INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING: EXPERIENCES AND NEEDS PERCEIVED IN UNDERGRADUATES

Abstract

The article presents the training experiences of undergraduates, based on their academic experiences of the relationship between the training institution and the school, between the academic and the personal life, the interpersonal relations between the individuals involved, between theory and practice, and the demands of the training. Sixty-eight undergraduates from a private institution Paraná State participated in the qualitative study, in 2012. Data were collected through a questionnaire, and submitted to content analysis, from which the emerging category is presented: perceived experiences and training needs of the licentiate degree. As results, we highlight, in particular, the positive experiences of self-evaluation of performance in stages; building a professional identity; personal and academic challenges during training; discrepancies between theory and practice; a lack of support from school teachers; the need to incorporate more hours of practice in the timetable; feelings of instability and professional devaluation. It is suggested that training approaches be adapted to meet the contextual demands, the development of themes related to sickness and well-being of students on licentiate degree programs, institutionalization of support for undergraduates, and optimizing processes of interaction between the institutions and individuals involved in this educational process.