Finalidades Educativas e as Diretrizes Curriculares: Dilemas da Educação Física no Ensino Médio em Goiás

Abstract

This research, conducted within the scope of the Graduate Program in Education — Academic Master’s at Centro Universitário Mais (UniMais) —, investigated the educational purposes and curriculum guidelines of Physical Education (PE) in high school, analyzing the dilemmas that emerge from the relationship between pedagogical trends in the field and recent educational reforms, particularly in the context of the Curriculum Document of the New High School of the State of Goiás (DCGO-EM). The study is based on the inquiry into the implications of these guidelines for PE in a scenario marked by curricular flexibilization and the prioritization of market- oriented competencies. The general objective was to analyze the educational purposes of PE in the DCGO-EM, comparing them with critical theoretical frameworks. The specific objectives were: to examine the historical trajectory of PE and its purposes in Brazil; to discuss the conceptual basis of educational purposes and their relationship with the high school curriculum; and to analyze the DCGO-EM guidelines and their impact on PE teaching in Goiás. The research adopted a qualitative approach, using bibliographic and documentary methods, analyzing sources such as the National Common Core Curriculum (BNCC), Brazilian educational legislation, and the DCGO- EM, in addition to works by critical authors such as Darido (2008, 2012), Libâneo (2013, 2019, 2023), Soares (2017), and Coletivo de Autores (1992). The findings revealed that the DCGO-EM guidelines reproduce contradictions inherent to the neoliberal context, such as the marginalization of PE as an essential curricular component. The subject is reduced to an instrumental perspective, prioritizing technical skills over its comprehensive formative potential (physical, social, cognitive, and cultural). Additionally, the reforms reinforce curricular hierarchies, devaluing PE in comparison to subjects linked to external evaluations and promoting a market-driven adaptation logic rather than critical education. Although the DCGO-EM presents discourses of modernization, it subordinates PE to neoliberal interests, limiting its role in fostering autonomous individuals. The research underscores the need to redefine PE as a field of critical knowledge, ensuring its curricular integration based on principles of equity, inclusion, and emancipation.