Ensino de língua inglesa como letramento crítico na escola pública: uma autoetnografia docente no contexto do Novo Ensino Médio

Abstract

This doctoral thesis consists of a teacher autoethnography aimed at investigating the potential impacts of English language teaching as critical literacy based on the pedagogical practice of the participating teacher-researcher, in a state public school in Minas Gerais, within the context of the New High School curriculum (NEM in Portuguese). To understand the possibilities and limitations of adopting a critical stance on teaching English, in this autoethnography (Caetano, 2017, 2023; Pardo, 2019; Oliveira, 2023), the Brazilian Curriculum Guidelines for High School (OCEM) (Brasil, 2006), still current for the approach proposed, were considered as the main theoretical assumptions. Moreover, the research included studies about critical literacy theories such as Cervetti, Pardales and Damico (2001), Mattos (2011, 2015), Menezes de Souza (2011a, 2011b), Duboc (2012, 2015), Soares (2014), Caetano (2017, 2023), Pessoa, Silvestre and Monte Mór (2018), Ferraz and Mattos (2024), among others. This study involved the teacher-researcher as the autoethnographer, her students from a third-year regular high school class and an invited external observer. Different research instruments were employed to generate data, including a written narrative, reflective diaries, audio recordings of classes, questionnaires, a group interview, and field notes of class observation. The results of the analysis and discussion highlighted both the possibilities and limitations of adopting the concept of a critical education in English language classes within the context investigated. Among the perceived possibilities, the promotion of activities and projects based on a critical approach to English teaching stands out in oral communication, reading, written practice, linguistic knowledge, literature and the evaluation process. Additionally, the continuous use of the English language itself in the classroom, especially through translanguaging (Lucena; Nascimento, 2016; Lucena; Cardoso, 2018; Yip; García, 2018), emerged as a key element. Regarding the limitations of a critical approach to English teaching in this context, the results highlight issues such as the limited time and space allocated to the English classes within the NEM curriculum, the lack of guidance on implementing the concept of English as a lingua franca in practice (Brasil, 2017, 2018), and the divergence between national guidelines for English teaching and the state curriculum in the context investigated (Minas Gerais, 2021). Finally, based on autoethnography, I emphasize the potential for investigating the individual self for a possible social and educational contribution to a collective self (Eriksson, 2010; Pardo, 2019).