The training and construction of the professional identity of social educators in Portugal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/reec.47.2025.44431Keywords:
training, social educators, vocation, supervised practice, higher educationAbstract
Training is an essential component in the construction and consolidation of the professional identity of social educators. In Portugal, study plans in Social Education have evolved to keep up with the demands of the profession and current times. Alongside professional practice, the process of academization of Social Education in Portugal spans around three decades, although with constant transformations in terms of academic degrees (bachelor's degree, two-stage degree and degree) and also in terms of programmatic contents. Therefore, it becomes pertinent to evaluate the representations of social educators regarding their initial and ongoing training, and the motivations that led them to choose this course in the area of social sciences. To respond to this objective, a mixed model was chosen, which combines a quantitative and qualitative approach, with the application of a questionnaire, documentary research, interviews and discussion groups. With these techniques, we sought to understand the meanings and perceptions that are attributed to the training itineraries of social educators. From the results, we conclude that the scientific preparation of social educators is crucial in the construction and consolidation of their professional identity. However, the specificity of social educator training is complex and, at the same time, a factor that facilitates and hinders the recognition of the profession. On the one hand, the plurality of knowledge provides greater intervention versatility to the social educator; on the other hand, the scientific areas on which Social Education is based provide an educational perspective that responds to the complexity of social problems, but also bring the profession closer to other similar professional areas, which makes it difficult to consolidate its professional practice.
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