Representações identitárias na educação de jovens e adultos a partir dos livros didáticos de língua portuguesa

Abstract

This work, titled “Identity Representations in Youth and Adult Education from Portuguese Language Textbooks”, aligned with the research line Education, Teacher Training, and Educational Practices of the Graduate Program at the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), focuses on the textbook used in Adult and Youth Education (EJA) in Caxias, Maranhão, for primary education. Youth and Adult Education is a teaching modality aimed at providing education to individuals who did not complete basic education at the appropriate age. The main goal of this study was to analyze the identity representations of youth and adults as presented in the Portuguese Language collection “On the Path to Knowledge: Adult and Youth Education (Stages 1, 2, 3, and 4)”, adopted by the municipality of Caxias in 2022. This investigation argued the thesis that the discourses present in EJA Portuguese Language textbooks exhibit either a Freirean or a neoliberal perspective, represented in the texts comprising the material with the intent of influencing the construction of the identity and cultural characteristics of Youth and Adult Education students. The research adopts a qualitative and documental approach and is anchored in the field of Cultural Studies. In the theoretical framework supporting this investigation, the textbook is considered a cultural artifact and serves as one of the resources utilized in the classroom for knowledge construction. From this study, it was found that the Freirean educational perspective is rarely emphasized, whereas neoliberal ideals are more prevalent. However, the predominant discourse represents a conservative and reactionary society, grounded in patriarchal morality and indoctrination, reflected in a rhetoric of order and patriotism. The findings of this investigation aim to broaden knowledge in the field of research on this teaching modality from the perspective of Cultural Studies and provide theoretical foundations for future studies.