School community perceptions on implementation of the unplugged program in schools

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the perceptions of the school community about the Unplugged program, implemented by the Ministry of Health in Brazilian public elementary school. The methodology used was qualitative and involved data collection through 11 focus groups of teachers (n = 13), students (n = 54) and school administrators (n = 11) in 8 schools in 3 Brazilian cities. The content analysis allowed the identification of 3 thematic axes. The facilities identified were related to the technical support for the implementation of the methodology, such as the training and supervision received, and the support of the school administrators. The difficulties pointed out were related to class time, obtaining support materials for classes and adequate fulfillment of the regular curriculum. As potentiality, the improvement of the relations of coexistence was identified. The results obtained here allow the improvement of the implementation of the Unplugged program in Brazilian schools.

Keywords:
Drug abuse prevention; education; qualitative research