SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT OF YOUNG STUDENTS FROM A PUBLIC STATE SCHOOL: AN EXPERIENCE REPORT IN PSYCHOSOCIAL INVESTIGATION

Abstract

Brazilian public education has been facing complex challenges. This research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on different fields of knowledge to examine an institutional experience report. Grounded in Bleger's assumptions on Institutional Psychology, Bauman's reflections on the postmodern tendency toward the erosion of critical thinking, Erikson's and Marcia's theories of identity development, and Freire's and Libâneo's perspectives on critical pedagogy, the study sought to investigate the psychosocial characteristics and sociohistorical influences affecting a public state school located in the far south of the city of São Paulo. Based on the concerns reported by school professionals and on participant observations conducted in the field, specific demands were identified in light of both the internship proposal and the institution's context. Among the main issues observed—and consequently addressed through the intervention—were themes related to students' identity development and life projects, which emerged as particularly significant. In response to the identified demands, spaces for dialogue and active listening were created with the aim of encouraging students to develop a critical reflection on the reality in which they lived. We understand that providing opportunities for students to express themselves and reflect on topics that were not typically addressed in the classroom could foster the development of autonomy and a greater sense of agency. This intervention also sought to counter the prevailing disempowering dichotomy that contributes to demotivation and the deterioration of the institution.