological path must be planned carefully, with a close relationship between the type of research and the object to be researched. Thus, this research is a case study and uses data collection, which points out possible ways to reach answers and/or solutions to the problem raised.

According to Gil (2008), quoting Yin (2005, p. 32), a case study can be defined as follows:

A case study is an empirical study that investigates a current phenomenon within its context of reality, when the boundaries between the phenomenon and the context are not clearly defined and in which several sources of evidence are used (GIL, 2008, p. 58).

In this context, Thiollent (2002, p. 25) warns of the importance of understanding the role of methodology in research. For the author, methodology "consists of analyzing the characteristics of the various methods available, evaluating their capabilities, potential, limitations or distortions and criticizing the assumptions or implications of their use." 

Thiollent also teaches us about the importance of studying and understanding the methodology, alerting us to the fact that this stage of the research guides the researcher in conducting the research, developing the problem, selecting definitions/concepts, hypotheses and the set of appropriate techniques for collecting information. As it is a case study, this type of research can be mixed. So, in order to obtain answers to the problem proposed as the object of study, we opted to combine qualitative and quantitative methods.

From this perspective, we believe that the methodological route to understanding the proposed object of study is not a description of procedures that are simply followed, but rather strategies that are thought out and planned with a view to achieving the defined objectives. We spent three months interacting with the school community and the local community around the school, trying to gain their trust, their understanding of the work we were going to do and their permission to do it. These are all necessary elements for consolidating the research we set out to carry out, especially since violence and drug trafficking prevail in certain neighborhoods close to the school without any police intervention. 

The field research data was collected during more than ten visits to the community between February and April of the year two thousand and nineteen. Initially, we collected the information needed to determine the research sample, taking into account the age range, length of time working in the profession and in that school, as well as the generational issues of the subjects taking part in the research. We checked and analyzed planning instruments, the school's political-pedagogical project (PPP), the curriculum guidelines that guide the teachers' pedagogical practice and actions, the school management and pedagogical coordination action plan, as well as other didactic-pedagogical materials. 

Therefore, following the guidelines of Gil (2002), we chose to carry out the research with a sample corresponding to 100% of the school's teaching staff and 50% of the other employees. Based on Thiollent's (2002) conceptions, we took the position of researcher-observer, as we understood that this method involves observation in the field, document analysis, written records and the application of questionnaires. 

Results

We used open and closed questions in the questionnaires, with the aim of understanding the universe surveyed. The open questions served as a basis for identifying the research subjects' impressions of the concept and importance of the curriculum, as well as its applicability in everyday school life. The closed questions, on the other hand, included personal data such as gender, age, length of professional career, time working in the school unit, as well as questions about the organization and articulation of the curriculum.

Closed questions

In this first moment, we present the results obtained through the closed questions of the questionnaires applied, when from the data collected it was possible to see that there is, in the school, a favorable environment for reflections on the curriculum, as well as rethinking its contents and practices. 

Most of the teachers and staff have been working at the school for more than three years, meaning they know the reality of the students and the local community well. Of these, 66% work as a teacher, and 100% of them declared that they enjoyed the profession, without making any reservations. For 82% of those surveyed, including teachers and staff, the school makes its mission, vision and values clear to the community, as can be seen in the figure below. 

Figure 1

In your opinion, does the school make its mission, vision and values clear to the community?

According to the school's political-pedagogical project, the mission, vision and values of the educational unit where the research took place are as follows:

To provide its students with teaching of quality and excellence, focused on learning in an effective and meaningful way, favoring the formation of ethical, creative, reflective, participatory and inquisitive subjects, respecting individualities within diversity. The school's mission is to form citizens who are critical, interactive, questioning and active in the society of which they are a part. Subjects who assimilate information and transform it into knowledge, and then use that knowledge for their own benefit and for the benefit of the community in which they live [...]. The school's vision is to prepare students to intervene in a critical and transformative way in the society in which they live, because we believe that knowledge is only meaningful to students when they understand its applicability, i.e. knowing how to manage the information acquired in order to extract and build new knowledge, giving new meaning to many others (PPP, 2014, p. 26-27).

Figure 2

Does the school's management and pedagogical coordination team meet with you to discuss compliance with the curriculum and alternatives to make it more dynamic in order to improve student learning?

When analyzing figure 2, on the practice of meetings with the pedagogical coordination and school management to discuss and evaluate the actions developed from the educational curriculum, as well as to seek strategies and alternatives to improve student learning, 82% of the subjects surveyed stated that yes, these moments exist; however, 18% said that no, these moments do not exist. In other words, a small but significant portion of them believe that there is no time to discuss and evaluate the curriculum. What actually takes place are merely collective meetings that deal with various subjects, less so with the applicability of the curriculum and its results. 

Reading and analyzing Figures 3 and 4 reveals that 73% of the teachers and staff at the educational establishment surveyed believe that the programs and pedagogical projects that exist at the school are developed in conjunction with the school curriculum, in the same way that the collective planning agendas include the school curriculum.

Figure 3

Are the school's existing programs and projects developed in conjunction with the school curriculum?

Note: Figure created by the authors based on research data.

Figure 4

Do the collective planning agendas (fortnightly and/or monthly) take into account the school's curriculum?

Thus, we can see that a large part of the subjects surveyed (18%) do not agree that there is a link between the programs and projects developed at the school and the curriculum adopted. In conversation with these professionals, we heard their criticisms of the concepts that guide the school's curriculum. This attitude leads us to conclude that only a minority of the professionals who work in the school where the research took place have a broader, more critical and questioning view of the school curriculum, since they are the only ones who realize, or at least admit, that the organization of the curriculum affects the organization of teaching practice, as well as strongly influencing the education of our students, often determining how these subjects will act in society when they are adults.

Figure 5

Is there a guiding document on which the pedagogical plans drawn up by the teachers are based?

Figure 5, which refers to the existence of a guiding document on which the pedagogical plans drawn up by the teachers are based, shows that 100% of the subjects surveyed declared the existence of a political-pedagogical project for the school, which was built by many hands with the participation of members of all segments of the school community.

We consider this item to be positive, as we believe that the political-pedagogical project is an important instrument in education, through which the actions carried out in the school can be reconfigured, signifying goals and objectives. Complementing our thinking, Vasconcellos (1995, p. 143) defends the idea that the PPP "is a theoretical-methodological tool that aims to overcome the difficulties and obstacles that arise in the day-to-day running of the school in an organized, conscious and cooperative manner". 

Finally, reading figures 6 and 7, on the importance of evaluating the curriculum proposal process in order to improve the quality of teaching offered by the school, as well as taking into account the experiences of the students and their families when selecting the content that makes up the school curriculum, we see that 82% consider this action to be important. On the other hand, only 55% of those surveyed believe that the knowledge students bring to school is taken into account when selecting what should be worked on/taught during the school year. 

Figure 6

Is the evaluation of the process and the application of the curriculum proposal an important action in the search for the quality of teaching offered by the school?

Figure 7

Are the experiences of students and their families taken into account when selecting content?

Looking at the figure above, we see that 27% of the teachers and staff who work at the school surveyed believe that the students' life experiences, which are so important for building new knowledge, are not taken into account in the teaching and learning process developed at the school. Based on our studies, we concluded that even though we are living in the 21st century, many schools still use the same practices as before. One of them is not valuing what the student brings as experience to the classroom, which could enrich and favor their learning process.

Open questions

In this second moment, the data presented deals with the open questions and, as these are subjective questions, we have selected only a few answers and transcribed them as the subjects wrote them.

How, when and with whom are the curricular contents to be taught and learned during the school year selected?

The selection is made before the start of the school year, collectively and articulately, according to the learning milestones, the needs of the students, focusing on the central theme of the Department of Education (Interviewee A).

With the management team, the pedagogical coordinator and the teachers, at the pedagogical week and meetings at the end of the two-month period (Deponent B).

It's usually done at the beginning of each school year, with reviews every two months (Interviewee C).

No selection of content is made in an organized and planned way (Interviewee D).

In the statements above, it was possible to perceive controversial information, as already reported in the previous section, in the analysis of figure 7, when 55% of those surveyed believe that the life experiences of students and family members are taken into account in the selection of content and 27% declare that they do not, that this information does not proceed. This situation could mean that many education professionals still confuse listing content with the action of selecting, which is quite different. 

We also believe that, in fact, what happens in the school where the research was carried out is a list of contents; since we can't select contents at the beginning of the year if we don't yet know the students we're going to work with, if we don't yet know their needs and particularities.

What should a curriculum prioritize, considering that we educate citizens for life?

A curriculum should prioritize reading and writing, environmental preservation, citizenship (rights and duties), family and interpersonal relationships (Interviewee A).

Current issues from the student's daily life, their experiences and their view of the world, thus contributing to their human development (Interviewee B).

It should prioritize not only basic content and cross-cutting themes, but also emphasize the experiences that students have built up throughout their lives, taking into account their reality (Interviewee C).

Each student's baggage of experience (Interviewee D).

The curriculum is a political instrument that is linked to ideology, social structure, culture and power. Thus, the composition and elaboration of a school's curriculum proposal implies an understanding that the curriculum is more than just the contents of school subjects. That said, it is possible to see that most of the subjects surveyed understand that students' experiences and their conceptions of the world should be taken into account in the school curriculum, but there are still those who believe that the priority should still be formal content.

How do teachers need to be prepared to deal with changes in society and how do these changes affect the curriculum?

Through continuing education courses. The curriculum can't remain static, it has to keep up with the transformations taking place in society (Interviewee A).

Teachers need to be constantly training, seeking out new knowledge, improving themselves in order to face the many changes that are taking place in society very quickly (Interviewee B).

Through professional development, in other words, by continuing their initial training (Interviewee C).

They must always prepare themselves by dialoguing and interacting with the sciences, culture and diversity that are out there (Interviewee D).

All the issues surrounding pedagogical practice and its relationship with the curriculum, knowledge and the school's social function require continuous thought and reflection on this process. From the above statements, it is possible to see that the research participants understand the importance of constantly seeking professional improvement through continuing education; however, they were unable to express how the constant changes in society can influence the configuration of the school curriculum.

Is there a political-pedagogical project at the institution? How was it built? Collectively or by experts?

Yes, there is, and it was built collectively, with contributions from the teaching staff, as well as joint discussions, observing the reality of the community where the school is located (Interviewee A).

Yes, when I arrived at the institution the PPP had already been built. As far as I know, collectively (Interviewee B).

Yes. With the whole school community and members of the council (Interviewee C). 

Yes, collectively, and then a review was carried out by a specialist from the Department of Education of the municipality of Salvador (Interviewee D).

The political-pedagogical project must be a process of permanent reflection, discussion and participation on the school's problems. The above statements lead us to understand that the PPP of the school where the research was carried out is the result of the collaboration and participation of all the segments that make up the school community, which is something very positive; because we believe that in order to guarantee the success of the actions implemented by this important pedagogical instrument, the subjects need to recognize themselves in it in order to endorse it.

What aspects are considered to facilitate and inhibit the involvement and participation of the school community in the construction and implementation of the school's political-pedagogical project?

The lack of awareness on the part of the students' families is an inhibiting aspect of participation in this construction and democratic management is a facilitating aspect (Interviewee A).

Currently, the facilitating aspect is the school transport that brings parents to school and the inhibiting aspect is their lack of will (Speaker B).

Facilitators: transportation and meetings. Inhibitors: lack of awareness about the role of the school (Interviewee C).

In the accounts above, we understand that not all parents and students were as active as they should have been in the construction of the school's political-pedagogical project. We noticed in the statements made by the interviewees that the lack of awareness on the part of the students' families and guardians of the importance of the political-pedagogical project, as a guiding document for actions that facilitate the process of building knowledge, is an inhibiting aspect for the involvement and participation of the community in drawing up and implementing it. On the other hand, there was also a lack of awareness and understanding on the part of the subjects surveyed with regard to the facilitating aspects, since most of them naively stated that school transportation was a facilitating aspect for community participation in the construction of the political-pedagogical project.

How do you describe the participation of parents, family members, staff and teachers in the construction and implementation of the school's political-pedagogical project?

The vast majority of family members take part in the activities developed by the school, but they don't bother to demand or monitor the actions of the project, nor do they follow the decisions of the school council (Interviewee A).

The participation of the school community in the implementation of the PPP is active, but the participation of parents still leaves something to be desired (Interviewee B).

Parents and family members are involved in the daily life of the school, but most of them don't come to the school, not even to the bimonthly meetings (interviewee CJ).

The statements listed above lead us to reflect on how the school's actions are being perceived by the school community and on how the school is establishing relations with the surrounding community; from the above-mentioned statements, it is possible to see that the students' parents and relatives hardly participate in the pedagogical actions developed at the school. It is therefore necessary to develop actions that bring the local community closer to the school community, with a view to motivating the family to participate more in the activities developed by the school, as well as in the students' school life.

What is included in the school's pedagogical policy? For example, are popular culture, diversity (sexual orientation, religion, culture, etc.), inclusion (of people with disabilities), evaluation, family-school partnership, sports practices, etc. included in this project?

Popular culture, diversity, evaluation, family-school partnership, among others (Interviewee A).

All the items mentioned in the question, taking into account the student's reality and social context (Interviewee B).

All the items mentioned above, among other current issues (Interviewee C).

Yes, they are. Also included in the PPP proposal is the issue of identity, values, environmental issues, among others (Interviewee D).

When analyzing the speeches regarding what is included in the school's political-pedagogical project, we found that the vast majority of those surveyed believe that the school's PPP proposal addresses its clientele in the most varied social aspects, such as: identity, values, culture, diversity, inclusion, as well as themes relating to social relations and current knowledge, which are indispensable for the formation of a critical, participative and active subject. 

Therefore, in view of the above, we believe that it is necessary to think about breaking with any type of curriculum that is standardizing, breaking paradigms, seeking to promote new ways of teaching and learning, based on a curricular structure that guarantees students effective, efficient and meaningful learning, taking into account their socio-cultural context, their life experiences, their needs, specificities and particularities. To this end, these social subjects must participate in the construction and elaboration of the curriculum proposal implemented in their school.

Discussions and conclusions

The aim of this research was to investigate how content is selected by the teachers who work in a particular school in Salvador's municipal education network, in order to reflect on the curricular proposals implemented in this teaching unit, seeking to understand how they determine the teaching praxis developed in everyday school life. At the end of our research, we concluded that most of the teachers who work in the school unit where the research took place believe that they develop a curriculum that breaks with the idea of an isolated institution that only reproduces the rules determined by society. 

Based on the analysis of the information gathered, we also concluded that there is a favorable environment in the school for reflecting on the curriculum, as well as rethinking its contents and practices; however, it was observed that only a minority of the professionals who work in this teaching unit, where the research took place, have a critical and inquiring view of the curriculum, understanding that its organization influences both teaching practice and student education. 

From the perspective adopted by the school, a large part of the education professionals who work there defend the idea that this institution is not isolated, disconnected from current reality, but inserted in a social context that is dynamic and inconstant, and because of this the school needs to constantly reinvent itself, seeking to keep up with the changes taking place in society, as well as meeting the expectations, desires and needs of the community it serves. 

In fact, in the construction of the political-pedagogical project, we could see that the school sought to define a curriculum proposal that meets the needs of its clientele, providing opportunities to develop actions related to social relations, the construction of knowledge, in order to favor the autonomy of the student and the expansion of important and indispensable knowledge for the formation of an active, creative and transforming subject, active in the society of which he is a part.

We also see in the school's PPP a concern to help build and strengthen identities and teach values - so important and necessary for life in society, especially nowadays, without forgetting to consider the context and experiences of the learner. However, even though most of the subjects surveyed understand that students' experiences and their conceptions of the world should be taken into account in the school curriculum, we also observed that a significant proportion still believe that the priority should be formal content.

The school is not a serene space where absolute truths are taught and shared; on the contrary, doubts, uncertainties and questions permeate its daily life. Issues arising from the fickleness of society and culture itself, social, political and religious relations, people's way of being and living. And it is these doubts, uncertainties and questions that support the inquiries we make about the curriculum paradigm we develop in our schools. 

Having said that, we conclude that, although the school is open to reflection and to rethinking pedagogical practice based on the curriculum, there is still a great distance between what we say and what we do, and this has a decisive impact on teaching practice and, consequently, on student learning. 

References

Barbosa Moreira, A. F. (2001). A recente produção científica sobre currículo e multiculturalismo no Brasil (1995-2000): avanços, desafios e tensões. Revista Brasileira de Educação, 18, 65-81. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=27501807 

Brasil. (2014). Projeto Político-Pedagógico da Escola. Secretaria Municipal de educação do município de Salvador - Bahia. http://smec.salvador.ba.gov.br/documentos/Instru%C3%A7%C3%A3oNormativa-Lei10639.pdf

Demo, P. (2001) Pesquisa: princípio científico e educativo. Cortez Editora.

Gil, A. C. (2002). Como elaborar projetos de pesquisa. (3ª Ed.). Atlas.

Gil, A. C. (2008). Métodos e técnicas de pesquisa social. (6ª Ed.). Atlas.

Moreira, A. F. B.; Candau, V. M. (2007). Indagações sobre currículo: currículo, conhecimento e cultura. Ministério da Educação, Secretaria de Educação Básica.

Roldão, M. do C. (2009). Currículo e cidadania: Inovação.

Silva, T. T. da (2010). Documentos de Identidade: uma introdução às teorias do currículo. (3ª Ed.) Belo Horizonte.

Thiollent, M. (2002). Metodologia da pesquisa-ação. Coleção temas básicos de pesquisa-ação. (14ª Ed.). Cortez.

Vasconcellos, C. S. (1995). Planejamento: plano de ensino-aprendizagem e projeto educativo. Libertat.