Social Representations of Rural Education Teachers on the use of Educational Technologies

Abstract

The objective was to analyze the representational elements attributed to Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICTs) by teachers working in rural education contexts, based on the theoretical-methodological framework of Social Representations Theory (SRT), in dialogue with critical studies on Rural Education (RE). Situated within the sociopolitical context of rural education in Brazil, the study considers the legal, pedagogical, and symbolic dimensions that shape the use of DICTs in rural territories. This qualitative research employed semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers from the municipality of Teresópolis, RJ. The data were processed using IRaMuTeQ software, through Descending Hierarchical Classification. The results revealed antinomic representations between rural and urban contexts, the ambivalence of DICTs as pedagogical tools, and the limitations of public policies that, although distributing equipment, do not ensure adequate infrastructure, connectivity, or training. It is concluded that the integration of DICTs in RE requires intentional, contextualized, and critical pedagogical practices, committed to valuing local knowledge and addressing the structural inequalities that permeate rural school realities.