DEDICATION

To my missing father...my coach forever!

I wonder if those who passed away could return to this world and freely walk around without being seen by those who loved them, but if that can happen I’m convinced you will be always on my side. When hearing the ocean, I will understand your coaching, when a fresh air spot will touch my face I will feel like your spirit is touching me…leading me to an unknown and unpredictive future.

I love you, Waiela!



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Despite the risk I can run by forgetting names I must be so thankful to many people who had collaborated in this thesis for the certainty of that no intellectual work can be made in the solitude, especially, because of the social nature of the ideas. Obviously, I had to overcome personal limits and unfold efforts to materialize this study. Throughout the way I found friends who had participated of this adventure in diverse way, but equally productive and with this gesture I am sharing with them the one-step ending.

Many people had contributed for my intellectual growth and to develop my sensitivity with subjects related to education field, also, many of them, the example of my students (will not) do not remember their participation that is materialized in this thesis. I have to be thankful to them despite their names are not mentioned here.

To my supervisor, Doctor Sheryl Snyman (PhD) (Ed Man), for the interest and availability with she followed this study and for the critics, suggestions and incentive that has given throughout its accomplishment. To Prof M. Herholdt for all had given support and encouragement.

To all my colleagues of the Instituto Superior Maria Mãe de África and of the Faculty of Education of the Eduardo Mondlane University for the words of incentive, in particular, to the Doctors Francisco Januário and Giuseppe Meloni, to the Masters Domingos Buque and Olívia Matusse, for the encouragement and suggestions that had given at the most difficult moments. Finally, I pay tribute to my special friend Auzinda Domingos for the devotion and professionalism demonstrated in translation of this thesis from Portuguese into English.

To my friends and my family for all given support in the accomplishment of this work, in particular, to my mother, my brother Inacito and my very special friend Marmy that had discrete followed the evolution of this study and to Yanis for having been an increased source of inspiration.

I thank God who, with His constant presence, offered as a gift to my life the existence of all and everyone who had made possible this study!

Epigraph

"In a world that once in a blue moon I try to understand, there are target winds blowing when we do slightest expect. Sometimes blowing with the violence of a hurricane, sometimes we hardly feel them in our face. But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as often bring a future not possible to ignore. You, my dear, are the wind I couldn't anticipate, the burst that blew with more violence than ever did not imagine possible. You are my destiny" (Sparks, 2009: 293).