"Cérebro docente": explorando a complexidade do ato de ensinar no contexto dos Institutos Federais

Abstract

This research explores teaching from the perspective of Neuroscience and Education, emphasizing different dimensions related to teaching practice. Teaching, as a profession, is understood to transcend technical aspects, also encompassing emotional and interactional dimensions. Although Neuroscience has significantly contributed to the understanding of learning processes, research on the "teaching brain" remains limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate factors that characterize teaching and teacher development, considering contextual, emotional, and cognitive aspects within the Institutos Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia (IFs). The research is exploratory and descriptive, employing a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) approach with a longitudinal component. The study was conducted in three stages. The first stage characterized the specificities of the educational environment in the IFs through bibliographic and documentary research, identifying 38 IFs with 602 campuses distributed across the 27 federal units. Additionally, a mapping was conducted to identify the profiles of IF teachers, with an online questionnaire applied to 458 teachers (48.9% women and 51.1% men) across all Brazilian states. The questionnaire covered aspects of health, sociodemographic data, professional roles, and career trajectories. The second stage investigated the emotional dynamics of teachers, with 288 participants from the previous stage. Four instruments were used: the Mental Health Index (MHI-5), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), the Teacher Emotions Scales (TES), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). A question on professional fulfillment, repeated from the first stage, aimed to analyze its dynamics over time. The third stage examined the cognitive aspects involved in teaching at IFs, using narrative deepening as a lens to explore dimensions suggested by quantitative data but not fully explained. To this end, the study explored "The Five Awareness of Teaching," derived from the Teaching Brain Theory (Rodriguez; Fitzpatrick, 2014), through five cognitive interviews with black and brown female teachers. The interviews used an adaptation of the "Self-in-Relation-to-Teaching (SiR2T)" tool, developed by Rodriguez (2013). Each participant represented one of Brazil’s five regions, contributing diverse regional and contextual perspectives. The findings indicate that mental health and emotional regulation are central aspects of the teaching experience, influencing well-being and teaching dynamics. Teachers with better mental health reported higher subjective happiness and enjoyment in teaching, while expressive suppression was associated with higher levels of anger. Physical activity was positively related to subjective happiness, and gender differences revealed distinct emotional regulation strategies. Less time working at a Instituto Federal was associated with higher levels of anger in teaching, suggesting that the early career phase may be a period of greater emotional burden and adaptive challenges. Changes in professional fulfillment levels were identified over time, revealing that perception is not static but rather tied to institutional environment, working conditions, recognition and support, and connections with others in the educational context. The qualitative analysis highlighted the importance of interpersonal relationships and a sense of belonging in the teaching experience, emphasizing that identity is not formed in isolation but within relational contexts through meaningful connections. The intersectionality of structural challenges faced by female teachers (gender, race, age, and geographic location) underscores the need for more critical, inclusive, and humanized approaches, as well as educational policies that consider not only pedagogical demands but also the emotional and relational aspects of teaching. By highlighting the intersection between teaching, emotion, cognition, and context within the plural environment of IFs, this research brings attention to the teaching experience in the neuroscientific and educational debate, encouraging further investigations and contributing to reflections on institutional support and professional well-being.