COGNITIONS ON SOCIAL SKILLS AND SOCIAL SKILLS: A STUDY WITH EDUCATORS / CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN COVERED IN SANTARÉM
Play activities. Cognitions. Social skills. Educators/caregivers.
The research entitled "Cognitions of Educators / Caregivers of Host Institutions on Play Activities and Social Skills" has as a locus the Reception Center in Santarém. Its objective was to investigate the cognitions of the team of educators / caregivers about play activities in the development of the social skills of the children. Specifically, it proposes: I) to raise the sociodemographic profile of the educators / caregivers of the Reception Center; II) Identify the types of play activities developed by the caregivers of the Casa de Acolhimento; III) To know the cognitions of the team of educators / caregivers regarding playful activities and social skills; and IV) analyze the knowledge of the team of educators / caregivers about the possible relationship between play activities and social skills. It is important to study the cognitions of the educators / caregivers, that is, their conceptions, beliefs, ideas, goals and practices, to provide insights into the aspects of cognition, and to understand how attitudes taken by educators directly influence behavior and development of child. In order to understand how the cognition of educators / caregivers develops, studies have been carried out that point out theoretical considerations of research developed in several contexts in which they point out the cognition of educators / caregivers as a guide to their practices of care and education of children and adolescents. In the process of development, the child participates in different contexts, among them, family, social, school and leisure, among others, influencing and also being influenced by the environment. Each one of them contributes in an individualized way to the learning, and the caregivers, the educators and the teachers need to understand that they play a fundamental role in this process. Human development happens through social interactions, promoting changes in personal characteristics and in the relationship with the environment. Social interactions occupy a prominent place in the integral development of the human being. Within the globalized world it is fundamental that people maintain a pleasant relationship, facing antisocial attitudes such as violence, bullying, disrespect, among other socially non-skilful behaviors. The sample of this research was composed by educators / caregivers of the host house of Santarém-PA. The study is an exploratory and descriptive field research developed from the assumptions of qualitative research. The instruments for data collection used were: sociodemographic questionnaire and semi-structured interview. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Collective Subject Discourse (DSC) technique respectively. The theoretical basis is based on the studies referring to the themes. The relevance of this research is related to the improvement of the care of children and adolescents in shelters and with this assistance can contribute to the development of the reception. The results show that the educators / caregivers understand that it is necessary to promote playful moments for the welcome ones, however, they say they find barriers to the development in the day to day. With regard to social skills it is understood that these are linked to activities outside the host family. However, the participant understands that play activities can contribute to the development of social skills.