Motivações e experiências de alunos em Projeto de Extensão Universitária em hospital pediátrico: o projeto Alunos Contadores de Histórias do IPPMG/ UFRJ

Abstract

This study investigated the motivation of students of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro to take part of a University Extension Project at a children hospital and also their perceptions of the contribution of their engagement in this project for their personal and professional lives. The project: Story Tellers Students is developed at Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria Martagão Gesteira (IPPMG) since 2008 and aims at the improvement of the care of the patients through the offer of a playful activity, the story telling , which may represent something positive in a period of much losses and suffering. Participant s enrollment starts at the beginning of each semester and, after being trained, the students spend two hours weekly, for at least six month telling stories to children, teenagers and their families in the several care sectors of the institution. An exploratory study was performed, using quantitative and qualitative methodology. The data used where collected from records of pre-existent documents, and from data collected through two focal groups realized with students. The analysis revealed that the participant students looked for the project to develop a solidarity action next to children. The perception about the experiences they had and about the contribution of this participation for their lives is, for most of them, very positive, they gained maturity and they were able to reshape their personal values with a consequent enlargement of their social vision, through the development of a pleasant activity. The main difficulties observed where the little flexibility of the curriculum and the lack of awareness of the objectives of the University Extension as a whole by most students and also from the teachers and other co workers of the most courses. The project is aligned with the proposals of the National University Extension Policy and the study hopes to contribute to the improving of the activities of University Extension in similar institutions.