Concepções de cultura na educação bilíngue: uma investigação dos discursos de professores de inglês

Abstract

The research investigated the concept of culture in the discourses of English teachers in bilingual education, within a context of increasing demand for English language teaching in Brazil, driven by globalization and socioeconomic issues. Given the rise of bilingual schools, the need for a critical understanding of culture in education becomes evident. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the underlying conceptions of culture in the discourses of English teachers in bilingual education and their relation to their praxis. The methodology adopted was a relational-exploratory case study, utilizing questionnaires and interviews with teachers from various regions of the country, and data analysis was based on Bardin's Content Analysis (1977). The results indicated that participants perceive culture as fixed and homogeneous, which limits the understanding of cultural diversity. In contrast, concepts of non-hegemonic culture and language were discussed, emphasizing cultural heterogeneity and dynamism, grounded in authors such as Canagarajah (2013), García and Wei (2014), Said (2011), Kramsch (1998; 2017), and Kubota (2001; 2004; 2020). The research also addressed the power relations present in cultural and linguistic interactions, proposing a critical view of language education. This criticality is supported by the reflections of Menezes de Souza (2011; 2019), Freire (1983), and Pennycook (1998; 2021). Thus, the study aimed to contribute to the training of teachers and pedagogical practices that recognize and value cultural complexity in bilingual education.