Os servidores públicos são acomodados? percepções dos professores de uma escola estadual de ensino fundamental de Porto Alegre

Abstract

The study aims to: a) identify the reasons that lead the study group to enter and remain in the public service, b) identify the specific reasons for staying in the teaching profession in a public institution, c) investigate the assumption – arising from common sense – that the conformity is among those reasons. The research is qualitative and descriptive, with respondents are a group of elementary school teachers from a school located in a poor community in Porto Alegre. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, recorded and transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis (Bardin, 1977). The theoretical bases were: a) work in the public sector – with emphasis on Motta (1986 and 1981), b) Psychodynamics of Work (Dejours, 2007, 2001, 1992), c) recent study by Czekster (2007) with similar goals and sample to the present study. The following reasons for entry and remaining in public service were found: learning; influence models; vocation, coincidence, and benefits package. Note that the reasons for entry and remaining in teaching career and public service are the same, with the exception of two motives for remaining in the career but not for entry: conformity and difficulties in the labor market. The motives for remaining include the pleasure from the relationship involving students and colleagues, pride in contributing to society, idealism, and the fulfillment of commitments to the society. Suffering results from social problems; colleagues; powerlessness; deficient public education authorities, and students. Conformity can be assumed to be affected for remaining rather than entering the teaching career in public service. The subjects that refer to conformity are conformed to according to their own perceptions to an environment with many factors that induce suffering.