A tecnologia e sua influência no aprendizado de língua inglesa

Abstract

To motivate Elementary School II students to learn the English Language represents a real challenge. Many students are currently unmotivated, especially as they are forced to translate large texts and perform many grammar exercises. Many learn the verb To Be from the 6th grade and go to high school without understanding it. Digital technologies can be a great ally to stimulate these students to learn since there are currently many websites and applications aimed at teaching languages. In this way, the general objective of this research was to investigate the potential of utilizing some of these digital technologies in order to answer the following guiding question: 'What role can digital technologies play in English language learning?’. Through an exploratory research, this study was implemented with two 8th-grade groups of students from a municipal school in the State of São Paulo. The two groups of students made use of ICTs in the laboratory (learning through videos, texts, audio and image files, online activities and tests, as well as applications geared towards learning English) and in the classroom they used the supporting notebook and textbook for a total of six weeks. The qualitative analysis of the data collected by the application of two questionnaires, a Diagnostic Assessment and a Satisfaction Survey applied after the intervention in the computer lab, revealed that learning English in a diversified way is very important for the students and can stimulate their learning, being very effective, fun and enjoyable. The research presents tools that help the students develop the four essential skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, and it turns out that digital technologies are a relevant means of learning the English Language and can make the student a continuous learner, not only at school but also when using any of the 24 free internet points available in the city of Barueri, via a Smart City network.