Novo ensino médio: a integração curricular através do projeto de vida após a conclusão do ensino médio dos estudantes em uma escola estadual de Juiz de Fora-MG

Abstract

This study sought to answer the guiding question: how can a school promote curriculum integration through the life projects of students attending a state public school in Juiz de For a, with a view to the period following the completion of high school? To this end, the study aimed to analyze practices that could be implemented by school management to strengthen such integration. The specific objectives were to describe the challenges involved in the implementation of the New High School Model (NEM) in the school under investigation, to examine the perceptions of students, teachers, and the school management team regarding the challenges of curricular integration; and to propose an Educational Action Plan with pedagogical practices designed to articulate curriculum components with students’ life projects. The theoretical framework was based on the concepts of curriculum integration, youth, and youth protagonism. Beane (2003) understands curriculum integration as a means of establishing connections among different areas of knowledge, making learning more meaningful, while Fazenda (2011) highlights interdisciplinarity as an essential element of this process. This qualitative study was conducted as a case study in a state public school in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The participants included 50 students enrolled in the first, second, and third years of high school attending morning and evening classes, eight high school teachers, five NEM coordinators who have worked at the school since 2022, as well as the principal and vice-principals. Data were collected through focus group discussions with students and teachers and semistructured interviews with coordinators and school administrators. The study was carried out in four stages: bibliographic and documentary review; data collection; data analysis through triangulation and content analysis; and the development of an Educational Action Plan containing proposals to strengthen curriculum integration and students’ life-projects. The study sought to contribute to the discussion of school management practices that support curriculum integration within the context of the New High School Model, promoting an educational experience more closely aligned with students’ life projects.