“I WANTED TO LEARN TO BE A TEACHER.” ON THE TRAINING OF RESEARCHERS IN THE POST-GRADUATION PROGRAMS IN THE FIELD OF FOOD AND NUTRITION IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Training and employability of masters of the Brazilian Stricto sensu Post-Graduation Programs in Foodand Nutrition were studied from the Bourdieu’s concepts of scientific field, scientific capital, symbolic powerand habitus, Kuhn’s concepts of paradigm and scientific community and of network according to Collins. Ofthe 21 programs in the area of Nutrition accredited by the Coordination for the Improvement of HigherEducation Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES), thirteenrelied on graduates in the chosen period of study; Of these 13 programs, ten provided information forthe communication with their students post graduated between 2000 and 2010. After phone contacts, wesent a questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions via email and we obtained 176 responses frommasters, which corresponds to 32.5% adherence, above similar studies. Quantitative data were analyzedusing descriptive statistics and the open questions were analyzed by means of content analysis, according toBardin. The vast majority were nutritionists (88%), female (88%), who entered the master’s degree course,on average, at the age of 28, approximately four and a half years after the completion of graduation. Theytook about two years to defend their dissertations which were published by 63% of the graduates, mainlyin the form of a scientific paper. After the completion of the master’s degree course, 42% of graduatescontinued to publish. Teaching was highlighted on their expectations when entering the master’s degreeprogram. The inclusion in educational activities increased from 28% at the time of entering the master’s to57% in 2012; it quadrupled their presence in residency programs teaching and increased it from 18% to 38%in undergraduate teaching. About half of the graduates (55%) said that their expectations were fully metor even exceeded, this being attributed to the scientific improvement and to the good qualification of theprofessors of the programs. In contrast, the failure in the preparation for teaching, and the short time andthe pressures for the completion of the master’s were existent complaints. Of these masters, 38% are studyingor have completed their PhD. Generally speaking, a profile tuned with the paradigm that guides the scientificcommunity nowadays in Brazil from the federal instances of policymaking in science and technology: rapidformation of researchers accompanied by publication of articles, as a new habitus that is being establishedin universities. It is a Brazilian scenario which is in favorable conditions for a capitalist-pattern economicgrowth with the valorization of the scientific productivity of international visibility and guidance to science interference in the production and in the market for goods and services. In this study, we can consider thisconfiguration of new rules in the scientific game with agile investment in technical training to research andthe short time for the exercise of critical theory and for the pedagogical preparation of teaching activityas a limitation that may not be favorable to the reflection and the questioning of the scientific field. Wehighlight a scientific field in an advanced stage of consolidation, in a favorable time to rethink the paradigmand to reflect on the valorization of teacher training and the assumption of sociocultural dimensions in thescientific field of Food and Nutrition.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12957/demetra.2014.13251