Thesis (PhD (Education Policy))-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliography (leaves 163-179) Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Este trabalho tem como objeto a educação em valores e o papel da Bioética no ensino superior, especificamente em cursos de Engenharia. Em suas diversas modalidades (mobilidade, transporte, saneamento, edificações, eletrônica, energia, etc.) a Engenharia tem impacto que proporciona aumento ou redução de expectativa e qualidade de vida e segurança. Considera-se que uma abordagem bioética transversal pode estabelecer pontes entre humanidades e ciência e tecnologia, promovendo reflexão a partir do referencial da preservação da vida com o máximo de qualidade possível para a atual e as futuras gerações. A pesquisa aqui apresentada tem caráter qualitativo e foi motivada pela busca, por parte de alguns alunos e professores de Engenharia, de materiais sobre o tema e a constatação de sua escassez em língua portuguesa. Assim, desenvolveu-se uma investigação a partir do seguinte problema: em relação às abordagens tradicionais da Ética para Engenharia, em que a Bioética pode ser um diferencial e por quê? Como pode ser um programa de Bioética destinado a área da Engenharia? Para responder a essas questões, investigou-se primeiramente a educação em valores em cursos de Engenharia previamente selecionados. A seguir, foi realizada pesquisa acerca de conteúdos em formação em valores nas grades curriculares e ementas de cursos de Engenharia. Por fim, os sujeitos selecionados (coordenadores de graduação na área) foram inquiridos acerca da educação em valores no ensino superior em geral e nas engenharias em especial, bem como a relação entre Bioética e formação de Engenheiros. Poucos sujeitos responderam. As respostas recebidas possibilitaram conhecer dos mesmos quanto à educação em valores na Engenharia, o papel da Bioética, os conteúdos, formato, métodos e resultados esperados. Entretanto, a inexistência de materiais em língua portuguesa, a ausência do tema nas grades curriculares e as não respostas por parte dos sujeitos podem indicar que a educação em valores e não apenas a Bioética, é uma área silenciosa, uma lacuna a ser preenchida nos cursos de Engenharia. / This work presents the education in values and the role of Bioethics in higher education, specifically in engineering courses. In its several modalities (mobility, transport, sanitation, civil building, electronic, energy, etc.), Engineering has an impact that provide increase or decrease of expectancy and quality of life and safety. It´s considered that a transversal bioethical approach could establish bridges among humanities and science and technologies, promoting reflection from the benchmark of life preservation with maximum possible quality for present and future generations. The research presented here has qualitative approach and was driven by the search, by some Engineering students and professors, for materials about the theme and its scarcity in Portuguese. Therefore, it was developed a research from the following problem: in reference to traditional approaches, in what can Bioethics be a differential, and why? How could a Bioethics program for engineering areas be? To answer these questions, it was researched first the values education in Engineering courses previously selected. Next, it was made a research on values formation contents in Engineering curricula and syllabuses. At last, the selected subjects were surveyed about values education in higher education in general and in Engineering in special, as the connection between Bioethics and Engineering formation. Just a few subjects responded. The answers received made possible to know their opinion on values education in engineering, the role of Bioethics, the contents, formats, methods and expected results. However, the nonexistence of materials in Portuguese language, the absence of theme in curricula and the non-responses by subjects can indicate that values education - , and not just Bioethics, is a silent area, a gap to be filled in Engineering courses.

Este trabalho tem como objeto a educação em valores e o papel da Bioética no ensino superior, especificamente em cursos de Engenharia. Em suas diversas modalidades (mobilidade, transporte, saneamento, edificações, eletrônica, energia, etc.) a Engenharia tem impacto que proporciona aumento ou redução de expectativa e qualidade de vida e segurança. Considera-se que uma abordagem bioética transversal pode estabelecer pontes entre humanidades e ciência e tecnologia, promovendo reflexão a partir do referencial da preservação da vida com o máximo de qualidade possível para a atual e as futuras gerações. A pesquisa aqui apresentada tem caráter qualitativo e foi motivada pela busca, por parte de alguns alunos e professores de Engenharia, de materiais sobre o tema e a constatação de sua escassez em língua portuguesa. Assim, desenvolveu-se uma investigação a partir do seguinte problema: em relação às abordagens tradicionais da Ética para Engenharia, em que a Bioética pode ser um diferencial e por quê? Como pode ser um programa de Bioética destinado a área da Engenharia? Para responder a essas questões, investigou-se primeiramente a educação em valores em cursos de Engenharia previamente selecionados. A seguir, foi realizada pesquisa acerca de conteúdos em formação em valores nas grades curriculares e ementas de cursos de Engenharia. Por fim, os sujeitos selecionados (coordenadores de graduação na área) foram inquiridos acerca da educação em valores no ensino superior em geral e nas engenharias em especial, bem como a relação entre Bioética e formação de Engenheiros. Poucos sujeitos responderam. As respostas recebidas possibilitaram conhecer dos mesmos quanto à educação em valores na Engenharia, o papel da Bioética, os conteúdos, formato, métodos e resultados esperados. Entretanto, a inexistência de materiais em língua portuguesa, a ausência do tema nas grades curriculares e as não respostas por parte dos sujeitos podem indicar que a educação em valores e não apenas a Bioética, é uma área silenciosa, uma lacuna a ser preenchida nos cursos de Engenharia. / This work presents the education in values and the role of Bioethics in higher education, specifically in engineering courses. In its several modalities (mobility, transport, sanitation, civil building, electronic, energy, etc.), Engineering has an impact that provide increase or decrease of expectancy and quality of life and safety. It´s considered that a transversal bioethical approach could establish bridges among humanities and science and technologies, promoting reflection from the benchmark of life preservation with maximum possible quality for present and future generations. The research presented here has qualitative approach and was driven by the search, by some Engineering students and professors, for materials about the theme and its scarcity in Portuguese. Therefore, it was developed a research from the following problem: in reference to traditional approaches, in what can Bioethics be a differential, and why? How could a Bioethics program for engineering areas be? To answer these questions, it was researched first the values education in Engineering courses previously selected. Next, it was made a research on values formation contents in Engineering curricula and syllabuses. At last, the selected subjects were surveyed about values education in higher education in general and in Engineering in special, as the connection between Bioethics and Engineering formation. Just a few subjects responded. The answers received made possible to know their opinion on values education in engineering, the role of Bioethics, the contents, formats, methods and expected results. However, the nonexistence of materials in Portuguese language, the absence of theme in curricula and the non-responses by subjects can indicate that values education - , and not just Bioethics, is a silent area, a gap to be filled in Engineering courses.

During the last decade, issues concerning ethics and values have been given much attention in debates on education as well as in society in general. The problems surrounding such issues are tied to current societal trends towards growing differentiation, individualisation, and increasingly fragmented value systems. Consequently, the core values of pre-schools and schools are currently stressed also as a basic ethical and democratic responsibility of teachers and other pedagogical personnel. The aim of this dissertation is to analytically reconstruct pedagogic discourses on issues related to core values and ethics. The research perspective includes a social-philosophical point of departure with a focus on Habermas’s theories of communicative action and discourse ethics. The methodology builds on critical discourse analysis. The results shed light on the ways in which teaching teams in pre-schools and schools at different levels discuss and attempt to reach agreement concerning a local document focussed on professional ethics. There are striking differences as to how ethically relevant concepts such as "starting from the childrens' / pupils' own capabilities," "sense of security," "responsibility," "respect," and "active participation" are talked about. In the theoretical reconstruction that follows, it is argued that the discussions can be understood as communication about and within particular types of contextual discourses. The five types of discourses formulated in the study are the following: "efficiency-oriented discourse," "normative tradition-oriented discourse," "care-oriented discourse," "communication-oriented discourse," and individual-oriented discourse," all of which are mutually related to each other. When the conversations are analysed from the perspective of critical discourse theory, a deeper understanding emerges of how childrens' learning about ethics and morals takes place in relation to the types of pedagogic discourse they encounter. Efficiency-oriented, normative tradition-oriented and individual-oriented discourse may lead to learning that counteracts the aims of schools as meeting-places for democracy. However, care-oriented discourse and communicative-oriented discourse both embody qualities that may increase the opportunities to work towards overarching educational goals such as democracy and solidarity. The results of the study show that the lofty ideals presented in educational directives and policy documents risk giving rise to exhaustion and feelings of guilt among pedagogues trying to live up to them when adequate resources are not available. The ability to make sound moral judgements may deteriorate due to increasingly stressful work situations where demands are not in line with the actual resources of everyday pedagogic contexts.