Questionando a crença de que “não se aprende língua estrangeira na escola pública”

Abstract

This PhD research aimed to challenge the common belief that foreign language (LE) is not learned in the public school, belief identified by several studies in the field of Applied Linguistics in Brazil (FÉLIX, 1998; COELHO, 2005; STAHL, 2010; ZOLIN- VESZ, 2013). The basis of the theoretical reference of this investigation is the theories about beliefs in the teaching of LE. The methodology was qualitative and longitudinal, of the case-study model, in which the beliefs were identified by the researcher from an interpretative approach of the study of beliefs (BARCELOS, 2001). The participants were nine students from a 6th grade elementary school from a public school in the city of Santa Maria and me, researcher and regent of the students. The instruments of data collection were a single questionnaire, applied twice (one at the beginning and another at the end of the year); three evaluations that tests Spanish knowledge, elaborated from specific contents worked during the academic period of 2016; an interview recorded in audio and performed in the last days of class; and the class diaries written by me after each class. The teaching material used to teach Spanish was distributed to schools through the National Textbook Plan (PNLD). The research originated from my belief about the possibility of learning Spanish foreign language (ELE) in public education. Under this perspective, the origin of the belief about the impossibility of learning Spanish language in public school is the disagreement between what is expected by the parents and society, and what effectively it is possible to learn in the basic education, considering the conditions offered by this context. The results of the data analysis demonstrated that all participants believe that it is possible to learn in the public education. It also showed that aspects related to affective factors of learning, such as “sympathy for the teachers” and motivation or personal interest in learning Spanish language are decisive, as well as the use of various techniques and instruments for the success in learning it. The longitudinal comparison between the three knowledge tests confirmed that the learning of Spanish language occurred on the part of the participants in the school year select for the research.