Knowledge construction and dissemination in the field of Popular Education and Health

Marcus Vinícius Pereira da Silva

Knowledge construction; Knowledge dissemination; Popular Education and Health; Domain analysis; Social Networks; Health information and communication

This research is part of the health information and communication area of studies, and its purpose is to study knowledge construction and dissemination processes in the area of Popular Education and Health (EPS), focusing on the academic actors. They were selected, among the diversity in which the EPS actors are found, based on the pretext that this area of studies is in an institutionalization phase, in the epistemological, social and political levels, and considering that it achieved, in the last few years, greater recognition and visibility in the State’s and society’s academic spheres, which highlights how important it is to study these performer’s acts. Among the academic actors, the members of the EPS Work Group of the Brazilian Association of Collective Health (Abrasco) were selected because we believe that this is a relevant scientific society and we assume that these performers may be recognized as exponents in the EPS area. Due to the complexity and multiplicity of actors in the EPS area, and considering that the purpose of knowledge is to be produced in a shared manner, the following questions were made: How is knowledge constructed and disseminated in the EPS area? What roles do the academic actors play in the Popular Education and Health Network (Redepop)? Thus, the research was built around two priorities: understanding EPS as a scientific area and as a knowledge domain/discourse community, and seeing EPS as a social movement network impelled by collective acts. The research was divided in three parts: firstly, an article survey on EPS was made in the Virtual Health Library, in order to place the scientific production of the selected actors in the EPS scientific area. Then, the Lattes Platform Curricula of the selected actors were used to identify academic degree, and institutional arrangement and linkage communication channels. Lastly, an electronic questionnaire was sent to the old Redepop discussion list, and the data were subjected to the Social Network Analysis methods, in order to identify the selected academic actors positions and roles in the EPS social network. We chose Redepop because this collective congregates since its origin members of many scopes of action (academics, health workers, managers, etc.) Besides, the discussion list contains representatives of other collectives in the EPS area. Based upon the data analysis, we observed that most of the academic actors, members of the Abrasco EPS work group, have an undergraduate degree in the health sciences area, and have institutional links to the university or health research institution. In terms of knowledge dissemination, we highlight as main communication channels, the Revista de APS, the Revista Brasileira de Educação Médica, the Revista Enfermagem da UERJ, the Brazilian Congress of Nursing and the Brazilian Congress of Collective Health. Regarding the position and role of the Abrasco EPS work group, they play a central role in the network, intermediate the information and are recognized as exponents in the Popular Education and Health area.

Texto na íntegra disponível em: http://arca.icict.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/7094

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Jan 2015

History

  • Received
    08 Apr 2014
  • Accepted
    03 May 2014
UNESP Botucatu - SP - Brazil
E-mail: intface@fmb.unesp.br