Reflexão acerca das diferentes concepções de alfabetização na EJA

Abstract

This study aims to examine the different conceptions of literacy in Youth and Adult Education (EJA), considering their historical, theoretical, and pedagogical foundations and their implications for teaching practice. Using a qualitative, bibliographic approach, the research analyzes the evolution of literacy models in Brazil, highlighting the shift from traditional, decoding-centered methods to critical and emancipatory perspectives inspired by Paulo Freire and contemporary literacy studies. From the 1980s onward, literacy began to be understood as a social, cultural, and political practice, a view that gained strength in the 2000s with public policies that consolidated EJA as a distinct modality of basic education. The study emphasizes that literacy in EJA goes beyond teaching the alphabetic system, requiring the promotion of critical literacy and the integration of learners into meaningful reading and writing practices. It concludes that historical conceptions of literacy directly influence pedagogical practice, demanding from teachers a reflective, contextualized, and humanizing stance that acknowledges the trajectories and life experiences of individuals historically excluded from schooling. Thus, literacy in EJA is reaffirmed as an instrument of inclusion, citizenship, and social transformation.