Letramento digital na formação do professor de língua inglesa no ensino médio: um estudo de caso

Abstract

In contemporary times, the process of globalization is marked by digital technologies, a dynamic in which the use of the English language stands out as the main means of interaction. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 accelerated technological changes, especially in education, thus highlighting the need for broad digital literacy. Therefore, regarding the educational sphere, this scenario highlighted the demand for teacher education that includes digital literacy, broadly understood as social practices of reading and writing in digital environments (COSCARELLI; RIBEIRO, 2014), so that they can interpret, critically manage, share, and create meaning in digital environments. Given the relevance of the topic of digital literacy today, this study aims to analyze the representations of English language teachers in high school, from a private network of schools in the State of Paraná, regarding their digital literacy skills, to reflect on advances and demands in teacher education in this context. In addition, the study is organized around two specific objectives: a) Identify the level of digital literacy of English language teachers through a questionnaire adapted from the Digital Literacy Matrix by Dias and Novais (2009) and; b) Analyze the greatest education needs and difficulties encountered by these teachers in practices that require digital literacy, based on the answers to the open-ended questions in the questionnaire to comprehend the interaction between teacher education and the use of digital technologies in English language teaching. To this end, a questionnaire adapted from the Digital Literacy Matrix by Dias and Novais (2009) was formulated, which was applied to nine English teachers at the institution. The research results indicate that most participants demonstrated a high level of digital literacy, standing out especially in the areas of interface recognition and skills in searching, organizing, reading, and producing digital content. However, some gaps were identified, mainly in analytical skills, which reinforces the need for specific learning to improve these skills. The context of the research and its findings lead to reflection on the importance of educational policies aimed at digital, to support teachers in qualifying their work and adapting it to current needs, preparing them for the challenges brought by technologies.