Unidade Saúde Escola: concepções acerca da indissociabilidade entre ensino, pesquisa e extensão dos diferentes atores

Abstract

The indivisibility among teaching, research and extension is a principle established by the Federal Constitution and it is present in documents that guide the Public Policy for Higher Education in Brazil. This principle guides the university activities: teaching, research and extension. The link between teaching and research with the community is made through the extension activities. The distance between scientific knowledge and society should be overcome by extension. The tripod teaching, research and extension are the cornerstone of the Brazilian University, and thus they cannot be fragmented. We propose in this study further our understanding of the indivisibility of the phenomenon of teaching, research and extension at the university, especially in a teaching unit in health. Thus, the study aimed to investigate the conception of the phenomenon of indivisibility of teaching, research and extension of the actors involved in the work of a School Health Unit. We selected as field of study the Health-School Unit (HSU) of the Federal University of São Carlos which develops between their activities teaching, research, extension and assistance in inter and multidisciplinary perspective on health, having as team teachers, administrative technicians and students from different undergraduate and post-graduate health. This is a qualitative study, cross-sectional descriptive and exploratory. The study included 20 servers, among teachers, administrative technicians who had formal ties with the HSU and managers of the Unit. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews. For data analysis we used the thematic analysis technique. The results were presented and discussed in two groups, group 1 consists in the analysis of the interviews with teachers and administrative technicians servers and Group 2 consists in the analysis of the interviews with managers. The results showed that the participants conceive of a different way of teaching activity. While some participants understand teaching as a dialogical and shared process, linked to research and extension, others still conceive teaching as transmission of knowledge. Regarding the research concept, the participants revealed different conceptions linked to the search for new knowledge and phenomenon or event research referring imbalance among teaching, research and extension. The results showed a diversity of understanding about the concept of extension. While for some teachers and administrative technicians the extension activity is understood as the implementation of activities at the university for the community, for others it is configured as community care activity. For some participants the indivisibility of the phenomenon assumes that the activities of teaching, research and extension should be fed back, while for others it is the realization of the tripod activities together. We hope that the study will contribute to reflection and present subsidies of indivisibility among teaching, research and extension, not only in the School Health Unit and UFSCar, but also at other universities, providing a transforming relationship between university and society.