My life, my school, my future... What do students think in the final years of Elementary School?

The present study aimed to understand the role of the school and the meanings attributed by 9th-grade elementary school students to their lived school experiences, as well as how these students perceive the construction of their life projects and their future perspectives. For data collection, eighteen meetings were held with three 9th-grade classes from a public school in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. The collected material was processed using the IRaMuTeQ software, based on Descending Hierarchical Classification, and submitted to content analysis. The results indicate that the school is configured as an object of tension. Adolescents legitimize it as important for their future; however, the educational process remains limited and does not meet students’ demands. A feeling of loneliness and helplessness experienced by adolescents in the construction of their life projects was evidenced.

Keywords:
School; Primary school; Teenagers; Future; Life project