Ensino remoto durante a pandemia de covid-19: representações sociais por estudantes universitários

Abstract

Emergency remote teaching emerged as a response to the health crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic, particularly in universities. Higher education institutions worldwide had to adapt their methodologies to the digital environment, facing technological, pedagogical, and emotional challenges. In Brazil, this transition affected university students, who were confronted with new demands such as the intensive use of online platforms, the lack of face-toface interaction, and the need to reorganize their study routines. In this context, the present study aimed to understand the social representations of students from the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Programs at the Federal University of Bahia regarding remote teaching during the covid-19 pandemic. Data were collected through the Free Word Association Test and semistructured interviews. The test data were interpreted from the perspective of the structural approach to social representations, and the interviews were analyzed based on a maximum similarity tree, processed using the Iramuteq software, and based on content analysis. Remote teaching provided students with autonomy, self-regulation, and organization, as well as the need for time and study management. Regarding social representations, the terms evoked in the central core of the structure reflect a comprehensive perception of remote teaching. 'Fatigue' and 'distance', the most frequently evoked terms, reveal the exhaustion of students due to the workload and the lack of physical proximity, which hindered social interaction and deeper engagement in academic activities. Terms such as 'ease' and 'safety' highlight positive aspects, such as the convenience of studying from home and protection against the spread of the virus. Remote teaching brought up challenges related to mental health, social isolation and adapting to the new teaching model. At the same time, its potential was seen, as it allowed students to be the protagonists of their teaching-learning process, using innovative technologies and methodologies, with resilience during the period. We have thus verified that remote teaching has made it possible to continue educational activities during the covid-19 pandemic and that the social representations of this model encompass both positive and negative points.