A escuta pedagógica à criança hospitalizada: discutindo o papel da educação no hospital

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understandthe role of education in the health ofthe hospitalised child, by means of ananalysis of the teacher’s activity in apublic hospital (The Antônio PedroUniversity Hospital – Niterói, RJ). Thecentral question which guided the de-velopment of the research, based uponparticipant observation of situationswhich involved interaction betweenchildren, children and adults andbetween children and the environment,was: How can education contribute tothe health of the hospitalised child?The categories of analysis employedwere: language, toys, emotion andknowledge, based upon theoreticalreferences proposed by Wallon andVygotsky. The conclusions suggest thateducation helps the child to re-signifyhis/her life in the hospital environmentand that an attentive and sensitivepedagogical ‘listening’ can help to escue the subjectivity and self-esteemof hospitalised children, and contributeto their well-being and health. Theresearch reveals that the possibilitiesof action for the teacher in this newenvironment are great; nevertheless,the challenge of constructing adifferent educational practice to thatwhich takes place in the schoolinstitution is great and demandsspecific principles and other levels ofknowledge that lend support to thiscomplex pedagogical work in the hos-pital field.