Perceptions of attendance tutors on early chemistry teacher training in DE offered by the IFMT

Abstract

Several are the players involved in a licentiate degree course in the Distance Education (DE) modality, among which are the attendance tutors, who take the spotlight in this text. The positions and responsibilities taken, as well as the attributions and functions performed, make them privileged observers. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate perceptions of the DE Chemistry Licentiate Degree Course, offered by the IFMT, attendance tutors on the challenges faced along this trail, the gaps they identify in the course and the pieces of knowledge provided to the future teachers. This research took place during the first semester of 2018 and is characterized as descriptive and exploratory from a qualitative approach. From the 16 tutors who work in the course, 8 volunteered to take part in the research. For data collection, an electronic questionnaire was utilized that contained six open questions. The data collected were analyzed through the technique known as content analysis. The categories identified were: existing challenges in this training process; difficulties or gaps identified throughout the course; and pieces of knowledge provided to the future chemistry teachers. From those perceptions, it is possible to understand how the training process occurs at the IFMT, and that information may allow for planning actions to promote improvements to the course.