Tênis de mesa na Educação Física Escolar: saberes emergentes de uma proposta de organização curricular para os anos finais do Ensino Fundamental

Abstract

A vast literature highlights the prevalence of sports content in Physical Education classes, with a dominance of certain team sports as hegemonic content in these classes. In Physical Education, to develop a teaching process capable of providing an alternative sports culture, the practice of racket sports can broaden the possibilities for student knowledge development, as well as the teacher's range of actions. This research aligns with other studies aiming to investigate alternatives to the monoculture of team sports in Physical Education classes, employing the research-action methodology. The study is a qualitative research of the research-action type, aiming to identify and analyze the emerging knowledge from the implementation of a curricular organization proposal with table tennis didactic units in Physical Education classes for a group from each of the final years of Elementary School (6th to 9th grade) in a public school in São Carlos, São Paulo. The data collection instrument used was observation records in class diaries during the school intervention, and data analysis was conducted using the category coding method. The results of this research were organized into three categories. The first descriptive category relates to the presentation of the Table Tennis curriculum, covering its development, organization, and conclusion. The other two analytical categories include an analysis of the students' experiences and interactions, also addressing a gender discussion that emerged during the classes in the second category. Finally, the third category involves the observation by the teacher-in-training of the challenges encountered in implementing this curriculum. Despite the challenges, this entire process has been extremely important for the prospective teacher and the students, and it can also serve as potential material for teachers who wish to work on this topic.