Impressions about the school and the abandonment of school by adolescent offenders

Abstract

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/19827199781

Considering the strong impact that beliefs have in our behavior and actions, and the existence of an interrelationship between beliefs, school practices, and the attitudes of individuals in these practices (BARCELOS, 2011, 2006), this study investigated the beliefs and experiences that school adolescent offenders bring from their lives before privation. The theoretical framework that underlies our research consists of Barcelos (2006, 2011), Charlot (1996), Dubet (2002, 2008), Moita Lopes (2002), among others. We developed our project based on qualitative methodology using the elements of ethnographic research in a socio-educational center in the municipality of Ponta Grossa, Parana state, Brazil. Forty adolescents who were undergoing educational measures under deprivation of liberty participated in the study. After data analysis, we conclude that, in general, "going to school" was not a positive experience for the inmates; on the contrary, at school they experienced situations of prejudice and exclusion, both from teachers and colleagues, which eventually contributed to their impression of the school context. For the young participants of this study, the institution as a whole became a strong barrier to the continuation of their school lives, being largely responsible for their failure. The results of our study show that the school must rethink strategies to serve this public better, rethinking its role as an institution that teaches values, principles, and knowledge bases.

Keywords: School experiences and beliefs, Adolescent offenders, Teaching, Deprivation of liberty.