Teachers' formation and the representations of non-conventionally organized families: the use of fairy tales as a proposal for intervention

Abstract

The social representations of non-conventionally organized families among education professionals and Pedagogy undergraduates are discussed. The Theory of the Central Nucleus of Social Representations has been employed for the theoretical and methodological reference. Data were collected during the mini-course ‘Teachers´ formation and the representations of families organized on non-conventional models in fairytales’, prepared for the II Congress of the Undergraduate Course in the State Universities of Paraná. Twenty-five undergraduates participated. They answered a socio-demographic questionnaire and a free invitation prior to and posterior to the intervention. Results demonstrated changes in the representations of the agents between the pre- and post-test. Changes were due to the easy access to and understanding of fairy tales which favored a new stance, especially when coupled to strategies that problematize family configurations represented in the stories. A new stance may be adopted with consequences in the school context, enhancing the integration of school rites and the promotion of a culture of respect towards families which are organized according to non-conventional models.