The social representation of distance education from a Brazilian perspective

Abstract

This quali-quantitative, exploratory field study approach is based on analyzing data obtained by applying the word recall test involving 100 respondents in order to build the social representation of distance learning (DL) from a Brazilian viewpoint. The 'four-house board' technique by Pierre Vergès was adopted as the data-treatment technique. Making use of theoretical concepts previously presented to discuss distance learning (DL), the social representation of DL is compared to this theory, in order to validate the knowledge and identify learning gaps. It was found that the main focus of the social representation of DL consists of the following words: Flexibility, Facility, Practicality, Discipline, Time, Low-cost, Cost, Opportunity, Internet and Convenience. The main conclusion is that, despite the positive outlook that Brazilians have of distance learning, some assumptions should be adopted to ensure its effectiveness: 1) the need to mix DL with classroom encounters; 2) the need for DL-based courses to have trained teachers that insist on interaction and 3) the need for material to be suitable for this form of education, as well as for the communication media and technologies used. Keywords: Learning. Education. DL. Social representation. IntroductionWith the advent of the internet and advances in information and communications technology (ICT), distance education, which used to be restricted to a small niche within the educational sector, has grown and taken on greater relevance in academic a Universidade Federal Fluminense -UFF. Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Gustavo Guimarães Marchisotti, Fátima Bayma de Oliveira e Alessandro Prudêncio Lukosevicius discussions. The expansion of this method of teaching has been responsible for a true revolution in the educational field, due to the greater access it provides for those with fewer resources, and thus it has contributed to a reduction in social inequality. Brazilian governments have used distance education as an efficient way to diminish Brazil's problems in terms of access to education (GOMES, 2013).Distance education is based on the student's initiative, using his or her skills to interact and solve problems in groups, and does not permit the simple memorization of content. In other words, learning based on "knowing how to do something" and not just "knowing facts," which only occurs when one breaks from the traditional model of teaching (LITTO; FORMIGA, 2008).Distance education, through the use of computational resources, has appeared as a way to stimulate a new model of learning, facilitating the construction of knowledge and helping students to be active participants and transformers of reality. It is an educational process (TAPERINO, 2006) focused on developing skills, centered on student learning, allowing students to grow as people, professionals and citizens.There is a scarcity of education in the world, with greater growth in the number of students than in the growth of the number of universities (DANIEL, 1996), or in other words, there is a...

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