Gêneros digitais e o livro didático: inserção da cibercultura no ensino de língua portuguesa no nível médio

Abstract

This master's research was developed within the Graduate Program in Education (PPGED) at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), with support from the Research Group on Educational Informatics (GEPIED), aiming to understand the technological evolutions that characterize our era, especially in the educational context. According to Castells (2022), this interconnected organization has altered power dynamics and transformed the economy, society, and culture. In this context of change, it is evident that new communication practices and different languages are increasingly gaining prominence (Lima et al., 2019). In this scenario, textual genres stand out, as they can be classified as discursive activities that are part of various social spheres, with language use occurring in multiple forms—in other words, in communicative actions, genres are our form of social action (Marcuschi, 2008). Another important of genres is their ability to follow and adapt to social changes, such as technological advancements (Marcuschi & Xavier, 2010). Thus, we currently see a more significant use of digital genres—those that circulate widely in virtual environments through digital applications. To implement such proposals, considering that schools often lack the technological infrastructure for using digital devices, the Textbook (LD) can be useful as long as it does not focus solely on more traditional genres. Moreover, the textbook is still a widely used pedagogical tool in schools and, for many students—due to socioeconomic conditions—it is possibly the only reading material available to them (Rojo & Batista, 2009). Given this, the research problem posed in this study is: how can we bring education closer to cyberculture through the inclusion of activities with digital genres supported by the textbook? The theoretical foundation of this study is based on reflections about a technologized society, drawing on the concepts of Network Society (Castells, 2022), Cyberculture (Lévy, 2010), Digital Citizenship (Felice, 2020), and the Digital Sapiens (Schneider, 2002; 2021). In addition, the research is grounded in theories of multiliteracies (Rojo & Moura, 2012) and digital genres, based on the works of Bakhtin (2011), Marcuschi (2008, 2010), Lopes and Buzato (2018), and Bawarshi and Reiff (2013). This qualitative research employs Discursive Textual Analysis for data interpretation. Furthermore, data collection involved the use of a field diary, student questionnaires, and an interview with the teacher. The study was conducted with first-year high school students at a public school in Aracaju/SE. The main objective was to understand the use of digital genres in Portuguese Language classes based on textbook guidelines. As a result, the research showed that, despite some progress, textbooks still need to improve their presentation of digital genres. It also revealed that both students and the teacher recognize the importance of digital genres but face challenges in including these texts and using Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICTs) in their pedagogical routines.