Fazendo Pesquisa Escolar na Internet

Abstract

Based on the possibility that the hypertext format of the Internet and the search engines that it makes available may facilitate research, speeding the process of seeking information, (ROUET ET AL. 1996; RAMAL 2002; COSCARELLI, 2002, 2009; BRAGA, 2005; KOMESU, 2005; XAVIER, 2005, 2009) and the fact that research should be treated as "scientific and educational principle" (DEMO, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006), this work had asmain objective to understand how the process of schoolwork research by students of the final grades of elementary school, accustomed to surfing the web, and who use the computer and the Internet to accomplish such task occurs. Our hypothesis is that although the Internet and its hypertext format allow the contact of students with different viewpoints, it would notguarantee the student's critical stance on the matter investigated, if he or she only interpreted research as a data search. Thus, the text that the student would present as the final result of his work would be either a copy or some kind of reformulation without significant changes andwithout showing the students real position. In this study, firstly, a questionnaire was answered by 33 students from the sixth to the ninth grade of elementary school at a private institution in the city of Cataguases (MG), in order to verify how schoolwork research on theinternet is carried out. From this questionnaire, we selected nine students accustomed to using the Internet, in order to record one of their academic studies, a request by one of their teachers, using the winksoftware. These students were also submitted to an audio taped interview with the goal of trying to better understand their chosen paths while searching for information and their preparation for the final work. Moreover, it was sent by e-mail to teachers of that institution, aquestionnaire containing questions about the practice of schoolwork research on the Internet in order to obtain information about the teachers position in relation to such a practice. The results generated in this study showed that most students understand research as a search for information, and that the way the teacher requires the research not always incites the students critical position and that the texts produced by these students tend to be copies. These copies, although literal in some cases, usually consist of clipping information which is considered most important by the students, taken from different sites. Sometimes, students try to articulate this information through cohesive mechanisms or formulating introductions. However, as they do not use these mechanisms properly or as they still lack the mature knowledge of textual organization they end up affecting the textual unit (COSTA VAL,2006). We conclude that the design of the student research process influences the outcome of his work. However, the way the teacher requires the research as well as the student's knowledge of textuality concepts can also influence the textual production that the studentwill present as a result of his research. Thus, it seems necessary to rethink not only how research is worked out in the classroom, but also the need to focus more on the teachinglearning skills of reading and writing.