Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Many children face difficulties in learning in their early years in elementary school. Although there is much research on several theoretical aspects of learning disability, the emphasis is commonly associated exclusively with the cognitive-intellectual process. This superficial vision limits the possibility of a complex understanding of the problem. Advancing further in relation to the traditional view of learning difficulties in school, this paper reports on research carried out during my master´s degree, in a public elementary school in Brazil. The aim of the study was to comprehend how new subjective configurations emerge in school, mostly taking into consideration the quality of human relationships built in the classroom and the achievements in learning in this process. Among the cases studied, one is chosen for in-depth discussion in this presentation: a girl, seven years old, who was not socially integrated within the classroom, which made her feel isolated as well as demotivated concerning the school activities in the classroom. The theoretical and epistemological position on which the research was based was the Theory of Subjectivity, from a cultural-historical standpoint, as well as its epistemological and methodological proposition, Qualitative Epistemology and the constructive-interpretative method. The methodological tools used were conversational dynamics and diverse interactive sessions with groups of students, sometimes including the teacher. The contribution of this work relates to the possibility of advancing further in the comprehension of the subjective processes involved in the learning development, which makes it possible to articulate educational processes, subjective development and the school teaching-learning process.