The challenges in the school trajectories of adolescents with chronic renal failure: understanding the schooling processes and the right to education

Abstract

This research, of qualitative and phenomenological nature, has been conducted in three cities in São Paulo - Brazil. It has aimed at understanding the school path of adolescents who have chronic diseases. The interviews used open-ended questions to collect data, and then, these data were recorded, transcribed and organized in tables, for the making of data analysis. We interviewed three adolescents with chronic illnesses, who had been under treatment for five years, at least, and their families. As result, the descriptions of their school trajectories and the comprehensive analysis allowed to highlight the convergence and divergence of the analyzed processes, thereby, five categories were created that unveil these meanings presented in the trajectories being: Right to Education; Hospital teaching service — a classroom inside the hospital — and other services; Curriculum implementation; Different methods to continue schooling; Support network: family, friends, and school. As from the results, we found that the school trajectories of children and adolescents, diagnosed with a chronic disease, still need to be effective, concerning access and permanence. Assuring the provision of educational-pedagogical services in schools and/or hospital environments and so their singularity/specificity would be met and, consequently, the Right to Education.