Pátios escolares infantis em escolas públicas de Juiz de Fora – MG: proposições projetuais fundamentadas na participação das crianças

Abstract

This doctoral thesis investigates early childhood schoolyards in public schools in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil, with the aim of developing design propositions grounded in children's participation. The study is based on the understanding that the schoolyard constitutes an educational territory that mediates bodily, social, and symbolic experiences relevant to child development in early childhood education. Anchored in an interdisciplinary approach that articulates education, architecture, and design, the research draws on theoretical frameworks related to child development and the built environment, conceiving space as an active element in the construction of interactions and learning processes. This qualitative, exploratory, and interpretative study was structured through a systematic literature review and field research conducted in municipal public schools. Data collection involved participant observation, the application of affective mapping and the “Wish Poem” activity with children, as well as interviews with teachers, enabling data triangulation. The findings indicate that the spatial configuration of schoolyards influences opportunities for exploration, autonomy, and interaction, demonstrating that diversified environments, with the presence of natural elements and flexible use, foster play and the development of bonds. As a contribution, the thesis systematizes design propositions organized into design attributes, developed from listening to children and aimed at improving the quality of schoolyards in early childhood education.