O estado do conhecimento das pesquisas sobre idosos e a Educação de Jovens e Adultos no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFPB entre os anos de 2011 e 2020

Abstract

The aging of the Brazilian population, as shown by the country's official data, has broadened discussions about the elderly, the protagonists of this daily process. Faced with this growing demand, the relevance of these people’s presence becomes evident, driving the development of studies on this phenomenon. Our aim is to understand how researchers approach the presence of older people in education, especially in Youth and Adult Education (YAE), a modality that enables them to return to school. Entering the universe of any research requires the researcher to be mature when choosing the methodological routes to follow. The survey presents the studies developed in the doctoral program of the Post-Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Paraíba (PPGE/UFPB), a privileged space of knowledge, thus justifying the choice of the research object. Based on the reflections presented, we believe that the results of the mapping not only clarify ideas, but also scientifically substantiate the urgency of research that delves into relevant themes in the field of education, since most of them indirectly address the right of access of older people to education, a fundamental aspect in the context of schooling for this population group.  In this scenario, the researcher's thesis is supported by the analysis of the data compiled and presented throughout the study. This issue brings into the debate the importance of valuing the elderly in the current context of society. Although the YAE and the elderly are relevant topics today, especially in the face of population aging, they are not addressed in depth in the research carried out by higher education institutions, as evidenced by the findings of the State of Knowledge. In this sense, there is an urgent need to expand research on the elderly and the YAE, as a gateway for these individuals into the educational field, especially for those who did not have access to school during childhood. We found that all the studies found were produced within the Popular Education research line, which reinforces the need for studies that include the elderly in the debate in other research lines of the program. In 2011, there were few records or incomplete information about the work produced. The State of Knowledge allows researchers to get closer to the object of study, expanding their theoretical, conceptual and methodological repertoire, complementing existing studies and strengthening the proposed debate. It is important to point out that the gaps identified in the PPGE/UFPB database compromise the quality and depth of State of Knowledge research that uses this program's productions as a reference.