A representação social de educação tecnológica de docentes da Rede Federal de Educação Profissional e Tecnológica: CEFETs do Rio Grande do Norte

The aim of this study was to investigate the social representation of technological education teachers at the Federal Technological Education Network. The survey was conducted from 2007 to 2010, and the respondents were 275 teachers, 135 of the Federal Center for Technological Education (CEFET in portuguese) in the state of Amazonas, in Manaus unit headquarters; 140 of the CEFET in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, a unit based in Natal. We adopt the concept of technological education as the top level of professional education, that is to say, the undergraduate programs of short duration called technological courses. The Federal Technological Education Network gathers hundreds of related institutions, coordinated and supervised by the Office of Vocational and Technological Education of the Ministry of Education. Although many of these institutions offer courses in technology education, no research addressing this subject from the perspective of Social Representations Theory (SRT) was found in the literature. We seek to unravel the social representation of technological education of the teachers by adopting the procedural approach of SRT. This is a qualitative approach, focusing on significant aspects of the representative activity and the formation mechanisms of the representation. Therefore, we search the socio-genesis of the representation in the articulations between discourses, social institutions and practices. We initiated the research through applying critical reading and an analytical perspective on the historical and regulatory documents of technological education in Brazil, from the early twentieth century to the present day. We adopt the Procedure for Multiple Classifications (PMC) from the Free Words Association Technique (FWAT) to access the elements of representational content. For the analysis of the data obtained with FWAT and selection of major words / phrases pertinent to the semantic field of education technology, we used Hamlet II software. For the data analysis of PMC and Free Classification (FC) we used the SPSS ® (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 17.0 and used the method of multidimensional scaling - Multidimensional scaling - (MDS). The output from the central MDS takes the form of a set of scatterplots - "perceptual maps" - of which the points are the elements of the representational content. For the FC data analysis we used the Scalogram Multidimensional Analysis (SMA) - which makes use of the original data in its raw form and allows categorical data to be interpreted in the map as measures of (di)similarity. In order to help with the understanding of the settings of the perceptual maps of FC, we used the Content Analysis of the discourse fragments of the teachers interviewed. The results confirm our initial hypothesis regarding the presence of a single plot among the socio-cognitive study subjects, which is the basis for a social representation of technological education in line with the historic assumption of the dichotomy between mental and manual labor. In spite of the three merging representational elements of the representational content, the perceptual maps compiled from the MSA statistics corroborates the dichotomy, with the exception of the map relating to the subgroup of teachers belonging to the humanities

A representação social do cuidado no programa saúde da família na cidade de Natal

RODRIGUES, M. P.; LIMA, K. C.; RONCALLI, A. G. A representação social do cuidado no programa saúde da família na cidade de Natal. Ciênc. Saúde Coletiva, v. 13, n. 1, p. 71-82. 2008. ISSN 1413-8123.

A representação social do cuidado no programa saúde da família na cidade de Natal

RODRIGUES, Maisa Paulino; LIMA, Kenio Costa de; RONCALLI, Angelo Giuseppe. A representaçao social do cuidado no programa saúde da familia na cidade de Natal. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, v. 13, n. 1, p. 71-82, 2008.Disponivel em: . Acesso em: 04 out. 2010.

A representação social do papel de gestores em organizações não governamentais

The discussions concerning the absence of a management model appropriate to the peculiarities of third sector organizations have not been impeditive to their emphasized expansion in the last decades. In the attempt of understanding this phenomenon from the perspective of those who manage social organizations, this work based on the theory of social representations to understand the notion that organization managers of the third sector - based in Fortaleza CE - have of the part that they play and how this notion influences the direction of their activities. Social representations of managers of four different categories of non-governmental organizations have been investigated, each category composed of two unities. The categories researched were: social integration through art and education, prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, children s health assistance and community action. By using Doise s Societal Approach, the role of social managers translated in intraindividual, interindividual and situational processes of their actions, has been analysed within the social representations, focusing on beliefs, values, symbols and stories that give meaning to the existence of non-governmental organizations. Analysis and discussion of data displayed the existence of diversity in the understanding of managers within their practice, in other words, the management profile is also its own manager s. The branch where an organization acts is also preponderant in the shaping of a management style. It could be deduced, from to the organizations researched, that professional formation and the manager s social insertion mainly, are determinative factors in the outlining of a management model of its own. It was concluded that, due to heterogeneity of interests and action segments, there is no systematic process for social management among organizations. Management styles are supported by their director s own perception of achievement, who model organizations according to their contingencies

Representação social do ensinar: a dimensão pedagógica do habitus professoral

Teaching is an activity inherent to the human condition. Historically, from the institutionalization of education, the key role to pursue that activity has been attributed to the teacher, who is required to adapt to the demands of each historical conjuncture. Currently, according to the new paradigmatic requirements, the teacher must possess various skills in order to handle the complex and challenging act of teaching. Assuming the existence of a gap between what the State and the scientific discourse recommend the teacher act upon in the classroom, a decision was made to identify the configuration and structure of social representation in the act of teaching, put forth by elementary school teachers in the public schools of Natal, RN, Brazil. Therefore, the research relied on the theoretical model developed by Domingos Sobrinho (1998, 2000, 2003), which articulates the praxeology of Pierre Bourdieu with the theory of social representations of Serge Moscovici (1978). It was intended to demonstrate how teachers habitus, in its due historical context, directs the construction of social representations in the act of teaching which guides the actions of the teacher, particularly in the classroom context. At the methodological level, the following methods and techniques were used: bibliographic and documentary review in order to identify the scientific discourse on the subject matter and the official parameters of educational regulation and the act of teaching; the Procedure of Multiple Classifications PMC in order to capture the configuration and structure of the representational content in focus, the direct observation of the classroom to identify in actual terms the social representation as "guide to action" as the theory preaches. From the standpoint of the analysis, quantitative data were analysed through Multidimensional Scaling MDS, covering in this study the Multidimensional Scale Analysis MSA and Smallest Space Analysis SSA; and non-parametric statiscal techniques. Additional data of qualitative value had to undergo categorical content analysis. It was then concluded that the teachers investigated guided themselves by social representation, the product of collectively constructed and shared assumptions about the act of teaching, forming a synthesis of different sources of information and knowledge acquirement, involving elements of common sense, religious habitus, pedagogic models considered outdated, the agencies responsible for teacher training and the hegemonic discourse about education today

Representação social sobre educação inclusiva por professores de Cruzeiro do Sul - Acre

Nowadays the discussion about providing a quality education for all students is more and more recurrent, including for those who have special educational necessities. The discussion increases regarding that it is not enough to include these students in the regular school, but also to provide conditions of learning and development. This requirement implies changes in the educational system, as well as in the teachers‟ everyday; and these changes manifest themselves through the complexity of the functions which are assigned to the teachers and the school. The news that are generated from the perspective of the inclusive education asks for new formative models for teacher‟s performance, once he tries to (re)build knowledge, knowings and doings among troubles and conflicts as a way to decrease the impact caused by the necessary transformations. This research approached this context in order to understand the social representation about the inclusive education from teachers who work in the regular public school system in the Municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, State of Acre. To approach the symbolic content, we elected the Multiple Classification Procedure (MCP) as the methodological approach. For that, it was necessary to apply the Technique of Free-Association of Words (TFAW) to 60 participants what provided data to the first step of the chosen methodological procedure. The criterion of choice of the participants took into account if they dealt with student who has special educational necessities and with public schools. Later, we applied MCP to 50 teachers from specialized course in inclusive education subgroup 01 and 30 teachers who has no specialized formation subgroup 02. The collected data from this step was examined through multidimensional and content analysis for a better understanding of their symbolic dimensions. The results from the multidimensional analysis showed that the subject inclusive education‟ for subgroup 01 involved the following facets: circulating discourses that meant the naming of the characteristics that teachers think indispensable to inclusive education; teachers in relation to the inclusive practice that was focused on the relation between teaching and included student, and repercussion to the student that showed the advantages that the inclusive education provided to the student who has special educational necessities. Subgroup 02 dealt with the following facets: characteristics of the included student that approached teachers‟ view on this student; negative aspects that regarded the naming of the obstacles in the achievement of inclusive education; and teacher‟s relations to the inclusive education that approach professional, affective, and formative elements. The content analysis revealed four categories: disagreeing concepts; conception of inclusive education; dimension of the teacher‟s inclusive doing, and difficulties and resistance to carry out the inclusion of a student who has special educational necessities in the regularschool. Both analyses multidimensional and content one showed that the constitution of elements in a social representation of inclusive education was a mixture formed by the characteristics of this sort of education and the school integration, materialized on the figure of the different‟ student. The representational field of the subject inclusive education‟ was associated to the social representation of the student who has special educational necessities, making clear the deficiency/ difference, and causing the difficulty of the teachers in achieving what they say about the phenomenon

Formação e vivências: a representação social do ser professor em comunidades ribeirinhas do Vale do Juruá Acre

Being a teacher is a challenging task, driving action strategies that mobilize technical dimensions of being / doing teaching, but also affection. This research was conducted with teachers / students of the Special Program of formation for Teachers of Basic Education agricultural zone (PROFIR) developed by the Federal University of Acre in partnership with the State Department of Education (SEE) and City Halls of the region; locus typically Amazon and, in this research, comprises five municipalities in the Valley of Juruá - Acre. Northern Brazil. It Aims to capture the social representation of being a teacher in riverside communities. We performed this study from the Theory of Social Representations (MOSCOVICI, 1978, 1990, 2005a, 2005b, 2009, 2011) and (JODELET, 2001), from discussions on teacher formation (LDB No. 9394 of 1996). Work, among others, (TARDIF, 2004), (TARDIF; LESSARD, 2007), (NÓVOA, 1992, 1999), (ARROYO, 2007). We used as a methodological strategy, the multiple classification procedure (PCM), which is organized in two steps: Free Classification and Directed Classification, as well as semi-structured interviews, involving, thus, 137 teachers surveyed. For the analysis of the data, we appealed to software SPSS, version 13.0 for Windows, mapping the elements of the representational content through Multidimensional Analysis (MSA and SSA). Through the different strategies of analysis, we identified from the Free Classification, the regionalization: Beyond forest, teaching Attributes and Mobilized Attributes. With data of the Directed Classification, the analysis was based on the Theory of Facets (BILSKY, 2003) and (BUSCHINI, 2005) and we found: Reference of teacher; Negative Dimension and affective and technicians attributes. Finally, with the Analysis of Content (BARDIN, 2004) e (FRANK, 2005) and of the interviews the categories we found the categories: Urban relation versus agricultural, Knowledge in construction and possible bets. The report of the experiences along the edge of the rivers, in these different methodological strategies and of analysis, demonstrates the existence of symbolic and representational elements that influence and guide the educational conduct and actions of these teachers and that they are deeply anchored and objectified in technical and affective elements of the making teacher. They daily live deeply the concreteness of the Amazonian realism redesigning the Real and the symbolic one as a way to understand themselves as a teacher in adversity of this context. We also observed the historical, social and cultural local marks, framing, thus, the collective personality and generating its guides of action

Da representação social do ser professor da EJA à descoberta de seu aluno como referente

Evidence of learning object like representation to social teachings that active in the education of young and adult with the point of view of the ―To be teacher‖ in this modality of teaching, to direct the intention, this research is way, understand the existence of this representation in center acting teachers in the initial periods of the EJA in the Rio Grande do Norte and its reasoning the theories of social representation (MOSCOVICI, 1978, 2003; JODELET, 2001; ABRIC, 1998). We interviewed one hundred and ten (110) teachers who work at schools in the Metropolitan Regions of Natal. We use two procedures: focal group (GATTI, 2005) and multiple classification analysis MCA (ROAZZI, 1995).Thus us with the focal group, attended by eight (08) teachers and seek to know understanding their ideas about EJA, what was possible from the content analysis (BARDIN, 1977; FRANCO, 2007) of the following category: the teacher s view of the EJA context. Developing the MCA, we met twenty (20) teachers in the first stage, free-word association technique FAT (ABRIC, 1998), and ninety in the second stage, including the participants of the focal group. The results of this procedure were submitted to multidimensional analysis and content analysis. The first showed three facets: having and being teacher dimension (ideal), which was about the example teacher s characteristics and behaviors; teacher/ student relation which was about the difficulties and doubts of this relationship as well as its success; at last, conflicting dimension from/ with practice, based on the conflicts experienced by the teachers as EJA workers. Content analysis based on the theme organization from the interpreted data showed four categories: resources to be a teacher which also brought out the definition of an ideal teacher; talk about teaching which disclosed teachers thoughts about the knowledge and being a teacher; obstacles to EJA which showed situations and conditions that prejudice EJA development; and also admission as EJA teacher: viewing reasons which revealed the reasons why teachers went to EJA even though they were formed to deal with children. The conjoint analysis us evidenced the little the dominion of the teachers a participation these search at respect of origin, of the meaning of the character while the singular of EJA modality of teaching the conformation of the social representation from the ―To be‖ on the general vision dissociating with it of inexistence of a social representation of ―to be teacher of the EJA‖ white striking element in the reference at singularity that define the related modality of teaching

Mecanismos sócio-genéticos da representação social de trabalho docente por grupos de licenciandos de física e de química da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

This research aims to understand the social representations Teaching Work in groups of undergraduate students of Physics and Chemistry of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. For this, the proposal was based on the three theoretical and methodological consensus Carvalho (2012) in the explanation of socio-genetic mechanisms constituents of dynamic consensus that has functionality to your organization. It Was used to achieve this goal, the theoretical-epistemological Serge Moscovici (1978, 2003), Jodelet (2011), Wagner (1998,( 2011) and Carvalho (2012). The corpus analyzed results from a qualitative and quantitative research, developed in three stages. The first two (2) questionnaires to fifty (50) of each undergraduate course, a questionnaire and another profile for collection of free associations concerning motes inductors "Give Lesson," "Student" and "Teacher". The second step in the procedure Multiple Classifications, Roazzi (1995), aimed for another thirty (30) undergraduate students for each course, as well as Document Analysis of Educational Projects Curriculum courses in Physics and Chemistry. The data analysis of the first stage focused on descriptive statistics and frequency and average order of the words associated with motes inductors. The results from the Multiple Classification Procedure submitted to multidimensional analysis (MSA multidimensional scalogram analysis) and SSA (Similarity Structure Analysis), were interpreted by the theoretical and methodological proposal of the three consensus, supported by analysis of the rhetorical nature of justifications classifications and categorizations of words, boosted in times of application of Procedure Multiple Classification. The data revealed that the groups surveyed were the same Social Representation with specific dynamic consensual. Thinking Teaching Work for these groups it is considered in three dimensions: the BE-DO-HAVE of teaching. In the group of Physics consensus was clear semantic, which expressed a dynamic in which the interpretations of "Teaching Work" peacefully coexist on perceptions of two concepts: An identity around the "BE" "Teacher" or "BE" "Educator" and the other, how they think about professional development. The type of group consensus Chemistry pointed to a consensual logic hierarchical order in which the gradual between the elements of BE-DO-HAVE attested conflicts and disagreements about the perceptual object "Teaching Work", around what value most, whether they are the attributes of personal or professional-technical dimension of teaching, in the course of professional development. The thesis to explain the mechanisms of socio-genetic Representation Social Teaching Work by theoretical and methodological proposal was confirmed

Campo educacional e representação social da formação docente :o olhar dos agentes

Teaching formation has been the target of many changes, having been forged according to numerous formats and models through different times and spaces, composing thus, different codes and curricular proposals for different levels of qualification. We've tried in this work to pinpoint the main discussions which take place in the area of the teaching formation, based in the views of modern writers. We ve also tried, through the Social Representations Theory, to reveal and learn how the agents directly involved in this process realize and react, that is, the teachers who cope with the beginning stages of the Fundamental Teaching in the public school system in Natal/RN, taking into account that, in many cases, such formation demands the rethinking of the very formation policies. We've also adopted the concepts of field and educational field introduced by the praxiology of Pierre Bourdieu. It s been considered a fundamental theoretical reference which enables the understanding of social phenomena, both in macro and micro viewpoints. Thus, we do not neglect the whole, and particularly, the nuances of each context or specific situation. In the methodological track we ve used for data gathering the Free Word Association Test, and the Semi-Structured Interview, and also secondary sources for the characterization of the research spectre. Data treatment and analysis were performed with the help of the following software: SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences and EVOC; and the method of Content Category Analysis. The combination of the concepts and techniques mentioned above was necessary to cope with the qualitative and quantitative aspects, in our attempt to offer a wider range of contributions and outcome validations, which have shown, among other less explicit elements, the existence of a social representation of the teaching formation such as: knowledge theoretical and practical; a necessity imposed by the symbolical conflicts of the social field; capacitation and compromisse. We acknowledge the relevance of the thoughts discussed here, though aware that this is just one of the possible approaches to the theme

O sensível no trabalho docente: representação social entre docentes do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte

The aim of this study was to analyze the social representation of the sensible among teachers of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte, attempting to identify its constituents and understand the dynamics that gives functionality to your organization. The study is significant considering that the professional conduct can not be delineated in its complexity without unraveling the social representations that teachers themselves have of their being and doing professional. The theoretical and methodological framework of the research is the theory of social representation. 107 teachers from various backgrounds participated. To collect the data were used as instruments : a questionnaire listing, which subsidizes the characterization of the subjects , the TALP - technique of free association of words ( ABRIC , 1994) , the PCM - Procedure for Multiple Ratings ( ROAZZI , 1995) ; questionnaire redemption of sensitive memories of the subjects in their school experiences of childhood , adolescence, youth and teaching practice . The PCM data, in which the slogan was directed at rating Give class, were submitted to multidimensional statistical analysis. Already TALP was analyzed by EVOC 2000 software, the profile questionnaire received descriptive statistical analysis and the memories received the questionnaire analysis of thematic content, Bardin (2004). Taken together, the results point to a social representation of sensitive teaching (the game, the fun, the touch, the smile, the relaxation) are not in the classroom. The sensitive pure still fits in school, but only in the courtyard, on the playground, in the intervals, therefore, outside of space-time class, playful perch that lives in each of us is totally strange to this world of the classroom . After doing the Approximation of ideas , we realized three discourses evident in the reports of teachers : the discourse of Numbness in which we perceive the distance of the teacher in relation to sensitive component as a facilitator in the learning process , the discourse of Feeling , in which we can discern small approximation to the sensitive dialogues and proposed in this study , the speech of reflection in which teachers analyze, evaluate and establish a discourse on the importance of education in sensitive , but not actualize in their teaching practice

Práticas educativas escolares ancoradas às mídias tecnológicas: um estudo da contextualização da tecnologia na realidade de uma escola municipal em Natal/RN

Presenta un estudio acerca de las prácticas educativas en las escuelas ancladas a la utilización de los medios de comunicación y tecnologías educativas. Pretende dar a conocer, como los medios tecnológicos se constituyen en la actualidad, más precisamente en la educación. Como sujetos sociales, los niños de la investigación usan esos medios. Trata los problemas relacionados con las formas de ver el lugar de la vida de los niños, mediado por las herramientas técnicas, campos técnicos de varios idiomas. La investigación plantea una discusión de cómo podemos promover un encuentro de las prácticas escolares educativas mediados por la tecnología, aplicadas al contexto educativo y la experiencia de los estudiantes. La posible respuesta a cómo el maestro puede replantearse su papel como educador y tratar de construir, junto con el alumno, los conocimientos de manera significativa

A representação social de disciplinas didático-pedagógicas no contexto da formação inicial docente: um entremear de saberes

We seek, through this study, to analyze about social representation that the students of licentiate degree course of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte - IFRN - have about didactic-pedagogical subjects. We utilize the Social Representations Theory (MOSCOVICI, 2009; 2012; JODELET, 2001) as a theoretical and methodological contribution and as aim, we identify this social representation and understand how it is influenced by the formation of these undergraduates. So we developed the research under the seven undergraduate classroom courses offered by IFRN, namely: Biology, Spanish, Physics, Geography, Computer Science, Mathematics and Chemistry, covering units located both in the capital and in the countryside. While methodological approach we used the Procedure of Multiple Classification (PMC) - (ROAZZI, 1995), whose realization requires a set of words achieved through of Free Technique of Words Association - FTWA - (ABRIC, 1998). For this realization we have a total of one hundred twenty (120) participants, with thirty (30) in FTWA and other stage in the realization of free classification and directed that correspond to the MPR. Achieved the empirical data, we use the analysis of content (BARDIN, 2011; FRANCO, 2007) and multidimensional (ROAZZI, 1995) for the course of his interpretation. Finally, we identify the social representation of didactic and pedagogical subjects centered around the idea that it is through these subjects that can achieve the profile of "good professional" as one who gathers knowledge and attributes required for the full development of teaching involving capabilities it and characteristics that mark the sense of professionalism. Furthermore, we found that the anchoring social representation on the understanding that these disciplines "teach the teacher to be" in the image and its objectification of the "good teacher", ie, one that reaches through the training process and experiences, qualities that make it unique and able to carry full professional. Still see that the actions of the teacher trainer affects the way students perceive, assume and engage in the study of teaching and pedagogical subjects and it reflects significantly the social representation then created

A Tessitura de sentidos: representação social de licenciados do curso deletras da UFRN sobre o ensinar

En esta investigación, se busca comprender los procesos de formación de pregrado del Curso de Cartas da UFRN, de estas representaciones sociales acerca de los estudiantes de enseñanza. Por lo tanto, el objetivo fue conocer y analizar las representaciones sociales de curso de pregrado UFRN Cartas sobre la enseñanza. Por lo tanto, se aplica la Técnica de Libre de Palabras Asociación (TALP) con 20 participantes, después de haber sido probados individualmente, utilizando como estímulo palabra "enseñar" y limitar el número de invocaciones a 03 palabras por participante. Esta técnica fue elegida porque es una técnica proyectiva que permite la reducción y racionalización permite acceder al campo semántico de las representaciones sociales, en nuestro caso, en la enseñanza del de pregrado do Curso de Cartas da UFRN. Por lo tanto, llegamos a total de 60 llamadas, análisis de frecuencia después de 41 y 24 después de un análisis del significado que se utilizaron en otro procedimiento aplicado en esta investigación, las calificaciones de Procedimiento de Múltiples Calificaciones (PCM). Estas palabras, sobre la base de las justificaciones de las evocaciones y significados que atribuyen participantes en la investigación, se dividieron en 4 campos semánticos: Campo 1: Aspectos técnicos de la enseñanza, Campo 2: aspectos volitivos, Campo 3: aspectos relacionales de la enseñanza y de Campo 4: Elementos del campo. El PCM se aplicó de forma individual, con 50 estudiantes. Para el análisis de los datos generados, utilizamos Análisis Multidimensional (MDS) para la Escala Multidimensional de Evaluación Análisis gratuito (MSA: Multidimensional Scalogram Analysis) y el análisis de clasificación selectiva de los espacios menores (SSA: Smallest Space Analysis). El mapa generado por el análisis de MSA fue dividido en tres regiones: Aspectos de los aspectos de enseñanza, capacitación y asistencia técnica de los promotores de la profesionalización, la primera región que tiene una sub-regionalización llamada dimensión negativa. El mapa de la SSA análisis se dividió en dos partes y un subfaceta, llamado el aspecto faceta técnica de la enseñanza y la formación, la segunda faceta llamado Vínculo entre el campo y la enseñanza específica y su nombre subfaceta aspecto relacional. Del análisis del contenido de las justificaciones de la PCM, llegó a 5 categorías, a saber: Hacer la enseñanza, la faceta negativa, Escuela, Formación y faceta afectiva del profesor. El TALP aporta pruebas de que algunos de estos estudiantes ve la oportunidad de adquirir unos conocimientos en esta área, la formación en un nivel superior, como quieran, simplemente tienen un título universitario para realizar licitación abierta. El PCM nos ha hecho comprender que el contenido representacional en cuestión se configura desde el universo consensual conectado a la profesión y la formación. Por lo tanto, podemos decir que los titulares de licencias con respecto al tema estudiado anclar la representación social de "enseñar" a la imagen de ser un maestro y objetivar la imagen de la profesión

Atividade física na terceira idade: Uma análise de sua contribuições para o estilo de vida através das representações sociais

Temáticas emergentes e estratégicas da política de saúde em nível mundial têm suscitado reflexões para ações sócio educativas com idosos. Esta pesquisa questiona as aspirações desse segmento social face às experiências de qualidade proporcionadas pela atividade física. Objetivo: investigar as representações sociais da atividade física na terceira idade. Método: pesquisa de corte transversal com abordagem quanti-qualitativa. A amostra foi nãoprobabilística e por conveniência apoiada na Teoria das Representações Sociais e a Teoria do Núcleo Central. O estudo foi realizado com alunos de um projeto para a terceira idade com sede no Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica do Rio Grande do Norte (CEFET), no município de Natal/RN, Brasil. Para a coleta dos dados utilizou-se de questionário semi-estruturado, composto de três partes: A Parte I, para a caracterização social da amostra e identificação da percepção da atividade física para a saúde; a Parte II, com evocação livre de palavras e a Parte III, com uma questão aberta. Análise dos dados: A exploração do material deu-se a partir dos seguintes softs: do SPSS para análise de freqüência simples (parte I); do EVOC (parte II) e do ALCESTE (parte III). Complementarmente, foi utilizada a análise de conteúdo a fim de inferir/corroborar sobre os núcleos de sentido da comunicação. Resultados: O núcleo central da representação foi composto por felicidade/saúde/dança e ginástica, revelando diferentes entendimentos e mostrando também que o conhecimento construído da atividade física assume um papel preponderante na vida de idosos, adquirindo gradativamente, a representação de vida com mais saúde e qualidade na velhice . A composição do núcleo central ao considerar elaborações mentais, emoções, práticas e explicações oriundas do cotidiano que se introduzem na constituição da representação social em foco, poderá influenciar as escolhas e estratégias de se desenvolver melhora nos padrões de saúde e na qualidade de vida dos idosos.