Introduction

When reflecting on the continuity and movement of life and people, combined with ^{Freire's idea of incompleteness (2013}), we understand that teaching requires awareness of the unfinished, as a starting point for human development. The reflection on the training needs of teachers, especially bachelors, is a complex task, which refers to a dialectical posture, because such reflection cannot take place in isolation, but within the experience as a teacher. Thus, we assume that the conduct of the investigative process is guided by questions and concerns pertinent to the educational context, conceived as a space for the concretization of university teaching and its determinants, with a view to understanding the possible changes and possibilities of a praxis based on dialogue and conscious commitment to the unfinished and uncompleted, from the perspective of human development.

The reflections we present consider the inseparability of the constitution of being and doing teaching, because, as ^{Nóvoa (1992}, p. 7) indicates, “[...] it is not possible to separate the personal self from the professional self”.

However, it is assumed that being a teacher in higher education is a challenge, as it presumes a break with conservative methodologies, for an innovative practice, in the sense of producing transformations. Nevertheless, there is much to overcome every day, due to the obstacles that permeate the scenario of Brazilian public universities, both with regard to the structural part and the culture that is already defined, mainly, with regard to the resistance in assuming changes.

Therefore, it is essential to know the training needs of the bachelor’s degree professor, working in higher education, as it is widely disseminated in research (^MELO,2018; ^{ALMEIDA; PIMENTA, 2009}; ^{CUNHA, 2010}) that university teachers dominate the technical content related to the subject they teach, but they have little pedagogical knowledge of it, in order to contribute to the students to elaborate these contents, based on discussions founded on a holistic formation (^{MURILLO et al, 2005}).

When professors take up teaching in higher education professionally, in the face of the constant change in political, human and social aspects, they enter a context that leads to changes in their professional performance. In view of the above, we understand that knowledge, teachers and the university itself must be analyzed as historical realities, socially constructed, in a view of their totality, in its entirety (^{SILVA, 1993}).

However, the critical reflection on the complexity of university teaching can be expanded when based on scientific knowledge that comes from the field of education. About this, ^{Almeida and Pimenta (2009}, p. 21) warn us that teaching is exercised without considering the need for teacher training, especially regarding the pedagogical dimension. The referred authors affirm: "there is a scientific ignorance of what the teaching and learning process is, for which they become responsible from the moment they enter the classroom". These weaknesses are historical and have been repeatedly evidenced in several studies, such as ^{Pachane (2003}); ^{Cunha (2005}); Pimenta and Anastasiou (2010); ^{Campos (2010}); ^{Bolzan and Isaia (2006}); ^{Melo (2018}), among others. And yet, because there is an omission in the policies for training university teachers, since Law 9394/96 - Law of Directives and Bases of Education, contains only two articles that mention university teaching. Like Article 65, which excludes the need for teaching practice to work at this level:

Article 65 - Teacher training, except for higher education, will include teaching practice of at least three hundred hours.

Article 66 - The preparation for the exercise of higher education will be done at the postgraduate level, primarily in master's and doctoral programs (BRAZIL, 1996 - emphasis added).

The text of the said Law disregards the requirement for didactic-pedagogical training in the context of post-graduation stricto sensu, through its master's and doctoral courses. The stricto sensu post-graduation, in view of the legal situation, is based on the training of researchers with mastery of the specific field, however, it is not responsible for the professional training required for teaching. There is in these courses the centrality of specialized training in a given field of knowledge, in a process of verticalization of training. This formative culture of graduate studies in Brazil is a contradiction, since there are a significant number of graduates from these courses who will work in university teaching. Thus, they will be researchers who teach, or who try to teach and not research professors, given the specificities of training centered on the research axis (^{MELO, 2017}).

From these propositions regarding the formative weaknesses of university professors, with bachelor’s degrees, the main question that guides the research emerges: What are the training needs of bachelor professors in the exercise of university teaching? Thus, the general objective of the study was to analyze the training needs of professors with bachelor's degrees who took up university teaching professionally and, in a specific way, to know the main difficulties faced by teachers in university teaching; apprehend what knowledge the teachers consider most relevant to the professional exercise of teaching and also, identify the perceptions of the teachers about the improvement of the practice as a teacher and its nuances.

The study is of a qualitative nature, of the exploratory type, carried out in a federal public university in the Northeast region, with ten professors from a Bachelor's degree in Administration, whose data were constructed through the collection of evidence in a questionnaire and the realization of focus group. Data analysis was carried out through content analysis (^{BARDIN, 2009}).

Theoretical Reference

The training needs have been constituted, in the field of teacher training, as essential to develop training processes that respond to the dilemmas of teaching at the higher level. By deepening the understanding about the training needs of teachers, it is possible to contribute to the consolidation of training policies that reverberate in the quality of the pedagogical work carried out at this level of education. Thus, the training policies can contribute to the professional development of teachers, when they are structured in permanent training processes, which have their genesis in the involvement of teachers, based on their interests and needs, as beacons of training in context.

University teaching is a complex profession, as it constitutes the relationship between subjects and knowledge, therefore, it demands the elaboration of knowledge from the specific field in permanent interface with the pedagogical knowledge of the teaching objects. They are multiple distinctions that complement each other, have fundamental relationships and interactions with professional development. In this sense, ^{Tancredi (2009}) indicates that this complexity requires professionals to be more committed and involved with their formative processes, at the same time that they need to face situations of social devaluation of their careers and professions.

We highlight the importance of context, the setting of teaching activities, as essential to build understandings about the weaknesses of teacher training, as well as conflicts and dilemmas of professional practice in higher education that translate into training needs. In the words of Marcelo Garcia, (2006) in the context of their work, teachers build their own professionalism, teaching and learning to teach. This movement becomes a formative necessity, above all, because the scenarios and the social subjects involved in them and with them are dynamically modified. However, it is known that teachers build their knowledge reservoirs (^{TARDIF et. All, 1991}), mainly from experience. Yet, by not having training opportunities in the scientific field of university pedagogy, they teach how they were taught, being able to reproduce more or less efficient teaching practices, in a more or less effective transmission of knowledge. (CORTESÃO apud ^{CUNHA, 2005}).

The training needs are considered as a fundamental strategy for the elaboration of teacher training projects and programs, with a view to strengthening a university pedagogy that values teaching and teaching-learning processes. Through continuous training opportunities, teachers will be able to detach themselves from old practices that contributed little to the formation of autonomous teachers and aware of the social relevance of their profession, as there are other dimensions to be considered (^{MELO, 2007}).

When reflecting on his work, the university professor can, sensibly, observe the need to deepen understandings regarding social transformations and, consequently, the world of work, developing professionally. (^{VEIGA, 2011}). In this exercise of thinking and acting, new knowledge is nurtured and new skills are built, favoring reflective attitudes, thus reaching a greater depth of teaching knowledge and the meaning of being a university professor.

Given the complexity of the teaching work, we reaffirm the importance of building professional knowledge that allows the teacher to develop professionally. Therefore, it is important that "[...] this professional has a mass of previous knowledge about teaching / learning, to face everyday situations, as well as to respond to the demands of his professional enterprise in increasingly complex situations" (^{COSTA, 2011}, p.28).

On this track, ^{Pimenta and Lima (2005}, p.8) recommend that: “The teacher's knowledge is based on the triad of knowledge in specific areas, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of experience. This tripod bases the investigative capacity on the teaching practice itself, that is, the reflection that generates the transformation of its “teaching know-how”.

For ^{Pimenta (1999}), the mobilization of teaching knowledge is an important step to mediate the process of building the teachers' professional identity. In this way, teachers activate a vast repertoire of knowledge specific to teaching, and that knowledge of this repertoire is essential in order to elaborate a position on the work that teachers develop in the classroom. It can also contribute to minimize the impact of certain preconceived ideas on the teaching profession, which have teaching as their primary function, which “impair the process of professionalization of teaching, preventing the development of knowledge of this profession about yourself” (^{GAUTHIER et al, 2006}, p.25).

Thus, it is important that we get to know the knowledge of the practice or experience of teachers, as they can provide necessary clues to understand how teachers produce the context of their pedagogical work and how their training needs emerge in this dynamic. It is also worth mentioning that it is through the knowledge of teaching that teachers identify with the profession. With this, it is important to emphasize that the professional insertion in the higher teaching profession presents different challenges in which they seem to point to the meaning of the process of training teachers, of valuing their knowledge, which requires a personal and collective effort in overcoming the obstacles and problems faced by teachers when assuming the occupation (^{MELO TEIXEIRA, 2009}).

This research was carried out with the professors of a Bachelor's degree in Administration. The course has a total of twelve professors, ten professors in effective exercise, and two on leave for qualification. Therefore, the number of participants in the study was ten professors, bachelors in Administration, six of whom were declared to be female and four as male, aged between 36 and 60 years old, with experience in university teaching over five years, being possible to achieve the objectives research and respond to the announced problems.

The criterion for choosing the Administration course is linked to its existence at the Institution, as it is the oldest and was already consolidated at the time of the implementation of REUNI⁴. It must be taken into account that, in the history of the campus that hosts the course, there are no records regarding the performance of training and professional development actions within the university.

The participation of teachers in the research was voluntary, and as it was configured as the main source of construction of the corpus of this investigation as collaborators in the construction of a reflective study space on themes important to their professional performance, specifically, with regard to training needs and professional development.

The categorization and interpretation of the data was supported by content analysis, which is defined as a set of partial, but complementary techniques that consist in the explicitness and systematization of the content of the messages and the expression of this content, according to the theoretical assumptions presented by ^{Bardin (2009}, p. 42).

The group of participating teachers⁵ consisted of six teachers and four teachers, aged between 36 and 60 years, all with professional experience in teaching, prior to entering university.

Results and Discussion: With Focus on the Trainning Needs of Teachers

The interest of teachers in reporting, discussing, and reflecting on the aspects that are configured as challenges of the teaching profession in the context of the university instigates new attitudes towards the scenario that is configured at a higher level. In view of this, aiming to contribute to the reduction of the training needs of university professors, we argue that a training need can be, according to ^{Zabalza (1998}, p. 62) “[...] instituted by the discrepancy that occurs between the way in which things should be (requirements), they could be (development needs) or we would like them to be (individualized needs) and the way these things really are”. Therefore, we reaffirm the understanding that the training processes demand adherence and consent from teachers, otherwise, they do not promote changes, as indicated by Imbérnon (2011).

To discuss the training needs of professors with bachelor’s degrees, we present a question regarding the main difficulties faced in university teaching. From the answers presented, we understand the emphasis on the aspects highlighted by the teachers, mainly related to the pedagogical dimension. By electing the need to understand didactics, teaching, and learning methodologies, they demonstrate to attach importance to this essential knowledge to pedagogical practice. We highlight in the contributions of the teachers the following perceptions:

“Understanding didactics, teaching methodologies, pedagogical knowledge." (P.1).

"Greater interaction between the proposals presented in the course." (P.4).

“Learn how to evaluate correctly. Learning new methodologies. Learning didactics.” (P.3).

“To better understand the learning assessment system that I consider to be unfair. A dynamic or dynamics of passing on the content that holds the students' attention more.” (P.2).

“Conceptual needs about teaching; teaching professionality; multi and interdisciplinarity; methodologies and didactics.” (P.8).

“You may need to discuss all of what has been said here with other teachers constantly. Each person's experience could add a little more to the training and experience we already have.” (P.10).

“I believe that PNL - Neuro Linguistic Programming is an important tool to deal with feelings and we are constantly bombarded with unpleasant feelings. In addition to semester courses that focus on the training area.” (P.4).

“Didactic and pedagogical knowledge; teacher training; evaluation methods.” (P.7).

“Need for short courses to update knowledge.” (P.6).

“Contact with the practical life of organizations. Experience with the market.” (P.1).

Teachers point out aspects directly related to didactic-pedagogical training, especially regarding the organization of teaching-learning processes, the object of didactics, considering an area of knowledge in pedagogy. In addition, they indicate the importance of interaction with the course proposals, for principles of multi and interdisciplinary curricular organization, for the neuropsychological preparation to better deal with emotional problems and other dimensions. There is an emphasis on updating knowledge in the field and better professional experience to integrate theory and practice in teaching.

In this perspective, we are anchored in the considerations of ^{Brandão (1981}), in which the action of thinking about education only as education is too intricate, since the educator's eagerness to understand and explain it in its multiple facets emerges. Therefore, it is worth questioning what was the sense of didactics for the group of teachers? When you state that you want to “learn didactics”, “understand didactics” from which perspective are you referring? The testimonies indicate that, in the teachers' imagination, didactics can be conceived in a still conservative and instrumental perspective, as a set of rules that make it possible for the teacher to “transmit content”.

Thus, thinking about university pedagogy implies analyzing, as indicated by Isaía (2007; 2008), that it is a field of teaching learning, driven and mobilized by the purposes of being, knowing and doing, specific to higher teaching, closely related to the reality experienced for the teaching action and its amplitudes.

In view of the needs initially pointed out by the teachers, we communicate with ^{Benedito, Imbernón and Félez (2001}, p. 3) when they indicate that the training needs have a polysemic character, demanding constant exercise of dialectical reflections. They also affirm that the need refers to the set of aspects considered inherent to the development of teachers who work in higher education, and they can state that they have a formative lack that can mobilize them to build new professional learning, understood as teaching knowledge.

Necessary Knowledge for the exercise of teaching

Teaching knowledge is intrinsically related to teaching identity, as well as professional development, therefore, it necessarily involves understanding about being a teacher in higher education. Thus, we proposed a question about the learning built during university teaching, in order to apprehend what knowledge, the teachers surveyed consider most relevant for the professional exercise of teaching, as well as the spaces of their production.

The records made by the teachers indicate the strong component of teaching learning in day-to-day practice, from professional experiences outside teaching, through trial-and-error movements. These understandings are pointed out in the following records obtained through the focus group with the teachers participating in the research:

“I have learned in the routine of my activities as a teacher, analyzing my professional actions critically. I consider the knowledge acquired in acting as an administrator in the job market in companies to be of great relevance, before working as a teacher. It is also of great relevance, the sharing of experiences as a teacher with colleagues who also work in the academic area, including professionals who work in education. The doctorate in education is also giving me a broader, more diverse and critical view of education.” (P1).

“I have learned from some colleagues, with study and with the exercise of my profession. I believe that the most important are the knowledge I have acquired in the exercise of various functions in the companies in which I worked, the concepts of Administration as a science. This knowledge was acquired in various functions within the company and through books.” (P3).

The positions of the teachers on the knowledge necessary for the exercise of teaching, help us to understand from the assumptions of ^{Guarnieri (2005}), that, to have professional success in the task of teaching, it is necessary for the teacher to know, dominate and articulate the various elements that make up his work. However, this articulation implies, at first, to think on what grounds your teaching is based so that it can be transformed.

According to the testimonies of the teachers, there is interaction between aspects related to learning in the routine of teaching activities, in the performance in the job market in companies, and through the sharing of experiences as a teacher with colleagues. In this sense, ^{Pimenta and Anastasiou (2005}) cite ^{Benedito (1995}) and emphasize that the university teacher learns to be one through a process of socialization, partly intuitive, self-taught, or following the routine of others. Faced with these questions, the following perceptions of the teachers are also presented:

“I learn to be and improve as a teacher with the daily teaching practice. I believe I have knowledge about the methodologies and didactics for acting in higher education, which I consider relevant and necessary in teaching. This knowledge was acquired through practice and with particular learnings and readings on this topic.” (P4)

“I learned to be a teacher since I took the pedagogical training course where I studied Didactics, Teaching Methodology and took practical classes. The knowledge I have, and think is important in university teaching, in addition to that described in item “a”, was acquired in my professional experience when I had the opportunity to work with students from elementary school to graduate school.” (P7).

“The knowledge was acquired and built in an undergraduate process, in the period when I was a substitute professor, in the master's and doctorate.” (P1).

“I am graduated in a technical course in pedagogy from Escola Normal Francisco Correia.” (P6)).

“I learn from my experiences, but also from courses and activities outside of college that I seek on my own initiative.” (P3).

“I was an employee of BNB S / A for twenty-nine years and there I took several courses, mainly in the financial areas, including on the Stock Exchange, which contributed a lot to the classroom. In addition, I held several management functions, also at BNB, which contributed significantly, as an experience, to the classroom”. (P9).

“In everyday practice. Appropriate didactics and methodology.” (P5).

“The experience cannot be taught; it has to be lived. I remember when I started teaching (1999) and I look back ... how many changes! In each academic semester, we learn something more, be it in content, evaluations, works, research, behaviors, and attitudes. Professional experience in a private company for 18 years was very enriching for practical knowledge as an administrator and teacher. Experiencing the gap between theory and administrative reality, in the business scenario and in the business world, expands our knowledge. This experience is the real contribution I bring to students. At the same time, maturity leads us to know other knowledge: respect, coexistence, tolerance, and gratitude. This is also part of the role of an educator / teacher.” (P4).

Due to its complexity, we emphasize that the teaching experience is important, as it is this knowledge that gives the teacher certain security to organize the pedagogical work (^{MELO; SANTOS, 2010}). However, they are not enough, as university teaching requires a set of systematized knowledge, which goes beyond predictability, therefore, it requires theoretical deepening on the professional knowledge of education, pedagogy, didactics. Therefore, teaching requires continuous training, which contributes to the construction of critical reflections, theoretically based on the multiple dimensions and aspects that involve teaching and learning. Consequently, according to ^{Pimenta's logic (2005}), the teacher's knowledge is based on the triad of knowledge in specific areas, pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge of experience. This tripod bases the investigative capacity on the teaching practice itself, that is, the reflection that generates the transformation of its “teaching know-how”.

The knowledge of the experience occupies the centrality in the teaching profession's learning, since they are constituted from the interaction of all other knowledge, in a movement of reframing, which submits them to the certainties originated from the practice and experience in the concrete context of teaching.

According to ^{Tardif et al (1991}) for teachers, the knowledge acquired through professional experience is the foundation of their competence, as it is through them that teachers judge their previous training or their training throughout their careers. However, teaching work demands complexity due to its importance in the construction of professional knowledge that allows the teacher to develop professionally throughout his career. In summary, the analysis indicates that the professors who participated in the research, build their teaching knowledge from various sources, among which stand out the professional experience in ​​training prior to entering the university and the academic experiences as students. In addition, the daily strength of pedagogical practice was recurrent as the main space for learning university teaching, which confirms the thesis defended by ^{Melo (2018}) that continuing education can contribute to the professional development of teachers as part of the concrete problems that the practice imposes, considering the contexts and circumstances in which teaching is practiced.

Changes in practice as a university teacher

Given the scope of the previous propositions, we continued with the questions inherent to the performance of university teaching, inferring about the paths that each professional can seek with a view to improving their performance. The question posed was about improving practice as a teacher:

"I need to understand more about what education involves in its various aspects, being a teacher and having better working conditions." (P2).

"I need to improve my content socialization and academic practices." (P5).

“I need to learn didactics and teaching methodologies.” (P4).

“I try to pass on the knowledge acquired at work within several companies as well as the theories and concepts acquired in the Administration course, seeking to place these teachings within the current context of organizations and the market in a globalized world.” (P3).

“I need to constantly analyze my teaching career, observing and reflecting on my continuing education, my teaching practice and my continuing education in a particular and collective way in order to build my professorship with quality.” (P5).

"I try to meet my students, have a good relationship with each one, encourage them to the habit of good reading and show the importance of always studying, constantly renewing knowledge." (P10).

“I need to improve classroom practices, which can be more innovative.” (P4).

“I must learn continuously .... To deepen the knowledge about the teaching performance and all aspects related to the teaching-learning process. Allow students to have the opportunity to build knowledge, encouraging them to think critically.” (P6).

“Initially I took a specialization course in Higher Education and later acquired practical knowledge, which allowed me to improve my performance in the classroom, in addition to having taught classes in several specialization courses, in different areas and consequently participated in several research groups. " (P7).

"I need to seek self-knowledge as a teacher, to be more intimate with the discipline, complete grasp of the content." (P1).

We can understand, from what teachers expose about the need to improve their teaching practice in higher education, aspects related to innovation, creating conditions for students to be more protagonists in classes and for them to develop critical thinking, which indicates the concern with the fact that the pedagogical relationship is constantly questioned, evaluated, and reinvented. In view of the answers to the questioning, we identified that the teachers present the need to improve aspects related to the socialization of knowledge, to obtain contributions from didactics and teaching and learning methodologies, in addition to showing concern with continuing education. This finding is important because it indicates the predisposition of this group of teachers to be involved in training actions that can reverberate in the improvement of their pedagogical practices.

In view of the above, we agree with ^{Costa's view (2011}, p.28), which

[...] this professional has a corpus of previous knowledge about teaching / learning, to face everyday situations, as well as to respond to the demands of his professional enterprise in increasingly complex situations [...].

However, the awareness of his condition as a teaching professional in higher education in contemporary times, marked by constant and rapid changes, while the training processes of the teachers involved are not always able to meet the training demands of their students. Therefore, it is vital to problematize and build debates on the training itself and on the demands of pedagogical practice. Thus, the contexts of professional training bring about the need to build a deep renewal in the classroom space and in university teaching methodologies, "which implies new challenges for teachers in their training work" (^{ALMEIDA; PIMENTA, 2009}, p. 22).

In view of the analysis referring to the teachers' perceptions regarding the improvement of teaching practice, corroborated by ^{Zabalza (2004}), we emphasize that the ideal profile of the university professor, in general, refers to the condition of a person with vast knowledge in his discipline, and who knows how to explain them with clarity and conviction to their students. However, other aspects must be considered, as “who knows, needs to learn to teach”, as highlighted by ^{Melo (2018}, p. 104), which means, therefore, to recognize the importance of dialogical, collaborative, and critical-reflexive training processes that have the training needs of teachers as structuring.

Conclusion

The main objective of the research was to analyze the training needs of professors with bachelor degrees who work in a Business Administration course at a federal university in the Northeast region. As specific objectives we seek to identify and analyze the main difficulties faced by teachers in university teaching; apprehend what knowledge teachers consider most relevant to the professional practice of teaching and, furthermore, identify the perceptions of teachers about the improvement of practice as a teacher and its distinctions, as important sources for understanding teacher training needs.

The study made it possible to understand that university teaching is a profession carried out, in a way, intuitive, through academic and professional experiences lived by teachers. Brazilian educational legislation itself is silent on the requirement for systematic training in the field of didactic-pedagogical knowledge for university teachers. We thus identified that there are training needs identified by the teachers themselves, especially with regard to the organization of teaching-learning processes, specifically didactic-pedagogical knowledge. In this sense, we reaffirm that the teaching profession requires the mastery of specific professional knowledge in the field of teaching, which is not always included in the training processes. However, teaching and training can be considered dialectical pairs and constitute a social, historical, political, philosophical and cultural process.

The study shows that the context in which the training needs of university professors emerge must be considered, so that processes of ongoing formation that may, in fact, contribute to pedagogical practice are provided. In this sense, teacher education, when linked to professional development as a permanent process, can contribute to the construction of a critical-reflexive institutional culture, in favor of an expansion of the world view, of being, of doing, of feeling, of coexistence of the teachers.

Thus, the development of a critical-reflexive view of the teacher, of his work, of himself and of his doing, contributes to professional training in line with the perspectives of transformations. This understanding reaffirms the importance of training processes that promote, in fact, teacher professionalization, which may reflect on the professional development of the teacher and, consequently, of the group.

The training needs are related to the challenges of the teaching profession, to the way that teachers reinvent themselves and how they reframe their knowledge and professional attitudes. Therefore, the analyzes present a necessary update of the knowledge of the area of expertise and better professional experience in order to recognize the inseparable theory and practice. The analysis indicates the knowledge of the experience as the centrality in the learning of the teaching profession; and, the need to improve teaching practice in higher education, in addition to aspects related to innovation, to create conditions for students to be more protagonists in classes and for them to develop critical thinking.

Regarding the dilemmas faced by teachers, we highlight the importance of reconfiguring university teaching, with a view to appropriating training conditions that enable the development of a guiding paradigm for training. Finally, the research reveals the importance of strengthening university pedagogy, in order to consolidate training spaces and times based on the training needs of teachers, considering not only the professional development of bachelor teachers, but, above all, human development.