Brazilian Federal University Research Articles

Globalization and the Political Economy of the Brazilian Federal University

The purpose of this research is to explain how Brazilian higher education becomes a commodity of global capitalism through a focus on institutional culture change, which transforms academic independence toward a model of corporate-sponsored applied research. Brazilian federal universities are invested in S.T.E.M. education and are instruments in the country’s twenty-first century hegemonic aspirations. This national development strategy has ramifications for the humanities, fine arts, and social sciences. Applied science and public-private partnerships (PPP) have irreversibly changed the trajectory of the Brazilian public university and its relationship to global capitalism. This research examines these changes to higher education and Brasilia’s broader political agenda through a critical political economy perspective.

Bibliotecas universitárias federais e a noção de bens públicos

Introdução: Aborda a noção de esfera pública, bens públicos e o acesso ao conhecimento no contexto das bibliotecas universitárias federais brasileiras com o objetivo de refletir, sob a perspectiva de Habermas (2003) e Bobbio (2007), os desafios de tais instituições enquanto bens públicos e, por conseguinte, facilitadoras do acesso aos registros do conhecimento em instituições de ensino superior federais. Tem como objetivo analisar a aplicação da noção de bens públicos nas bibliotecas universitárias federais, verificando os desdobramentos deste reconhecimento nas condições de acesso aos registros do conhecimento. Método: Trata-se de pesquisa documental e bibliográfica respaldada inicialmente nos autores supracitados, adicionando-se considerações derivadas de documentos que apresentam programas estatais e estudos acadêmicos que discutem a necessidade de efetiva política pública para as bibliotecas universitárias federais brasileiras. Resultados: Considerou-se que as bibliotecas universitárias federais brasileiras operam como contribuintes na construção do conhecimento científico e na formação humana e, ainda que não se reconheça a biblioteca universitária como “bem público” no âmbito da esfera pública, os documentos analisados reforçam a necessidade de articular distintas políticas públicas e investir na recomposição de quadros de bibliotecários. Conclusão: Enfatiza-se a importância das bibliotecas universitárias federais brasileiras como bens públicos devido a sua condição de agente contribuinte no acesso aos registros do conhecimento, promotora social da informação e partícipe na formação humana e como espaço a ser apropriado efetivamente por distintos atores sociais.

Mapeamento e Análise da Percepção das Mudanças Associadas ao Acesso Aberto à Literatura Científica com Bibliotecários e Profissionais de Informação de Universidades Públicas Federais e Estaduais do Brasil

The objective of this research was to explore the perceptions of librarians and information professionals of public federal and state university libraries in Brazil located at the front of the potential impact of the open access movement (OA) to scientific literature. This research adopted a qualitative-quantitative methodological approach. A questionnaire was created, adapted from that of Palmer, Dill and Christie (2009), which profiled the professional responsible for university digital libraries and institutional repositories in the United States, adapting it to the Brazilian scenario. 1125 questionnaires were sent to librarians of all the federal universities in Brazil, and to one university in each state, and 244 completed questionnaires were obtained in full, totalling 21.68%. The results identified that the librarians of public universities in Brazil understand the concept of OA, and most of them strongly agree that OA can fail in that country without the involvement of university libraries. Most of the respondents are engaged in the process of promoting and encouraging OA within their institutions and libraries. Regarding their education and training, the vast majority graduated this century (between 2000 and 2012), and 65% have a postgraduate specialization course / MBA, mainly in the areas of Management and Public Libraries. To conclude, it is understood that in general, the results show that the librarians of Brazilian public federal and state university libraries accept the precepts and principles of OA, regarding that they have a crucial role in promoting it, and feel empowered to deal with the challenges it brings, and they are seeking various forms of continued professional development.

Um modelo estilizado da produção de serviços: aplicação empírica a uma amostra de bibliotecas no Rio de Janeiro 2000 – 2007

Embora reduzidas em número, as aplicações de modelos originados na área de Operações ao caso de bibliotecas estão registradas na literatura. Este trabalho adota uma visão estilizada em que a produção de serviços é representada como simples transformação de insumos em produtos, sem atentar para a especificidade dos processos produtivos envolvidos. O principal objetivo do trabalho é examinar empiricamente como essa transformação ocorre, focalizando como se comportam os elos entre insumos e produtos ao longo do período de análise. O exame empírico se apóia em dados coletados junto a uma amostra representando mais de 80% do universo das bibliotecas de uma IFES no Rio de Janeiro entre 2000 e 2007. Com auxílio da técnica multivariada da Correlação Canônica foi possível identificar associações significativas entre grupos de insumos e de produtos. Os resultados mostram que esses grupos se interligam a um nível de significância inferior a 5% e que a medida chamada de redundância cruzada quase sempre excedeu 50%, podendo ser considerada uma boa indicação de poder explicativo, uma vez que os dados se referem a cross sections anuais. Dentre os elos insumo-produto identificados como significativos, o efeito quantitativamente dominante reflete a combinação dos três insumos – a saber, pessoal, acervo e espaço – enquanto que a área ocupada aparece de novo, isoladamente, como segunda dimensão significativa.

Como entender a vaidade feminina utilizando a autoestima e a personalidade

O artigo busca compreender a relação da autoestima e variáveis de personalidade na vaidade feminina e como essas associações podem influenciar a propensão de buscar cirurgias plásticas estéticas (CPEs). Usando o modelo 3M (MOWEN, 2000) , realizou-se um levantamento com 697 alunas de uma universidade federal brasileira, com idade entre 18 e 50 anos. Vaidade foi operacionalizada por dois traços: preocupação com aparência, que consiste em uma observação exagerada da aparência física, e visão vaidosa, referente à avaliação excessivamente positiva da própria aparência. Os principais achados in- dicam que quanto maior a criatividade, extroversão, amabilidade e necessidade de manter e de realçar o corpo, maior será a autoestima, e quanto maior a autoestima, menor a preocupação exagerada com a aparência física e maior a avaliação positiva que uma mulher faz de sua aparência. Mulheres materialistas e com necessidade maior de recursos corporais são mais excessivamente preocupadas com a aparência. A influência da vaidade na propensão à CPE deu-se por meio do traço preocupação com aparência.

Uma greve, várias lições. A greve das universidades federais

O artigo traça uma sintética análise da greve de 120 dias dos docentes das Universidades Federais brasileiras, ocorrida em 2012. É conferida ênfase à discussão sobre os projetos governamentais para a educação superior no Brasil atual e a greve é tratada como um enfrentamento que teve como alvo principal justamente a degradação das condições de trabalho docente decorrentes desses projetos. Ao fim, é feita uma avaliação de alguns aspectos do impacto da greve na conjuntura.

Uma greve, várias lições. A greve das universidades federais no Brasil em 2012

This paper provides a brief analysis of the 120 day strike that occurred in 2012 launched by the faculty of Brazilian federal universities. Emphasis is placed on the discussion regarding government projects for higher education in present-day Brazil, and the strike is addressed as a confrontation whose main theme was the decline of the conditions in teaching work, precisely derived from these projects. At the end an evaluation is made of some aspects of the impact the strike had given the circumstances.

PLANO DE DESENVOLVIMENTO INSTITUCIONAL DE UNIVERSIDADES FEDERAIS BRASILEIRAS

<p>O Plano de Desenvolvimento Institucional – pdi – é um instrumento que fornece informações relevantes sobre as instituições de ensino superior. Essas informações revelam a identidade das universidades e expressam metas e ações visando à qualidade de ensino. Este instrumento serve como apoio ao controle dos recursos financeiros, planejamento de novos investimentos e de novas tecnologias, visando o desenvolvimento. O Ministério da Educação do Brasil – mec – por meio da lei nº 10.861/04, disponibilizou um modelo base para elaboração do pdi, que serve como pré-requisito para o processo de credenciamento, autorização e reconhecimento de cursos superiores. Diante do contexto, o objetivo da pesquisa foi identificar se os pdi´s das Universidades Federais Brasileiras contemplam os requisitos e dimensões estabelecidos pelo mec. Os procedimentos metodológicos caracterizam o estudo de cunho descritivo, análise documental e quantitativo. Com base na lei e nos requisitos estabelecidos pelo mec, foi elaborado um check list para facilitar a coleta e análise dos dados. A coleta dos dados foi realizada por meio dos documentos contidos nos sítios eletrônicos das instituições da amostra, constituindo-se em 24 universidades. Os resultados apontam que nenhuma das universidades pesquisadas evidencia, em seus pdi´s, 100% dos requisitos e dimensões estabelecidos pelo mec. Verificou-se que apenas cinco universidades estão evidenciando acima de 70% dos itens,dez universidades evidenciam de 50% a 70% dos itens e nove universidades evidenciam menos de 50% dos itens estabelecidos pelo MEC.Conclui-se que o pdi não é importante para a maioria das Universidades Federais Brasileiras. Os resultados contrariam a importância e relevância dada ao pdi pelo mec.<br /><br /></p>

Relevance of accounting information to public sector accountability: A study of Brazilian federal public universities

Abstract Public Sector Accounting is particularly relevant in the context of New Public Management because it is the most important approach for recording and reporting management acts, helping public managers to achieve their objectives regarding internal and external reporting for accountability purposes. This study main objective is to evaluate the usefulness of accounting information as well as the findings of non-compliance in the opinions of audits conducted by Internal Control System in explaining the quality of 51 Brazilian Federal Universities, using data from the General Index of Courses published in 2007. The findings demonstrate that accounting information of the Brazilian Federal Universities, particularly current expenses and operating assets are significant to explain the quality index reached by the HEIs, endorsing the relevance of accounting to accountability, considering the diverse stakeholders. The evidence also reveals that qualifications in audit opinions are not relevant to explain the universities performance. The findings may assist as criteria for formulating public policies on resource allocation in education, and also contribute to improve auditing systems in the Internal and External Control of the Education Sector.

Occupational musculoskeletal and mental disorders as the most frequent associations to worker’s sickness absence: A 10-year cohort study

BackgroundSickness absence (SA) is a complex phenomenon influenced by the health of the worker and socio-economic factors. An epidemiological study of SA has never been conducted for Brazilian university workers. This study aimed to determine the main diseases that are associated with SA and find out the average length of SA duration, and its variation among different staff members and between sexes over the 10-year study period.MethodsWe identified the main diseases responsible for SA in workers at a Brazilian federal university (UNIFESP) from January 1998 to August 2008 and grouped them according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD10). Independent researchers assessed data collected from expert reports of the university Worker’s Health Division.ResultsDuring the period of our study, 1176 workers experienced sickness absence. After evaluating 7579 consultations, ICD10 distribution showed that musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders (“M” axis) and mental and behavioral diseases (“F” axis) were the most important causes of SA, occurring in 47.3% (IC 95%; 44.15-49.8) of workers aged 46.2 (SD 10.1) years. Female workers represented 78.1% (IC 95%; 76-80.7) of all workers with SA, but men had higher proportional rates (Chi-square; p = 0.044). Longer SA periods were observed for illnesses related to neoplasms and infectious diseases.ConclusionsMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders and mental and behavioral diseases were the most frequent cause of sickness absence. Men had an increased frequency of SA, and neoplasms and infectious disorders were associated with longer absences. Mostly, these are occupational disorders. A preventative research-focused agenda is desirable for a more accurate depiction of this population in the scope of policy-making. Our results for SA in Brazilian workers correspond with those of other studies worldwide.

The Collaborative Remix of Cyberculture on the Web Project

The paper presents the Collaborative Remix of Cyberculture on the Web Project's ongoing enactment at a Brazilian federal university. The project extends the activities of an on-campus course about Cyberculture as the instructor and current and former students engage in a collaborative process of co-designing a new web interface integrated by a remix of resources available on the internet and by students' own contributions. The Project's main objective is to advance students' learning about Cyberculture by engaging them with the interface co-design, the critical selection of resources and the production of their own materials. The instructor operates as a mediator, helping students develop a critical perspective about the Project and helping them make meaningful connections with the resources available on the internet. Former students act as brokers, aiding exchanges between the instructor and the students and supporting them in adding their imprint to the Project. The co-design of the web interface is detailed. Student response to this new way of participating and learning has been mixed. It is difficult for them to make sense of the new positioning of the instructor as a mediator instead of being the traditional solo holder of knowledge in class. But as the course evolves, students start to appreciate having the opportunity to share their ideas and to contribute to the Project, which leads to increasing participation and learning. Many students recognized that their involvement with the Project helped advance their learning as they had the opportunity to engage with new concepts and ideas related to the course and as they exchanged ideas and different points of view with their peers. Students also appreciated the production of original materials and the integration of these resources on the web interface. Challenges for the future are related to the need to bring new users to participate at the web interface, given that it is currently limited to the students, even though it is open on the internet. Also, new tools are necessary to help build meaningful connections between resources and to manage the continuous posting of new resources and the exchange of information on the web interface.

P-1172 - Psychological meanings given by Brazilian clinical-school’ users about outcomes of psychoanalytic psychotherapy: a qualitative study

Introduction Since the Freudian construction of Psychoanalytic purposes, the foundations for the psychotherapy treatment have suffering profound transformations. However the understanding of the outcomes for patients in the therapeutic strategies used in the psychotherapeutic relationship need to be better discussed. Although the technique has been used in various contexts and submitted to a technical theoretical-structure, it lacks elements that help to evaluate both whether pedagogical actions employed to this education to potentize the professional actuation and whether they are effectives for the establishment of pillars for this practice. Objective To discuss the psychological meanings of outcomes of a psychoanalytic psychotherapeutic process for young and adults ex-patients who has used a clinical-school of a Brazilian federal university. Method Clinical-qualitative method whose sample was closed by information of saturation. The data was collected through semi-directed interviews, registered and transcribed for further Qualitative Content Analysis of Enunciation, based on a psychoanalytic theoretic framework. Results Preliminary data have emerged three thematic categories: the treatment as an escape from a death the life generates, expressed by pain of the overload's life; the maternal function attributed to the therapist and demonstrated through idealizations; and the pain felt by him/herself regarding perceptions of being a different one. Conclusion These categories support the reflection of treatment goals currently in public services and they permit to improve the approach to these users and to explore constitutive elements of the teaching-learning process.

The impacts of painful noise in the apprehension of sound references on context of a big band

This study aims to describe the painfulness applied to situations of teaching-learning of a Big Band in a School of Music of a Brazilian Federal University. Moreover, the concept of what painful noise is will be developed, applied to this context. After Ergonomic Work Analysis [2], the following variables were selected to characterize the painful noise: volume, height, frequency, sound confluence and reverberation. To relate the influence of painful noise on modes operatives, were explained the operative strategies used by teacher and students during the performance in group of this Big Band.

Perfil da produção científica dos docentes dos departamentos de contabilidade de três universidades federais do sul do Brasil

The Brazilian federal universities have as one of its functions to produce and disseminate knowledge, encourage their faculty to develop and publish scientific papers. This research aims to answer the following question: “What is the profile of scientific output of professors in the departments of Accounting of the Brazilian federal universities?”. The overall objective of the study is a profile of scientific output of teachers from the departments of Accounting from three federal universities of southern Brazil (UFSC, UFPR, UFRGS) for the years 2008 and 2009. Regarding methodological aspects, it is descriptive, and qualitative approach to the problem and making use of secondary data, since they were taken from the Lattes Platform of teachers.The results revealed that: (i) publications in journals and events are concentrated, since few teachers in the three institutions accounted for most of the production period, (ii) the scores of scientific papers, according to the criteria of Qualis / CAPES is also concentrated, because few institutions in the three lecturers were responsible for much of the total score in production in journals and conferences, it was found that no further work in layers A1 and A2 of the Qualis, and (iii) the teachers of the three institutions focus their research on and Management Accounting on the other hand, the amount of research in Actuarial Science is irrelevant when compared to other areas.

O feedback e sua importância no processo de tutoria a distância

Considerando o crescimento da Educação a Distância no contexto brasileiro; o ingresso de um novo profissional da educação - o tutor - na equipe pedagógica; e a importância de sua interação com os alunos, este artigo tem como objetivos revisar algumas definições de feedback encontradas na literatura, descrever os modelos de feedback adotados nos cursos de EaD ministrados em uma universidade federal brasileira, apresentar as orientações dadas nos cursos de formação de tutores realizados pela instituição e discutir o papel da linguagem nos processos de feedback. De acordo com a discussão feita, são apontadas as principais diretrizes para a utilização de feedback em ambientes virtuais.

EXPECTATIVAS DE JOVENS CAMPONESES NA UNIVERSIDADE: OS DESAFIOS DE UMA FORMAÇÃO EM NÍVEL SUPERIOR

This study seeks to analyze the experience of young rural workers joining a public university, based on a pioneering experiment deployed at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, which offers a regular licentiate course in rural education as part of the Brazilian Federal University Expansion and Restructuring Plan. It can be said that these young people managed to overcome the difficulties imposed by their situation as poor, young, rural workers. If the so-called ‘affirmative’ policies were decisive for this ‘global transfer of distance’ (Bourdieu, 1998), it remains to be seen how this experience has been lived out and what mechanisms can be put into practice to guarantee the permanence of these people in spaces once well-demarcated.

Sustainability in Brazilian federal universities

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the number of courses related to sustainability offered in bachelor degree programs of business administration in Brazilian federal universities.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory research was carried out based on a descriptive scope. The process of mapping federal universities in Brazil was carried out using data available in the Cadastro das Instituições de Educação Superior (General Register of Undergraduate Institutions), on the Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais – INEPE (National Institute for Educational Studies and Research) web site. Then, researchers collected business administration curricula from the universities' web sites. The present study was based on 40 of the 45 universities first considered, which represents 89 percent of the programs offered in Brazil. After data collection – performed from July to August 2009 – a qualitative analysis of the curriculum was carried out.FindingsThe inclusion of new courses that involve sustainability in business administration programs is still irregular and slow. Of the 40 universities investigated, only 13 (around 33 percent) offered courses related to the topic.Research limitations/implicationsThe nature of the research does not allow generalizations regarding other public or private undergraduate institutions.Practical implicationsResults denote a deficiency in relation to the adoption of required courses on sustainability. This gap in the curriculum may compromise the ability of business administration students – who are the future managers and strategists – to reflect on the role of organizations in society.Originality/valueThe present study is the first to examine the teaching of sustainability in Brazilian business education. It also contributes to monitoring the performance of Brazilian federal universities in the teaching of sustainability in business administration programs.

Engineering education at a new public university in Brazil: first students’ contact with engineering methods

This paper describes the experience of an introductory discipline to the engineering curricula at the Brazilian Federal University of ABC (UFABC). The university offers a common basic curriculum that must be accomplished by every student and can be followed by professionalising courses. The discipline ‘Introduction to Engineering’ presents the basis of the engineering career, methods and thinking together with professional commitments and regulations. The objective is to help students to consciously choose their careers, minimising the precocity problem in deciding a professional future. The discipline methodology includes activities proposed by the TryEngineering website and from Brazilian engineering councils. Lectures with invited professors introduce UFABC engineering specialities: Aerospace, Bioengineering, Energy, Environmental & Urban, Information, Instrumentation & Automation & Robotics, Management, Materials. This paper reports the proposed activities, results obtained by the students, a methodology critical analysis and the impacts on the following steps of students embracing an engineering career.

Ambiente & Agua scientific journal after five years of history

The launching of this first issue of the sixth volume contains 12 inedited peer reviewed papers from 53 authors that originated from three continents, four different countries, 20 universities from which 16 are from several Brazilian federal universities, 3 from abroad, 1 Brazilian state and one municipal university. Other nine authors are from research institutions, among them three from abroad. We proudly state that this fifteenth edition has been published on time as it was the case of all previous issues. Most articles of this issue concentrate on environmental characterization of different ecosystems pollution control and mitigation. Two articles assessed the water quality of small river basins. Then there are two articles, one about fire occurrence and precipitation relationship and one about irrigation control to optimize water usage. This editorial points out new accomplishments and changes on publication policies.

Proposição de uma escala de consumo sustentável

Proposing a sustainable consumption scale The article reports the construction and empirical assessment of a sustainable consumption scale, based on a survey carried out in 2009 with 512 undergraduate students from a major Brazilian federal university. Starting with the review of scales concerning environmentally friendly consumption, found in marketing and consumption behavior literature, a construct of sustainable consumption was worked out, which guided the proposition of a scale to render it operational. The methodological procedures adopted in the development of the scale followed the recommendations of experts such as Netemeyer, Bearden and Sharma (2003), Hair et al. (2005) and Harrington (2009). In the analysis of the empirical data, the sample was randomly split in two subsamples, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Sustainable consumption, conceptually defined as environmental awareness in the purchase of goods and services, the avoidance of wasted resources, the effort to recycle materials and products, and the propensity toward a more frugal lifestyle can be rendered operational using a 13-item scale with four dimensions: environmental awareness, economy of resources, recycling and frugality. Replications of the final scale are suggested, to improve its psychometrics properties. Despite its limitations, it is believed that the proposed instrument is useful for researching the relation between sustainable consumption and other complex constructs.