O que dizem os formadores? Representações sobre o ensino de língua inglesa em escolas públicas baianas

Abstract

This research aims to reveal the social representations of professors about teaching English in public schools in Bahia. English has the representation of a minor discipline in Brazilian education (LIMA, 2011, 2013; QUEVEDO-CAMARGO; SILVA, 2017), even though it has the status of an international language or a lingua franca (JENKINS, 2007; SIQUEIRA, 2011b; SEIDLHOFER, 2011), and it is one of the engines for the Internet and globalization (KUMARAVADIVELU, 2006). This work is justified by the relevance that the practical part of the Language degree in the English Language has at the time of graduation. Knowing the representations of the professors who teach the disciplines of Supervised Internship, can signal how the undergraduates are prepared for the challenge of teaching in the public school. The general objective of the research is to investigate what the social representations of professors about the teaching of the English language in public schools in Bahia are. The specific objectives are a) to find out what strategies professors use to prepare undergraduates for teaching English in the public context; b) to investigate the representations that professors build about English language students in the Language course; c) understand how the professors' social representations contribute to the education of undergraduate students in the Language course; d) understand and analyze how social representations about English language teaching in the public sector guide the performance of professors and, e) analyze how the partnerships between public schools and universities in which the professors work and what characteristics they present. The theoretical contribution of the research is outlined based on social representations (ABRIC, 1994; MOSCOVICI, 1981, 2011; JODELET, 2001; ORNELLAS, 2011b). Data analysis is supported by critical discourse analysis, based on the ideological constructs that circumscribe the materiality of the language (FAIRCLOUGH, 2001; BAKTHIN, 2006; DIJK, 2017). The methodology uses a qualitative approach and is ethnographical. Also, narrative research (LABOV, 1997; BRUNER, 2002; TELLES, 2002, 2004; ARAGÃO, 2005, 2007, 2008; PAIVA, 2008; LIMA, 2010; CLANDININ; CONNELLY, 2015) also outlines the construction of instruments and the generation of data. The survey counted on the collaboration of six respondents from universities in Bahia. For its realization, four instruments were generated, namely: written narratives, oral interviews with semistructured questionnaires, field notes, and the documents that organize the practical subjects of the Language degree in the English Language, that is, pedagogical projects and regulations. Data analysis was performed according to each instrument and then a triangulation was performed to validate the data found. The results point out that the social representations of the professors are anchored in the discourse of experiences and challenges in their professional routine. Besides, teaching based on critical pedagogy, meaningful teaching articulated with social practice, the deconstruction of the hegemonic English language, and the development of the critical-reflexive competence of the undergraduate students are part of the educational practice of these professors. This group of professors showed to be engaged with a libertarian and democratic education in the education of future teachers for teaching English in public schools in Bahia.