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FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES E INTERNACIONALIZAÇÃO DA EDUCAÇÃO
BÁSICA: REPENSANDO O ENSINO DE LÍNGUAS E A NOÇÃO DE FRONTEIRA
GEOPOLÍTICA
Dra. Fabiana Diniz Kurtz 0000-0001-8946-7480
Dra. Maria Cristina Pansera de Araújo 0000-0002-2380-6934
Me. Janaína Mattos Bernardi 0009-0003-3722-0402
Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul
Dra. Tamara Rosa 0000-0003-3359-3909
Instituto Federal Farroupilha
RESUMO: Neste artigo, investigamos as interseções entre educação e linguística aplicada, examinando
a interligação entre a internacionalização da educação e conceitos como translinguagem, decolonialidade
e fronteira linguística no Sul Global. Advogamos por uma abordagem pedagógica translíngue para
enfrentar desigualdades, considerando a diversidade linguística como um vetor de justiça social. A partir
de mapeamento e análise textual discursiva (Moraes; Galiazzi, 2020) junto à BNCC e entrevistas com
estudantes, professores e gestores de um curso de idiomas, sublinhamos a importância da formação
continuada docente para promover uma pedagogia sensível à diversidade linguística e cultural, desafiando
fronteiras geopolíticas e ideológicas. A partir da legislação vigente, especialmente das Diretrizes
Curriculares Nacionais para Internacionalização da Educação Básica (Brasil, 2023), parece possível
verificar uma incipiente incorporação da translinguagem nas políticas educacionais, enquanto a Base
Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC) carece de perspectivas translinguísticas explícitas. A pesquisa de
campo realizada sugere uma visão de fronteira linguística enraizada em perspectivas coloniais que
influencia a busca do ensino de língua inglesa para comunicação global e crescimento pessoal,
amplificando dinâmicas de poder colonial. Argumentamos pela necessidade de uma abordagem
pedagógica decolonial translíngue que respeite a diversidade linguística e cultural, questionando fronteiras
geopolíticas e ideológicas mesmo em contextos de cursos de idiomas.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Educação; Decolonialidade; Translinguagem.
TEACHER EDUCATION AND THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF BASIC
EDUCATION: RETHINKING LANGUAGE TEACHING AND THE NOTION OF
GEOPOLITICAL BORDER
ABSTRACT: In this article, we investigate the intersections between education and applied linguistics,
examining the interconnection between the internationalization of education and concepts such as
translanguage, decoloniality, and language boundary in the Global South. We advocate a translingual
pedagogical approach to face inequalities, considering linguistic diversity as a vector of social justice.
Based on mapping and BNCC discourse textual analysis (Moraes; Galiazzi, 2020) as well as interviews
with students, teachers and managers of a language course, we underline the importance of continuing
teacher education to promote a pedagogy sensitive to linguistic and cultural diversity, challenging
geopolitical and ideological boundaries. From the current legislation, especially the National Curriculum
Guidelines for the Internationalization of Basic Education (Brasil, 2023), it seems possible to verify an
incipient incorporation of translanguaging in educational policies, while the National Common Curricular
Base (BNCC) lacks explicit translinguistic perspectives. The field research carried out suggests a view of
the linguistic frontier rooted in colonial perspectives that influences the pursuit of English language teaching
for global communication and personal growth, amplifying colonial power dynamics. We argue for the need
for a translingual decolonial pedagogical approach that respects linguistic and cultural diversity, questioning
geopolitical and ideological boundaries even in contexts of language courses.
KEYWORDS: Education; Decoloniality; Translanguaging.
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1 INTRODUCTION
In the educational field, studies in Applied Linguistics and Critical Applied
Linguistics highlight several nuances and consequences of scientific and linguistic literacy
in society. In the academic sphere, Portuguese language teaching in Brazil, also called
mother tongue teaching, has historically been conceived as a means of instructing
learners to adhere to a linguistic standard in order to become “useful citizens”, as Lopes
et al. (2018) point out. From the imperial period until the Republic, the Portuguese
language was promoted as a tool to civilize the colonized and promote linguistic
uniformity, suppressing indigenous and African languages.
In the republican period, this search for linguistic homogeneity was influenced by
the Enlightenment ideal of educating the ignorant in the language, although this
neglected, in a way, natural heterogeneity of the spoken language, which contributed to
the exclusion of peripheral groups. This context is important to the study reported here,
in the sense that it helps to understand and situate language teaching associated with
the colonial movement and its political motivations in Brazil.
Therefore, following studies and aspects of the educational and linguistic field, it is
crucial to encourage discussion involving principles around the internationalization
movement of higher education and, more recently, of basic education, aligned with
linguistic ideologies, which permeate the conflict and experience of translingual teaching
in specific contexts, such as preservice teacher education and language study.
If linguistic ideologies are intrinsically linked to political and moral issues, and
reflect the social interests of those who hold these beliefs, it is important to deepen the
debate to the point of contributing to language policies and the development of teacher
training curricula consistent with such challenges, conceiving the linguistic diversity as a
factor of social justice. Thus, in this article, we corroborate the National Parameters for
the Internationalization of Basic Education (Brazil, 2023, p. 9-10), which postulate that
“Internationalization can be cross-border, when it crosses borders, or at home, when it
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takes place at school, and it must be conceived for everyone, for all children and
adolescents, young people and adults who participate in educational processes.” (Brazil,
2023, p. 9-10).
However, Brazil does not seem to have developed language education that
effectively conveys an ideologically democratic stance. Lopes et al (2018) emphasize this
scenario based on what the National Curriculum Parameters (PCN) represented, which
guided education before the implementation of the National Common Curricular Base
(BNCC) (Brazil, 2018).
According to these authors, even though the pragmatic turn in teaching the mother
tongue emphasizes a view of language as enunciation related to its social and historical
context of use, the PCN, along with schools and literary academies, ended up playing a
homogenizing role, as discussed by Lopes et al (2018). These documents reinforced the
idea of a monolingual Brazil, standardizing knowledge through adherence to a monoglot
ideology of the language. These guidelines disseminated linguistic ideologies that support
the “monoglot culture of the standard language”.
However, Silva and Xavier (2021), when discussing the internationalization of
higher education, point out that the actions recently developed in higher education directly
affect the “geopolitical plane”, focusing not only on the “search for knowledge in countries
more advances”, but also in “solidarity cooperation with friendly nations” in support of the
development of their scientific and technological frameworks” (Brazil, 2017, p. 26, apud
Silva; Xavier, 2021, p. 5589).
There is, therefore, a considerable change in initiatives to place Brazil in a strategic
position in international geopolitics, with cooperation also in language policies, especially
in postgraduate programs in Linguistics and Education, particularly with countries on the
African continent (Silva; Xavier, 2021).
In this way, although we have movements and actions with a view to rethinking
such policies in favor of a linguistic education that considers the multilingual society in
many aspects, the nation-states still constantly seek to constitute themselves as officially
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unified societies, using the standard language as an index of prestige, values and
identities. This creates a standard language ideology that is considered morally good and
desirable, even today.
In precisely this sense, we aim to revisit the concepts of the "Global South" and
"geopolitical border" as they are interrelated, especially when considering the uneven
distribution of power, resources, and economic development worldwide. Geopolitical
borders often reflect global inequalities, with territorial divisions shaped by political and
economic interests. Therefore, borders can be instruments that reinforce the disparity
between the Global North and the Global South, determining access to resources,
economic opportunities, and political power. They can effectively mirror legacies of
colonialism, with divisions that may not take into account local ethnic, cultural, or historical
identities, creating tensions and challenges for countries in the Global South.
Thus, the concepts of the "Global South" and "geopolitical border" are
interconnected through power dynamics, historical inequalities, and geopolitical
structures that shape relations between different regions of the world. Understanding this
interconnection is crucial for analyzing and addressing global issues such as
sustainability, social justice, and international relations from an emancipatory perspective.
In this context, the proposed discussion, through literature research and data
analysis, to contribute to the dossier "Borders, Education, and Languages: Practices,
Policies, and Linguistic Phenomena," aims to position language education within a
translanguaging pedagogy. The goal is to denaturalize linguistic inequality towards the
political, ideological, and cultural spheres by revisiting the concept of the "Global South"
and "geopolitical border." This involves recognizing that linguistic inequality is not inherent
but is produced by political and social processes, historically and socially constituted,
within the Vygotskian and Bakhtinian understanding.
We also associate ourselves with the Kramsch studies (2009), when we conceive
that the language teacher is a political and social actor and, therefore, must emphasize
intercultural colonial differences that constitute language teaching and, consequently,
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cognitive development of his/her students. It is essential, for this, to transcend
epistemological and ideological boundaries that constitute ways of thinking and not
location or geographic boundaries in order to (re)build postmodernist epistemological
bases, that is, that convey a look from the Glocal South and not the modernist one with a
global north view.
In this study, we assume a post-modernist perspective in which ways of
representing the world are non-linear and closely linked to the most varied contexts, in an
ecological relationship of time, space and environment that constitute ecologies of
knowledge from of a holistic vision of community (Kramsch, 2023). It is, therefore, an
epistemological and ideological frontier that encompasses, in many cases, neoliberal
propaganda, especially when dealing with a so-called cybercultural context “without
borders or geographic barriers”, greatly enhanced by the strength of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT), as we have highlighted in previous studies (Kurtz, et
al., 2021; 2022).
We seek, therefore, to transcend this immediate view, in order to reiterate that our
worldview, as humans, depends on our position and locus of negotiation throughout the
historical-cultural constitution, especially in a scenario where algorithms bombard us with
information as they collect many others without our authorization, making the so-called
non-existent borders, therefore, visible and reflect conceptions and ideologies. This is, in
our view, a crucial point in initial and continuing teacher education.
In this regard, beyond this Introduction, we have organized the discussion into two
sections: the first, where we articulate insights and recent studies conducted by the
research groups at Unijuí/CNPq, namely "Mongaba: Education, Languages, and
Technology" and the "Interdepartmental Research Group on Science Education/Gipec,"
regarding translanguaging policies and the internationalization of education. The second
section presents preliminary data from a study within a specific language teaching context
that allows for a reconsideration of geopolitical borders. This becomes possible as the
relationship between the concept of geopolitical borders and language teaching can be
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explored in various dimensions, considering how borders influence language,
communication, and education, as articulated in the following sections.
Methodologically, it involves a documentary analysis followed by a case study
report. The first dimension (section 1) employed a qualitative interpretative approach
through Textual Discourse Analysis (Moraes and Galiazzi, 2020) applied to the National
Common Curricular Base (BNCC) using the qualitative analysis software Atlas.ti. The
analysis focused on the terms "language" and "linguistics," mapping recurrence and
formative conception in this field, with an epistemological approach to translanguaging.
In the second dimension (section 2), we problematize, through a case study in the
city of Lucas do Rio Verde (Mato Grosso, Brazil), the extent to which social practices
involving motivations for seeking and dropping language courses are associated with
conceptions and myths surrounding the goal of studying a foreign language. Additionally,
we consider that the notion of linguistic border underlies these motivations, aligning with
a colonial view of the global north, especially regarding the learning objectives of a foreign
language, predominantly English.
2 TRANSLINGUAL POLICY AND INTERNACIONALIZATION OF HIGHER AND BASIC
EDUCATION
Borders are often employed to define and delineate cultural and linguistic
identities. They play a crucial role in shaping cultural and linguistic identities, with
language policies frequently reflecting and shaping these boundaries. Consequently,
language policies may differ on either side of an external or internal border, in terms of
delineating and privileging language teaching and the linguistic choices of communities.
It is asserted, therefore, that certain regions in Brazil focus on the English language to
ensure communication with the world, reaffirming both internal boundaries and
translingual practices.
Welp and García (2022) contribute to this discussion by involving the concept of
linguistic repertoire and what is conceived as translanguaging practice. Initially defined
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by Gumperz (1964) as a relatively stable set of linguistic resources (languages, dialects,
and registers) for everyday interactions, the concept of linguistic repertoire has evolved
due to contemporary changes brought about by globalization, technology, and migration.
According to these authors, initially introduced by Cen Williams, in Wales, when
describing language switching in bilingual classrooms, the term "translanguage" has
gained popularity in studies on bilingual education. This education, according to the
Parameters of Internationalization of Basic Education (Hereinafter PIBE; Brazil, 2023), is
considered as “any system of school education in which, at a given moment and period,
simultaneously or consecutively, instruction is planned and provided in at least least two
languages” (Brazil, 2023, p. 119). Thus, bilingual teaching is associated with the use of
the second language as a way of expanding the knowledge acquired in the first language
in schools for these purposes. This conception also represents a significant change in the
way of approaching bilingualism in research and language teaching.
In these terms, the separation of languages in bilingual individuals is a Western
social construction imposed by institutions of power to consolidate imperialist and colonial
norms. In contrast, translanguaging challenges this monolithic view of language,
highlighting the dynamics of linguistic practices with significant implications for language
teaching and learning. Thus, translanguage, based on the idea of language as a
repertoire, adopts a heteroglossic view of language. This implies that languages are
multiple and co-existing, rejecting the notion of a single "standard" language that does
not take varieties into account.
In defense of a translingual pedagogy, it is crucial that internationalization policies,
both in higher education and basic education, start encouraging students to recognize
their expressive potential and the power of choice in relation to language (Welp; García,
2022), allowing students to use all the characteristics of their linguistic repertoire,
including vocabulary, grammar and more elaborate structures to make connections,
comparisons, deep questions and explore the language in different ways, promoting an
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expected “liberation” of communication systems restricted by language sociopolitical
domination, giving everyone a voice and correcting power imbalances among speakers.
Thus, according to the PIBE (Brazil, 2023, p. 91), it is the competence of
educational managers to recognize linguistic plurality of communities, valuing the
diversity of each social group, “enhancing the development of border languages in
indigenous language teaching networks, Brazilian sign language, languages of
international communication” besides establishing relationships between “the local,
regional, the national and the international” (Brazil, 2023, p. 91).
Related to this, the internationalization of Higher Education has been configuring
new spaces, representations and praxeologies as they have been developed in order to
overcome the frontier of physical mobility to emphasize international dimensions in
curricular activities integrated to campus life, aiming at the restructuring of Education
through the curricula of institutions, involving aspects of the local and international
context, as well as their cultural practices.
Like the studies by Welp and García (2019) and Gomes and Costa (2021), the
important study by Makalela and Silva (2023) shows that multilingual education practices
and policies in most countries in the Global South often follow the Western-based
epistemologies and pedagogies, including exogenous notions of plurality that are not
aligned with the modes of knowledge and cultural competence of local people, which,
according to Ndlovu (2017 apud Makalela; Silva, 2023) amounts to an “epistemicide”,
with extremely negative consequences for sustainable development in the Global South.
It is within this scope that we understand the debate around the theme proposed
in this dossier to be relevant and crucial, since, according to Pennycook and Makoni
(2020, p. 2), the Global South is a term that refers to “[...] people , places and ideas that
were left out of the great narrative of modernity”, as a space for struggles and
confrontations in favor of social change in the face of social inequalities. The idea that the
Global South is not confined to the geographic South is questioned, as it is metaphorical
and epistemological, since aspects of the geographic region and geopolitical inequalities
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are intertwined. Pennycook and Makoni (2020, p. 5) point out that “it is a more complex
matter to decide what constitutes a southern context or perspective, once it is recognized
that the South can also be in the North” and that “the geographic South in no way
guarantees a southern point of view”.
Thus, Makalela and Silva (2023) question the validity of using Global North
perspectives to describe local ways of constructing meaning and, therefore, use the
cultural competence of ubuntu - a humanist approach to complex coexistence (I am
because you are and you are because I am) - and apply the principles of an "ubuntu
translanguage" as an alternative conceptual framework to understand the disruption of
order and the simultaneous creation of new linguistic practices among most citizens of
the Global South.
Precisely in this sense we believe that the PIBE (Brazil, 2023) needs to be an initial
movement that also produces effects on educational policies in initial training and
education as a whole. There is no reference to the term or concept of translanguage in
the BNCC. Building on this observation, we conducted a documentary analysis using a
qualitative interpretative approach in this document. To achieve this, we employed
Discourse Textual Analysis (DTA) (Moraes and Galiazzi, 2020) with the assistance of the
qualitative analysis software Atlas.ti, focusing on the terms "language" and "linguistics."
We mapped recurrence and formative conception in this field, exploring the
epistemological approach to translanguaging. Following the steps of DTA - unitarization,
categorization, and the production of a metatext - we identified a total of 555 occurrences
of "language" and "linguistics" and were able to discern 18 units of meaning, as illustrated
in Table 1.
Chart 1: Semantic units (BNCC)
expression/sharing of
feelings/experiences
language as a curriculum
component
media literacy and social
action
human, historical and social
construction
textual composition
multisemiotic and
multimediatic
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cultural diversity
object of school knowledge
digital culture
intercultural development
meaning construction
digital world
constitutive of the subject
linguistic rights
social interaction
identity
variations
discourse practice
Source: Authors' archive.
Based on this analysis, we could see that, although it does not explicitly consider
the field of Critical Applied Linguistics, the document addresses aspects related to this
approach in several ways: there are elements that point to the appreciation of linguistic
and cultural diversity, the development of critical awareness, emphasis on the importance
of developing skills in critical reading and analysis of different types of texts/text genres
from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Of the 18 meaning units identified among the 555 references to “língua” and
“linguagem”, we organized 3 dimensions, colored in green, orange and blue, in an attempt
to organize the units for later categorization and construction of a metatext.
The 10 semantic units in green represent dimensions linked to the role of language
as a human construction, constitutive of the subject in a historical and social perspective
and from which identity, linguistic-discursive aspects are derived that directly interfere
with the intercultural development of students, from early childhood education to high
school.
The 4 meaning units in orange are more internal aspects of language study, in
which references to the Portuguese language and foreign languages emerge as a
structure or curricular component from which specific skills and abilities derive, in
comprehension and production. We did not detail at this stage of the analysis the entire
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scope inherent to these dimensions, but in which “primary categories” of the TDA it would
be possible to organize the document in its references to the terms considered.
Finally, the 4 units in blue relate to another dimension explicitly associated with the
terms investigated, namely in the cybercultural sphere, such as media, technological or
digital literacy, and countless aspects associated with the digital world and culture,
whether from the perspective of understanding the texts conveyed in this sphere, whether
in ethical aspects of production and creation from different linguistic manifestations.
Therefore, it is possible to apprehend a possible final categorization that “Despite
considering constitutive and identity aspects of the language dimension, there are no
references or support for a translingual decolonial understanding in the BNCC”. The
perspective of translanguage could enrich the understanding of the dimensions
addressed in the document. The software used in the analysis (Atlas.ti) also allows
checking the network layout of the most recurrent nouns in the analyzed document whose
units were associated:
Figure 1: Network of nouns associated with the meaning units/BNCC
Source: Authors' archive.
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From Table 1, the analysis suggests enhancing the units in green dimension,
focused on appreciating linguistic and cultural diversity, by integrating the concept of
translanguage, thereby acknowledging how diverse languages and resources can
contribute to expressing identity and discourse. Similarly, the units in blue dimension,
centered on the intersection of cyberculture and language, could be broadened to explore
translanguage within the digital sphere, investigating the utilization of different languages
and modes of expression during online interactions. By incorporating translanguage, a
more comprehensive comprehension of the examined dimensions is achieved, affording
insights into the intricate relationships among language, culture, identity, and their
historical, social, and digital dynamics.
Figure 1 suggests that the nouns “Language”, “child”, “interaction”, “culture”,
“body”, “movement”, “school”, “practical”, “relationship”, “world”, “genres”, “development
”, among other more recurrent nouns, obviously draw attention to the semantic field, in
addition to being able to be associated with the perspective of translanguage, reiterating
the need to deepen this discussion and the possible creation of public policies that
incorporate it into basic education and preservice teacher education. Therefore, although
the document does not explicitly address translanguaging, these associations help to
highlight the relevance of the concept in educational contexts and to enrich the
understanding of linguistic and communicative interactions of children and young people
in a school context.
Thus, in addition to the concepts of language and language, it is important that
undergraduate and continuing education curricula in the field of language studies include
what various authors have historically discussed and, more recently, sustained the
approach of Critical Applied Linguistics and the perspective accurate for issues of power,
inequality and social change in/through language, in the sense of conceiving language
as a social practice, used to reproduce and resist power relations.
Language education, therefore, is, above all, a practice of freedom and connects
with the idea of empowerment through language. It is in this scenario that different ways
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of conveying meaning - multimodality - and discourse structures reflect and shape social
and political issues, having in language, therefore, an instrument for constructing
meanings and identities in different situational and cultural contexts with which subjects
interact.
2 LINGUISTIC VERSUS GEOGRAPHIC BORDER
Geopolitical borders have significant implications for language education,
impacting everything from linguistic diversity to educational policies and pedagogical
practices. A sensitivity to geopolitical realities can enhance language teaching, fostering
intercultural understanding and effective communication in diverse contexts. A linguistic
border refers to the division between areas where different languages are predominant.
This division can be abrupt or gradual, and changes in spoken languages may be marked
by linguistic borders.
Linguistic borders are more abstract and based on cultural and linguistic
characteristics, reflecting diversity and indicating shifts in traditions, cultural identities, and
social practices, while borders are physical and visual. However, both types of borders
play significant roles in understanding the complexity of human interactions, whether
influenced by physical features of the environment or cultural and linguistic aspects.
Therefore, we conducted a case study in the city of Lucas do Rio Verde, located
in the heart of the state of Mato Grosso, characterized by rapid growth and high demand
for agribusiness companies. It accounts for 1% of the entire Brazilian grain production
and is one of the most important agribusiness hubs in Brazil. The city is home to large
agricultural input companies, farms, and livestock operations, as well as corn ethanol and
biofuel industries, some of which are composed of multinational companies and/or
produce export commodities. This specific work context creates a need for individuals
with a high level of proficiency in the English language. With the arrival of the railway
junction, the city will become strategically logistic, attracting more companies (Lucas Do
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Rio Verde, 2023). This reality makes it an internal linguistic border, as the study of the
English language is essential for the local community.
In this context, we question the extent to which social practices involving
motivations for seeking and dropping out of language courses, on the part of university
students and professionals from different areas, would be associated with conceptions
and myths involving the objective of studying a foreign language and abandoning their
path in the first year of study. The hypothesis is that the notion of linguistic border is at
the basis of this process, in line with a colonial vision of the global north, especially
regarding the objectives of learning a foreign language, mostly English.
A total of 53 participants were requested to respond to questionnaires via Google
Forms, organized according to their profiles: current students, recently dropped-out
students, as well as teachers and administrators from the language school under
investigation. The research involved adult students (21 years or older) in an English
course, including both current participants and recent dropouts. Teachers and
administrators from the language school were also interviewed. Out of the 25 current
students, the majority are between 21 and 25 years old, 56% are women, and diverse
educational backgrounds are represented. Among the 18 dropout students, the age range
is similar, with a variety of educational backgrounds and fields of work. It is noteworthy
that none of the teachers/administrators has specific training in English Language/Letters.
Only one of them holds a degree - in Philosophy, while the majority has only completed
high school.
Data analysis followed the methodology of DTA, involving the fragmentation of
texts into meaning units, categorization to establish relationships, and the capture of new
emergent themes. The process was self-organized, culminating in the construction of
metatexts expressing emerging understandings. The analytical cycle involved interpreting
the implicit meaning in the texts. The production of the metatext began with describing
the research universe, progressing to deeper interpretations and understandings. The
process was iterative, continually seeking more refined output.
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Thus, the analysis of the units of meaning enabled the development of two final
categories: "According to enrolled students, studying a foreign language represents
personal and professional enrichment"; "For dropouts from the language course, studying
a foreign language represents personal and professional development, as well as a
powerful communication tool." The discrepancy lies in the reasons for enrolling in the
language course, as while enrolled and dropout students indicated recommendations
from others, as well as "freedom" and "culture," administrators attributed the main reason
for seeking the course to its methodology.
In this context, we observed that the motivation of the inhabitants of Lucas do Rio
Verde to learn English is rooted in the need to “communicate effectively in a multicultural
and globalized environment”, taking advantage of the economic and personal
development opportunities that arise from the strategic geographic position of the city and
the growth of the agribusiness. Faced with this scenario of demand from companies for
trained professionals with a high level of fluency in English, the demand for the course by
adults, probably motivated by better jobs and wages, is high.
In this sense, Costa e Silva (2022) analyzed the relationship between the BNCC
and the concept of internationalization, revealing that, when seeking to meet international
standards, without due care, in reality, one ends up promoting profit and power, in addition
to weakening the local culture. It is essential to educate students to become global
citizens, but with care to avoid reproducing power relations and violence similar to those
of colonial times.
The research conducted in a language course in Lucas do Rio Verde-MT illustrates
that teachers and administrators consider the course methodology and recommendations
as the primary factors influencing school choice. However, this perception does not align
with the actual reasons stated by dropout students, with many of them indicating that they
chose the school based on recommendations. The challenges faced by adult students
who dropped out of the course include time management, motivation, learning difficulties,
and balancing work, studies, and personal responsibilities.
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Thus, the dropout of adult students is associated, according to the mapping carried
out, with time management problems, financial difficulties, lack of motivation and learning
problems, in addition to lack of motivation and commitment, as well as learning difficulties.
The teaching methodologies, on the other hand, influence the students' motivation and
permanence, especially when related to their applicability in everyday life and the
perception of progress. Practical approaches that relate the content to the students' daily
lives are also considered motivating, according to the students participating in this
preliminary research.
The case study indicates that the choice of school and the pedagogical approach
play a significant role in the motivation and retention of adult students. However, the
analysis also seems to suggest a relative emphasis on the search for the study of
languages with a colonial perspective, with a focus on a professional career, linked to the
influence of colonial structures that still shape Brazilian society. Social, economic and
cultural pressures, influenced by Brazil's geographic location in the Global South, impact
students' linguistic and educational choices, reiterating, in a way, colonial beliefs and
conceptions.
As for the students who remain linked to the course, when interviewed about the
reasons for seeking to study languages, they present a view associated with
translingualism and communicative freedom, since their reports about the reasons for
studying another language, mostly English, involve what they refer to as “freedom”. We
associate these understandings with the concept of translanguage because they
apparently have a conception that, when learning a new language, they will transcend
linguistic barriers, allowing an authentic communicative expansion, as the literature
referenced in the previous section of this article suggests.
Results suggests a strong connection between the personal and cultural
development mentioned by the participants in a decolonial perspective because, by
learning new languages, individuals can engage with different cultures, question
hegemonic narratives and value marginalized cultural perspectives. This aligns with the
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search for an education that respects diversity and promotes the decolonization of
knowledge structures, resonating with decolonial approaches.
The notion of "linguistic border" is identified as a crucial element in the process of
seeking and dropping language courses. The research suggests that the perception of
this linguistic border, especially concerning English, is at the core of participants' decision-
making processes. The established hypothesis was confirmed, as indeed the linguistic
border is a perceived barrier, linked to a colonial view of the global north, influencing the
learning objectives of a foreign language.
In addition to this, the concept of the "Global South" and colonial influences are
associated with the study, indicating historical, social, and economic influences that
shape the language and educational choices of the participants. There is a connection
between the social, economic, and cultural pressures mentioned in the research and
Brazil's position in the Global South. The analysis suggests that colonial structures still
have strong influence on Brazilian society, affecting students' choices regarding language
learning, especially with a career-centric colonial perspective.
These results indicate, in our view, that the perception of the linguistic border,
particularly concerning English, is intertwined with global dynamics, including the
geographical position in the Global South. The pursuit of language learning, student
motivations, and influences in the decision to drop out seem to be shaped by a complex
intersection of historical, cultural, and economic factors, reflecting the dynamics of
linguistic borders and the influences of the Global South in the Brazilian context.
3 FINAL REMARKS
We consider the perspectives of studies from the Global South crucially relevant,
in the sense of problematizing the logic embedded in the relations of/with/to the language
in accordance with non-elitist cooperation, shifting thought to other possibilities of its use
and learning interacting with internationalization of Brazilian public education, idealizing
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alternatives and perspectives disconnected from the colonial and passive perspective
guided by a market orientation of education.
Many countries in the Global South were colonized in the past, resulting in lasting
consequences such as resource exploitation, the establishment of arbitrary borders, and
the imposition of unfavorable economic systems. Borders often reflect legacies of
colonialism, with divisions that may not consider local ethnic, cultural, or historical
identities. This can create tensions and challenges for countries in the Global South.
In our view, it is crucial to develop, based on instances of study, exchange, and
debate within the university-school perspective, a decolonial translanguaging
pedagogical approach that respects linguistic and cultural diversity and questions colonial
power relations in the global south. Geopolitical borders often reflect global inequalities,
with territorial divisions shaped by political and economic interests. Borders can be
instruments that reinforce the disparity between the Global North and the Global South,
determining access to resources, economic opportunities, and political power.
Therefore, the presence of linguistic borders can pose a challenge in the
internationalization of education, especially when there are multiple official or
predominant languages in a particular region. Policies that promote multilingualism or the
choice of specific languages for basic education can shape how educational institutions
address internationalization.
From movements already started with the PIBE (Brazil, 2023), we may be
effectively starting to disseminate a process that emphasizes the importance of rethinking
relations with language and learning in contexts of non-elitist cooperation and unrelated
to the colonial perspective so that we have sufficient conditions and knowledge to prepare
students to be “global citizens”, and not just to meet the demands of the labor market,
with an effective paradigm shift towards more inclusive, culturally sensitive and critical
approaches to structures of power that shape linguistic and educational relationships.
In summary, language policies, linguistic borders, and the internationalization of
basic education are interconnected in a complex manner. Decisions regarding languages,
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instruction, curricula, and multilingual approaches can influence how linguistic borders
are defined and how basic education is internationalized in specific contexts. The
internationalization of education can either challenge or reinforce existing linguistic
borders and language policies, demanding alternative perspectives on the issue. The
choice of instructional languages, the acceptance of international curricula, and the
promotion of exchanges can have implications for local and national linguistic borders
and language policies.
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Acesso em: 19-12-2023