PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF SAO PAULO: NUANCES OF CURRICULUM APPROPRIATION BY SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

The aim of the research was to investigate how Physical Education teachers assess and adopt the Curriculum of the State of Sao Paulo in secondary education. A total of 62 teachers participated in the study. To support an open-ended question, a semi-structured questionnaire with closed questions was utilized and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that 98.4% of teachers claimed to use the curriculum in their teaching practices. The responses to the open-ended question about the reasons for following or not following the curriculum unveiled three aspects: negative, pragmatic, or appreciative of the document. The curricular domain encompasses aspects beyond the didactic and pedagogical realms, extending into the political, social, and economic spheres. In this intricate context, engaging with Physical Education entails acknowledging its nascent epistemological position as a field of knowledge that tentatively fosters curriculum development and teaching in itself. It can be concluded that the curriculum seems to fulfill its guiding role. The importance of considering teachers' opinions in the (re)evaluation of public policies was highlighted, particularly in light of the recent changes in secondary education, which are increasingly influenced by the neoliberal logic of the precariousness of the public sphere.