ABSTRACT:
This paper is based on a recently completed doctoral thesis that uses social representations as forms of practical knowledge, a knowledge that allows the comprehension of the educational field. The study was developed according to a qualitative methodology and the main data collection instrument was the individual, semi-structured, non-interventive interview. The main subjects were students in a school of lower and higher secondary education ("Ensino Secundário com 3º Ciclo"). The results presented here show us how the mere participation in the data collection process led participants to a self-reflection that can promote both an epistemological transition and an ecological transition, assuming themselves as conscious and active agents of change in school.
Keywords:
Interview; Qualitative Research; Social Representations; Reflective School; Intercultural Education