A constituição de identidades em discursos argumentativos produzidos por alunos de um Instituto Federal de Ensino

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the formation of sociocultural identities of six students enrolled at a Federal Institute of Education in a dialogical perspective of the Portuguese language, especially through argumentation, which is considered as a favorable discursive space for observing the development of those identities. In this discursive space, one can identify the fusion and the distinction of statements made by those students, forming a link in the strand of meaning production from the discourses of others (BAKHTIN, 1981). In the course of this investigation - during class time - students' standpoints show their identities being shifted, or moving around, according to their cultural contexts (HALL, 2013). Furthermore, some sociocultural challenges, in which today's youth is immersed, are considered to be typical of postmodern or fluidic society (BAUMAN, 2005), and they influence the way identities are constituted in the classroom environment. This qualitative research consists of an ethnographic case study (ANDRÉ, 2012), which bases the reflections as well as the descriptions of the researcher/teacher regarding one of her courses (senior year), through the following analysis used in data collection: written productions of predominantly argumentative discourses (ADAM, 2005), questionnaires, written activities, various interactions, dialogues and debates in the classroom. By utilizing such argumentative practices - when dealing with specific themes, such as gender issues, crises in Brazil, local culture, or violence and peace culture – this study gave the student space to become the subject of his own learning. This took place in a broader perspective beyond the traditional view of education limited to the contents proposed by a course syllabus. In view of the above, this observation-reflection-action quest considers that, in order to teach Portuguese in a dialogical perspective, instructors must know how to deal with the current contemporary context. Also, various socio-cultural identities can be understood in those interactive discursive spaces through respect and tolerance. Additionally, the argumentative practices contribute in a significant way to the written production and the comprehension of diferente texts. In conclusion, dialogism, identity and argumentation can become the three platforms that are continuously related to the use of language in the classroom, as well as in various moments of our lives.