Transition high school - engineering education in the perspective of mathematics teacher

Abstract

The present study is part of the project "Challenges of the teaching of Mathematics in the Engineering courses in the XXI” century, whose objective is to investigate and propose actions for the improvement of the transition High School - Engineering Teaching. The answers in a questionnaire containing 49 questions, given by 27 professors of the Department of Mathematics of a traditional college of Engineering of ABC Paulista, were analyzed. The sample collected represented 69% of the population of interest. The analysis of the data occurred through the statistical treatment and through Content Analysis. These analyses define five constructs pertinent to the teaching work. The results point to a relatively homogeneous opinion about the identified constructs. The small differences between the groups of teachers seem to be more associated to the pedagogical conceptions of each teacher, without indicating a characteristic group of teachers. There is strong adherence of teachers to the college culture. Thus, changes in pedagogical approaches must be attentive to institutional policies, since its corporate vision and its traditions overlaps with individual visions.