Do desejo ao conflito: a trajetória de uma professora na ressignificação de abordagem no ensino de língua inglesa em contexto de Instituto Federal

Abstract

This study primarily investigates the trajectory of a teacher-researcher in the process of changing her approach while designing and teaching English using an instructional material with focus on meaning for students majoring in Mathematics at a professional and technological educational institution. To achieve this, a needs analysis of the learning needs of the mathematics students was carried out. After, an instructional material was developed, and then implemented. This is a qualitative, exploratory, and interventionist study conducted with the participation of a teacher-researcher and students at a campus of the Federal Institute of São Paulo, in an English course for a Mathematics degree. The course was delivered remotely due to the restrictions imposed by Covid-19. Instruments for data generation and collection were the following: the instructional material, questionnaires, interviews, the teacher-researcher's diaries, recordings of meetings between the teacher-researcher and her research advisor, recorded lessons, and the chat logs from these lessons. Data analysis was carried out through triangulation and content analysis to categorize the data. Thus, this study aimed at understanding the teacher-researcher's process of changing her approach in three aspects: (i) how the teacher-researcher's trajectory was characterized; (ii) how the teacher-researcher materialized the desired (communicative) approach in the instructional materials developed; and (iii) how the realized approach during teaching with the materials was characterized. In this sense, the theoretical framework that guides this research addresses the concept of approach in language teaching (Anthony, 1963; Richards; Rodgers, 1982; Prabhu, 1987; Allwright, 1991; Almeida Filho, 1997), discusses the Global Operation Model of Language Teaching (OGEL) and its relation to the change in teaching approach (Almeida Filho, 1993, 2012, 2015, 2018a, 2023). Also, it brings insights about grammar and communicative approach and teaching practices aligned with these paradigms (Almeida Filho, 2001, 1993, 2012, 2015, 2018b; Brown, 2015; Freitas, 2013; Gomes, 2016a, 2016b; Richards; Rodgers, 2014; Vieira-Abrahão, 2015). In addition, it discusses communicative language teaching (Almeida Filho, 2000, 2015; Almeida Filho; Barbirato, 2000; Barbirato, 1999, 2005; Brown, 1994, 2015; Littlewood, 2013; Richards; Rodgers, 2014; Xavier, 2016) as well as thematic planning (Brinton; Snow, 2019; Brown, 2015; Byrnes, 2005; Crandall, 1994; Dueñas, 2004; Richards; Rodgers, 2014). The results revealed that the teacher-researcher's process of changing her approach was complex and non-linear. It was also evident that distinctive features of the communicative approach were incorporated into the instructional materials, such as a focus on meaning and meaningful activities for the learners. Finally, it was observed that the teaching with the materials was influenced by two approaches: the one represented by the instructional materials and the one declared by the teacher-researcher.