Significance of Faculty Development for Higher Education in Health: Social Representations

Abstract

This article aims to apprehend the present elements in the social representation of faculty development (FD) in higher education in health areas. FD is understood as a set of institutional tools that enable teachers to carry out a multiplicity of action to support their pedagogical practice. Social representation research with a qualitative approach. The research took place at three higher education institutions on southern Brazil, with faculty members from the undergraduate courses in Nursing (10) and Medicine (11), totaling 21. The production of data took place through in-person and online semi-structured interviews (COVID-19). The analysis technique followed Moscovici's metodological steps, through two processes of Social Representation formation: objectification and anchoring. It is concluded that the FD process is shown to the personal and professional growth of those who commit to it, providing the development of critical-reflective thinking.