Linguistics, teaching and the portuguese teacher perspective: a first look

Abstract

For at least 20 years, theoretical linguists have discussed the need for interaction between the findings of formal research and language teaching (cf. MOURA NEVES, 2003; VIEIRA; BRANDÃO, 2007, OLIVEIRA; QUAREZEMIN, 2016; PILATI, 2017; MAIA, 2019; GUESSER; RECH, 2020, among others). However, analysis of teaching materials for Portuguese as a first language (PL1) and as a second language (PL2) (cf. CALINDRO, 2019; CALINDRO; RODRIGUES, 2021, in press) reveals that this interaction has not been achieved. Furthermore, results obtained by Brazilian students in international tests, such as Pisa, have not been satisfactory. Given the decisive role of the classroom teacher in determining student’s learning experiences and outcomes, we conducted a survey and thematic analysis of (PL1 and PL2) teacher perspectives on teaching and learning in the Portuguese language classroom, focusing on teachers’ pedagogical needs, subject knowledge, and the evaluation of teaching materials available to them. The study was undertaken by means of a questionnaire that used a Likert scale to measure teachers’ perspectives. A first analysis of the results reveals that teachers are aware of some perspectives that linguistics can offer, such as the importance of valuing all varieties of a language. However, in other aspects, such as the notion of grammar as distinct from its conceptualisation as a standard norm, insight from linguistics does not seem to have reached our study’s participants. Therefore, this article makes an important contribution to the reflective practice of linguists concerned with the efficient dissemination of their research results, so that they can influence pedagogical choices benefitting teachers and students alike.