Tecnologias Digitais no Ensino e Aprendizado de LA: Uma Análise de Conteúdo em Diálogo com a Teoria Crítica da Sociedade

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the role of digital technologies in the teaching-learning-use of Additional Languages (AL) in the academic production in the Education area. With that aim, we searched for studies in the National Library of Theses and Dissertations (BNTD in the Portuguese acronym) and in the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel platform (CAPES in the Portuguese acronym) defended between 2015 and 2019 so as to form a corpus for content analysis (BARDIN, 2011). We focus on the approach toward technology in order to verify whether such approach promoted ‘semiformation’, a concept borrowed from Adorno (1992) and that is deeply related to the belief of having full knowledge about something, when in fact, the knowledge about the subject is insufficient (ADORNO, 1992). Data analysis suggests that the use of digital tools per se are not enough to promote the teaching-learning-use of AL once the mediation of the teacher is essential for a critical use of digital technology against the semiformation. The analysis also suggests that teachers are consumers of digital contents but, at the same time, they strive to be mediators in the process of teaching-learning-use of AL. Based on this result, we emphasize the importance of investing in preservice and continued teacher education. The study emphasizes the relevance of critical theory to the effective use of these new technologies in favor of a libertarian education and acknowledges the advances afforded by technologies for education, such as in the use of gamified activities and online courses. We also attempted to consider the problems of new technologies, especially in relation to the Covid 19 pandemic that imposed social distancing measures that forced the migration of many pedagogic activities to the virtual environment without changing the primary focus of this research. We conclude with the suggestion for more research on the teaching-learning-use of digital technologies beyond their instrumental functions so as to avoid semiformation