De aluno a professor: o sentido da avaliação para Licenciandos em Física da UFSCar

Abstract

This study is based on the understanding that students of the Licentiate Degree in Physics simultaneously occupy the positions of undergraduate students and teachers in training, which makes the senses they attribute to assessment central elements in the constitution of their teaching practice, understanding assessment as a historical and subjective process, shaped by emotional experiences, references built throughout schooling, and formative conceptions present in the Licentiate program. In this sense, the research aims to understand how experiences from Basic Education to Higher Education influence both the relationship these students establish between assessment practices and learning, and their perception of the articulation between pedagogical theory and assessment practice in initial teacher education, in addition to examining how such senses orient their projections for professional practice. A qualitative, exploratory approach was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted with five students of the Licentiate Degree in Physics at UFSCar admitted up to 2021. The interview transcripts were examined through Discursive Textual Analysis based on emergent categories. The results show that the senses attributed to assessment are formed at the intersection between practices experienced in Basic Education and disruptions encountered in Higher Education, especially after the transition from remote to in-person instruction, which intensified feelings of unpreparedness and insecurity regarding exams. The study highlights the tension between the rigid assessments typical of disciplines in the field of Exact Sciences and the formative practices characteristic of courses in the Licentiate program, revealing a fragmented process and a mismatch between pedagogical theory and assessment practice within the program. It is concluded that students continuously re-signify their experiences and envision, for their future teaching practice, assessments that are more dialogic, contextualized, and learning-oriented. The research indicates the need for future studies exploring the senses attributed to assessment by students entering the Licentiate Degree in Physics at UFSCar from 2022 onward, considering changes in the Pedagogical Project and in the program’s curricular structure.