Da Coação À Cooperação Social: Estratégias De Professores No Enfrentamento Da Indisciplina E Suas Implicações Na Dinâmica Escolar

School indiscipline, a multifaceted phenomenon, reflects both broader social dynamics and classroom relationships, practices, and interactions. This study aimed to understand teachers’ attitudes toward indiscipline, categorizing them into two major groups: heteronomous and autonomous attitudes. The plurimethodological research involved interviews with 40 teachers from state schools in Paraná, Brazil, analyzed through content analysis. Based on Piaget’s Genetic Epistemology, teacher attitudes were classified as heteronomous, characterized by practices of social coercion and control over students, and autonomous, marked by cooperative relationships, dialogue, and mutual respect. Heteronomous practices, such as rule imposition, threats, being “firm,” punishments, derogatory remarks, grading-based control, and prescriptive pedagogical activities, prioritize external control over students’ moral autonomy. These attitudes perpetuate relationships of subordination and obedience, rooted in traditional moralist conceptions and the banking model of education. However, such strategies fuel an “imaginary geopolitics” between teachers and students, where stressed teachers resort to coercion while students challenge unilateral authority, creating cycles of conflict. This evidences the failure of heteronomous approaches to mitigate indiscipline. Conversely, autonomous attitudes—such as negotiating pedagogical contracts, engaging in dialogue, using altruistic arguments, promoting responsibility, fostering emotional closeness, offering differentiated lessons, and adopting critical perspectives on the “problem student” and working conditions—stood out for fostering collaborative and harmonious school environments. Teachers employing these practices emphasize mutual respect, shared responsibility, and reciprocity, transforming conflicts into learning opportunities and fostering students’ moral and intellectual development. Moreover, valuing students’ positive attributes, such as leadership and energy, alongside the use of altruistic arguments, promotes moral decentering and internalization of rules. The study identified a gradual shift from authoritarian practices to more dialogical approaches, driven by the perceived ineffectiveness of coercive methods and the appreciation of collaborative pedagogical relationships. Nevertheless, challenges remain, including inadequate initial training, precarious working conditions, and a lack of technical and emotional support for teachers. It concludes that heteronomous strategies perpetuate cycles of conflict, whereas autonomous practices demonstrate greater transformative potential by mitigating the “imaginary geopolitics” and strengthening social and emotional bonds. The research underscores the need to rethink pedagogical practices, invest in collaborative teacher training, and implement public policies that value teachers and improve working conditions, fostering a more inclusive and transformative education system.