ATUAÇÃO DE PROFESSORAS DE BERÇÁRIO E SUAS CONCEPÇÕES SOBRE O DESENVOLVIMENTO INFANTIL INICIAL

Abstract

The baby, in it’s first year of life, is perceived in contemporary developmental psychology as active, expressive and sensitive, who in its journey experiences important milestones that are a product of the formation of higher psychological functions and cultural appropriations at the beginning of life. In this process, the mediation of more experienced subjects of the culture in the different social spaces in which the child is present is fundamental. In the present study, it’s highlighted the context of the day care center for the development of babies, since this is a context in which the child spends a good part of their time and can, through the mediation of the educators, contribute to the development of skills in childhood. In this direction, this study is characterized as a qualitative research with the aim of investigating conceptions and practices of nursery educators about child development in the first year of life. The participant of this study were five nursery teachers from five Early Childhood Education City Centers in the city of João Pessoa-PB. The educators answered a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, with their responses examined through qualitative content analysis. The material collected in the interviews was discussed based on the literature of developmental psychology, early childhood education and cultural-historical theory. The information collected indicated that the educators perceive the baby in its first year of life based on its affective issues, participation in activities and demonstrated skills. Perceived changes in the babies were mainly related to motor and communicative skills, besides changes in children's behavior that indicate advances in social understanding. In the interaction routine of the teachers with the babies, there was emphasis on moments of care, welcoming and activities, these involving games, storytelling and sound, visual and tactile stimulation. The educators' perception of the role of their work for the development of babies pointed to affection, work along the family and practice issues, such as care, stimulation of development and attention to the needs of babies. It is reaffirmed that the way the professionals exercise their work with the little ones is influenced by their worldview, understanding of their function, their knowledge and conceptions about babies and their development. On this account, the importance of nursery teachers’ instructions is highlighted, as well as the establishment of a partnership with psychologists in this context aiming the elaboration of interventions that mobilize intentionally pedagogical practices that consider the development situations of the subjects.