Letramentos acadêmicos e oportunidades de aprendizagem: um estudo etnográfico sobre a trajetória de uma estudante surda no ensino superior

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the presence of deaf students in higher education within the Brazilian context, which has driven research aimed at understanding their access, permanence and academic progression within institutions. In this context, this study aims to understand the process of participation of a deaf student in academic literacy practices in the Mathematics teacher education program, at a public multicampi university in the state of Bahia. The student's academic trajectory was marked by institutional, pedagogical, and linguistic challenges, which I documented both as a researcher and, simultaneously, as her professor and advisor. Based on my observations and interactions with the student and other institutional actors, questions emerged regarding the participation of deaf students in academic literacy practices and the construction of learning opportunities for them. The theoretical framework integrates three main areas: (i) the perspective of literacies as social practices (Street, [1984]; 2010; 2012; 2014; Heath, 1982; Barton; Hamilton, 2004),; (ii) the studies on academic literacies (Lea & Street, 1998; Lillis & Scott, 2007; Marinho, 2010; Carvalho; Castanheira; Machado, 2023); and (iii) research on the education of deaf students, with authors such as Silva (2010), Quadros (2015), Fernandes (2012; 2016), Almeida (2020) and Rocha (2021). The theoretical-methodological approach adopted was interactional ethnography (David; Green; Santos, 2020), which enabled a contrast of perspectives and an examination of the meanings produced through social interactions established between the participants of the study. The analyses were also anchored in the concept of rich points (Agar, 1994) and in theories and studies on learning opportunities (Tuyay; Jennings; Dixon, 1996; Castanheira; Neves; Gouvêia, 2013). This framework allowed for the analysis of both the broader institutional context and the microanalysis of interactions that occurred during the student's undergraduate thesis (TCC) supervision process. Data collection involved the examination of institutional documents and materials produced by the student - from 2014 to 2020 -, as well as interviews, video recordings, and field notes - from 2021 to 2023. The results demonstrate, on the one hand, multiple challenges throughout the student's formative process, such as: the absence or scarcity of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpreters; some faculty members’ lack of understanding regarding the student's linguistic specificities in reading and writing Portuguese as a second language; and the need for specialized terms and glossaries for translation and interpretation of academic concepts and incomprehension in the communication and interaction. On the other hand, various actions taken by her family and the institution - including my own pedagogical practice - were identified and analyzed as contributing to her permanence and accessibility, as well as to the creation of learning opportunities constituted by the exchanges established during the process of her thesis supervision, for instance. By adopting an approach that views literacies as social practices, this study helped highlight the challenges faced by deaf students - both from a macro and a microanalytical perspective - and proposes pathways for reflection and action toward their inclusion and permanence in higher education.