Crenças no ensino-aprendizagem do Português como Língua de Herança: problematizações acerca da aula de PLH como espaço de letramento, atravessamento e constituição social

Abstract

This dissertation discusses the beliefs of teachers of Portuguese as a Heritage Language. It critically reflects about the PHL class from the multiple spaces that it can occupy according to my own understanding: the literacy, crossing and social constitution spaces. The following theoretical framework inspired me to generate and interpret data: Undisciplined (Moita Lopes,2006) and transgressive(Pennycook,2006) critical applied linguistics; studies in Heritage Languages (Valdés, 2001; Van Deusenscholl, 2003; Carrera, 2004,2014; Polinsky e Kagan, 2007; Flores; Pfeifer, 2014); teacher s beliefs (Bracelos, 2000, 2001, 2004; Kalaja, 2006; Kalaja e Barcelos, 2008, Herrmann, 2013) as well as studies in PHL (Mota, 2004; Lico, 2011; Mendes, 2012; Ortiz, 2014; Moroni, 2015; Boruchowski,2015). Furthermore, I relied on a qualitative (Guba e Lincoln, 1989; Denzin e Lincoln, 2006) and interpretative methodological approach (Ribeiro e Garcez, 2002), on the understanding that language emerges in the socialization and negotiation of meanings (Van Lier, 2002, 2008; Paiva, 2009) and on a sociocultural view of language (Vygostsky, 1978; Bruner, 1996; Lantolf, 2007) to critically reflect about the participants Belief Systems (BS) particularly their views of "PLH classes". The specific procedures used in this investigation included: (i) online questionnaires; (ii) interview, recorded in audio; (iii) observations and field notes. The data suggest that (1) teachers and others involved with PLH do not perceive playful activities as regular classes and (2) formal language teaching, although pointed as an end, does not appear in their pedagogical practices. Data also suggest that (3) there is a stereotyped view of the learner and (4) that the BS influences the way teachers construct their place and the place of PHL learners corroborated findings of previous studies. In addition, I also observed that the life sotries of HL teachers related with their practices, which suggests lack of clarity about their goals and expectations they have for learners. On one hand, the PHL programs investigated aim to fulfill the non-linguistic functions that would better fit schools inHL, on the other, the the PHL programs investigated demonstrated less concern with the HL class as a space for literacy development. Finally, it should be emphasized that PHL programs play a prominent role in the maintenance of Brazilian Portuguese in the diaspora and that both the beliefs and values and objectives attributed to PHL teaching and learning can converge or diverge within the investigated programs.