Perfil dos professores de Educação Física que atuam nos grupos de terceira idade de Santa Maria/RS

Abstract

Introduction: In elderly it is bound to happen loss in some capabilities, highlighting the biological, psychological and social domains, that is why Physical Education practices a fundamental role when referring to the aging process, because, through the practice of physical activities well guided and specifically oriented to the needs of the elderly, it is possible to retard or to minimize the degenerative effects of the aging increase. Objective: The objective of this survey was to identify the profile of teachers and students of Physical Education who work in Groups of Physical Activities for the Seniors in Santa Maria/RS, analyzing the level of knowledge, the motivation and the their updating in the human aging theme. Methods: 10 teachers and students of Physical Education were interviewed, from these, 8 were women and 2 were men, with an average of 28,6+6,0 years, who teach in groups of physical activities for seniors in Santa Maria/RS. The tools used, were three questionnaires adapted from Cachioni (2003) and a descriptive analysis of the data was performed. Results: The results found show that the professionals have greater knowledge in physical (70%) and cognitive (66,7%) domains, and less knowledge in psychological (50%) and social (30%) domains. Conclusion: So, to understand the aging process in a whole way, it is necessary a combination of knowledge and actions from the teachers who work with elderly and from their educational institutions. A reflection from those professionals about their pedagogical action in terms of qualifying and focusing the work done with the elderly is also indispensable.