Aprendizagem em língua estrangeira: a construção de saberes no envelhecimento

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the aspects involved in learning foreign language during aging, to identify the reasons for this learning, to know the difficulties faced and to investigate the strategies of learning that are used. This is a descriptive exploratory qualitative study, carried out with 10 participants of both sexes, between the ages of 57 and 79, members of the English or French courses taught at the Integrated Nucleus of Studies and Research of the Third Age (NIETI), at the Federal University of Paraíba. The sociodemographic questionnaire, the questionnaire for acquiring a new language and the Inventory of Learning Strategies were used as instruments. The results indicated that the elderly seek the learning as an alternative to stay healthier and more active, aiming at the search for more knowledge, cognitive stimulation and increased social bonds, because for them interaction is the most beneficial and satisfactory factor that learning of foreign language provides. The most frequently used strategies were social strategies; moderate use, memory strategies and limited use, affective strategies. The results suggest that senescent learners use learning strategies as a facilitator in the acquisition of new knowledge and that social interaction contributes significantly to learning in the elderly.