“Raising the level or bringing it down?”: Qualis system evaluation criteria for postgraduate programs in Physical Education

Abstract

In this work, it is stated that Physical Education can be characterized as an area of intervention which is oriented for the accomplishment of social values through the formation of distinct specialists whose objectives are not necessary convergent. Following, the author briefly describes the evaluation of Brazilian Physical Education postgraduate studies and the imposition, by the commission of the evaluation organism - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) -, of rules for publishing in qualified science journals as the major instrument to improve the quality of the Brazilian scientific production. The author arguments that the qualified journals in physical education are more adequate for academic subjects than for those oriented to the formulation of social intervention projects.
He carries out a numeric exercise considering the requirement of paper production and the quantity of qualified journals. From this exercise it is concluded that the possibility of satisfying Capes rules is very small or a non realistic goal. Therefore, the evaluation of Physical Education researchers might be imposing criterions almost impossible to be achieved. It is also discussed that even worse conclusions can be derived for Physical Education research works formulated from frameworks borrowed from human and social sciences. As conclusion, by pointing out some negatives effects of the choices for improving the quality of Brazilian scientific productions the author comments the relations among the scientific production, the areas of intervention, the innovation, and the local or regional technological development.