Biographical narratives about the construction of oneself as a Pedagogy student in geographic mobility

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a doctoral research project in education conducted at the A.C. Simões Campus of UFAL, in Maceió, Alagoas, from 2018 to 2023. The study focused on the processes of self-construction as university students of three young women engaged in daily geographic mobility, through narrative interviews with a biographical bias. Each interview was conducted separately, with two meetings with each student, for a total of six interviews. The young women developed a story about their development. In this interview, transportation conditions were considered a challenge to be overcome. The long wait times for transportation, especially the breakdown of the vehicle during rainy periods, as well as the lack of a support network in Maceió, did not appear to the same degree of importance in the narratives. Thus, it became clear that being a university student engaged in daily geographic mobility encompasses a context of similar challenges, but also a constructive, experiential, and non-linear process, marked by intellectual and subjective learning that influences the individual's level of engagement with their studies. Finally, we identified the importance of enhancing the Pedagogy course curriculum, with training proposals based on the biographical connection to learning. I believe such spaces can contribute to enabling reflexivity and the connection of knowledge with the real world.