A School with new rhythms: Perceptions about the use of school time

Abstract

A study is presented which was carried out in a municipally dependent high school in Puerto Montt, Chile, concerning the perception that teachers and students have on how the school day is managed, emphasizing free time granted and its quality. A qualitative paradigm was used, based on a case study. Observations were made about the educational center and there were conversations with the teachers. This was complemented by the application of exploratory questionnaires completed by 12 students and 4 form teachers between 9^th and 12^th grades. Some results show that the school day was very long, recesses were insufficient and they were not always respected. The challenge of searching for additional time management mechanisms and using time more efficiently is acknowledged. In order to attain this, teachers and students made proposals.