Diferen？a e desigualdade: dilemas docentes no ensino fundamental

although the incorporation of issues related to difference in educational research and practice has clearly been growing in recent years, its approach continues to bring more concerns than answers. our intention in this text is to contribute toward such discussions, focusing on the inequality-difference tension identified in representations of teachers expressed in the focal group organized in the context of multiculturalism, human rights and education: the tension between equality and difference research. among the various viewpoints emerging throughout the latin american continent, we work within the intercultural perspective. the meanings attributed to the word "difference" by the participants of the focal group in question are problematic; for this reason we will discuss and draw conclusions on the association of the word "difference" with both "prejudice" and "discrimination", as well as "inequality". we also focus on the productivity of the focal group as an alternative to the collective interview, since it provides a privileged space for interaction among the participants, offering an opportunity for discursive constructions less influenced by the research and more similar to their everyday practices.