Between the REAL and the IDEAL: The teaching image in the current context

This work is characterised as an exploratory study focusing on how teachers are perceived in today's society, analysing the importance of their image through the social representativeness formulated and reflected in the school environment. Data collection took place in a public secondary school in Pernambuco/Brazil through its students. The data collection procedure consisted of two stages: The first stage of the research consisted of an exploratory nature with the aim of offering a general explanation of the topic through delimitation of the study and a bibliographical survey. The second stage of the research consisted of the application of questionnaires, the results of which were exported to SPSS software. The aspects investigated about the real and ideal teacher were based on analyses of the teachers' personal and personality characteristics, relationships and professional characteristics. The data collected showed that in the students' perception these aspects are interconnected, and it is not possible to conceive of them separately.