SCHOOL AND GENDER CONCEPTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CHILDREN IN REST-HOME

School and family are critical contexts to the development of concepts in childhood and few studies are conducted from the report of children when they live in rest-home. The aim of this study was to investigate concepts that children in rest-homes have about school and gender. There were 22 participants, including boys and girls, between 4 and 6 years, who were interviewed with open questions for content analysis. For these children the school was associated with an area of study opportunities, favorable to themselves, although by necessity or obligation, and possibly with the presence of conflicts. The gender was described from biological and psychosocial aspects and children attributed their gender identity at destination, learning and social advantages. Children feel they belong to a gender in a positive way, although by attributing disadvantages to the opposite gender, for example, relating male aggression to violence. Children reproduce some patterns and social characteristics of gender that probably were learned in different contexts. We conclude that studies in this area are important to identify children's conceptions about school and sexuality, their roles and representations, especially when they live in an environment with such specific features as a rest-home.