Banca de DEFESA: NATALIA DE OLIVEIRA RIBEIRO

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : NATALIA DE OLIVEIRA RIBEIRO
DATE: 05/12/2025
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde do Trairi/Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
TITLE:

TEACHING MOTOR LEARNING IN PHYSIOTHERAPY TRAINING: CURRICULAR INTEGRATION AND TEACHER PERCEPTIONS

KEY WORDS:

Universities. Teaching. Learning.

PAGES: 65
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional
SUMMARY:

Introduction: Although widely recognized as an essential component of physical therapy rehabilitation, motor learning (ML) is still applied in a limited way in clinical practice, revealing a gap between theoretical knowledge and its implementation. In the Brazilian context, there is a scarcity of studies that systematically investigate how ML is incorporated into the curricula of physical therapy undergraduate programs, making it difficult to understand its offering, pedagogical organization, and connection to clinical training. Objectives: To analyze whether motor learning is addressed in the Pedagogical Projects of physical therapy undergraduate programs in Brazil and how it is integrated into the curriculum, as well as to understand faculty members’ perceptions regarding its inclusion and application in the educational process. Methods: This dissertation comprises two complementary studies, both adopting a mixed-methods approach. The first study, with a convergent design, analyzed the Pedagogical Projects of 26 institutions through quantitative documentary analysis and lexical analysis of course syllabi using the IRaMuTeQ software. The second study adopted an explanatory sequential design and included seven physical therapy faculty members who responded to a structured electronic questionnaire, with data analyzed using descriptive statistics. These same participants were subsequently interviewed, and the qualitative data were examined with the support of IRaMuTeQ. Results: Only 46.2% of the analyzed programs offered specific courses on ML, generally delivered in a theoretical format with limited practical integration. The presence of ML content in the curricular documents proved to be limited and concentrated in specific areas, such as neurofunctional rehabilitation. Faculty members emphasized the relevance of ML in physical therapy education but reported challenges related to reduced course hours, the frequent intuitive nature of its practical application, and difficulties in systematizing its teaching and defining clear pedagogical strategies. On the other hand, participants described initiatives aimed at integrating theory and practice and adapting ML teaching to different stages of the life cycle, demonstrating sensitivity to patient needs. Conclusions: The findings indicate that motor learning is included in a limited and weakly articulated manner in the analyzed curricula, which may compromise the clinical training of physical therapists. The need for curricular reorganization is reinforced, promoting the progressive and practical integration of ML, along with incentives for the use of pedagogical resources and the expansion of formative experiences that support its critical application in rehabilitation.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1716016 - ENIO WALKER AZEVEDO CACHO
Externo ao Programa - 4098411 - GENTIL GOMES DA FONSECA FILHO - UFRNExterno à Instituição - RAMON TÁVORA VIANA - UFC