Diversidade e representação no livro didático : uma análise do livro Se Liga na Língua Inglesa (PNLD 2024)

Abstract

This work has as its main objective to investigate the presentation of diversity in the English language didactic book. The corpus of analysis is the Unit 4 of the didactic book Se Liga na Língua Inglesa, having as its title One language, different realities, the unit suggests discuss about the use of English in different social and cultural contexts, which leads to reflections on perceptions of identity, representation and stereotypes in English language teaching. The research arises from the understanding that the didactic book is a social and discursive resource, constructor of meaning, and that its representations are capable of influencing the way students see themselves and the society in a globalized context. Methodologically, this work refers to qualitative research, based on interpretive analysis of the texts, images and exercises presented in the didactic book. It presents a theoretical grounding on various authors, such as Paulo Freire, Stuart Hall, Rajagopalan, and others. The specific objectives can be summarized as identify how cultural and linguistic diversity is represented in Unit 4, analyze how identity is (or is not) addressed, examining whether students are encouraged to reflect on representation, belonging, and the construction of identities; and investigate the presence or absence of stereotypical representations or superficial approaches to sociocultural diversity. The results of the research imply that, even though there is an increase in cultural repertoire presented by the referred unit, when observing the presence of the English language in different territories, the diversity tends to be portrayed mainly in the shadow of a descriptive and territorial view, with limited depth regarding identity processes and representations in the material. It concludes by understanding that the material contributes to contextualizing a monolithic perspective of English by highlighting its use in diverse social and cultural contexts. However, it still reveals limitations with regards to critical problematization of diversity, restricting the possible development of a more in-depth critical discernment on the part of the students.