Teachers´ education and Behavior Analysis – the scientific production of Graduate Programs in Psychology and Education

Abstract

This paper analyzes the contribution of radical behaviorism to teacher education, based on theses and dissertations for the period from 1970 to 2002, encompassing 32 years of Brazilian stricto sensu gradúate programs The study carried out is justified, given the misconceptions and lack of knowledge of behavioral analysis/radical behaviorism, and the lack of studies regarding the approach as applied to the area of education in Brazil. A total of 10,174 dissertations and thesis abstracts related to behavior analysis and education were examined, from which 282 papers relating to the field of education were selected (2.8% of the total), from which only 17 (0.2 %) addressed specifically teacher education. The group of papers talking about education in general was analyzed, from the abstracts, and general characteristics were identified, among which were the institution where they were presented, the advisors, the nature and objective of the paper, subjects, and teaching level. The 17 papers relating to teacher education were completely analyzed, using categories based on suggestions supplied by three authors, basically (Bijou, 1970; Zanotto, 1997 and Gioia, 2001), which in tune with Skinnerian theories, made it possible to derive proposals for education, teaching, and teacher education. In relation to these works, we specifically present and discuss the results of proposals for teacher education planned/carried out by themselves, in order to reveal the contributions the approach has offered for the education of these professionals. Among the aspects noted stands out the preparation of teachers as modifiers of target behaviors of students, especially the academic ones, the development of the skills required for teaching, the teaching of research procedures characteristic of the approach and its basic concepts, but with no teaching of radical behaviorist philosophy. The present paper brings forward data for reflection about the presence of Behavioral Analysis/Radical Behaviorism in Brazilian Education, based on theses and dissertations, as well as on topics that in a real sense comprise, and ideally should comprise, teacher education based on the approach.