Um estudo multimodal de textos didáticos sobre o efeito fotoelétrico

Abstract

This work investigates the phenomenon of multimodality, as it manifests itself in the texts on the photoelectric effect (PE) in physics textbooks recommended by the National Textbook Program of the Brazilian Education Ministry - PNLD/MEC. More specifically, here we analyze how the authors of these books employ different verbal and nonverbal modes in the elaboration of texts on the PE in order to achieve certain rhetorical goals related to the description, explanation, injunction, definition, exemplification and narration of objects of knowledge of the sciences. The theoretical framework adopted in order to carry out the analysis of selected texts is based on social semiotics for which the modes of communication do not mean per se. The production of meaning comes from the insertion of the enunciator and enunciatee in a specific culture and set of social practices. In addition, this framework admits that both the communication and the human thought are inherently multimodal. The history of cultural development of thought and communication modes in a specific culture, as well the materiality of the means by which they manifest themselves (sound, gestures, images and symbols recorded on different media), lead to a functional specialization of modes. This means that some modes are better suited to mediate thethought and the communication of certain types of objects of knowledge than others. In addition, during the production of an enunciation different modes are used, selected and integrated with each other by an enunciator from the representations that he has from the rhetorical enunciatee and purpose that guides his/her communication initiative.Based on these theoretical assumptions, we analyze texts on the PE present in two textbooks of physics. The restriction to two books is justified by the level of detailed analysis that we perform. This level is necessary so that we can anticipate the semiotic work that a reader needs to do in their quest for meaning of texts. By comparing the two texts chosen, we show how the orchestration of the verbal and non-verbal mode intentions depends on the rhetorical move that the uthor/enunciator in the elaboration of a text, that in his view, is cohesive and coherent.From this work we look forward to providing an opportunity for reflection, for teachers and producers of didactic materials that deal with science textbooks. These are essentially multimodal texts, and for this reason, teachers and producers of didactic materials need to increase their understanding of the semiotic complexity of the work done by students, readers of multimodal textbooks, faced with the task of interpreting this genre