Trends on the Brazilian research in Physical Education. Part 2: a view through the epistemological diversity in graduate programs

Abstract

In order to contribute to the national debate on the epistemological heterogeneity in the field of Physical Education (PE) and to the lack of adequate criteria to evaluate research in PE that emphasizes social and pedagogical aspects, the present study aims to characterize current Brazilian research on PE published by Graduate Programs (GP). The research question is: what is the main epistemological trend of research originated in Brazilian GPs? The data consist of a detailed analysis of the academic production of 11 GPs in PE, based on the GP triennial report (2001-2003) available on the CAPES website, the national agency of accreditation of graduate programs. From the list of publications of the 11 programs, a total of 5,628 publications were analyzed. The results suggest that the research in PE published by Graduate Programs has a limited visibility, since books and proceedings constitute the most frequent format. The results also show that publications with a biological approach, especially those based on physiology, are prominent, possibly an indication of the historical consolidation of the PE. Nevertheless, a strong influence of other disciplines is also evident, suggesting a remarkable epistemological heterogeneityin a fast and precise way, facilitating the analysis and assisting sailors and coaches on decision taking.