CRENÇAS E REFLEXÃO DE PROFESSORES SOBRE A AVALIAÇÃO DA APRENDIZAGEM NO ENSINO INSTRUMENTAL DE LÍNGUAS ESTRANGEIRAS

Abstract

The study of beliefs in language teaching and learning is recent in Brazil, thus, developing researches in this area contribute to the identification of behaviors which guide the teachers´ and students´ actions in the classroom. In terms of learning assessment, it is considered an integrated process to teaching and learning and should meet the specified objectives of each teaching model, requiring a reflective posture from the teachers towards their practices. In this sense, this study has as general objective to analyze the beliefs teachers have about learning assessment in Foreign Languages for Specific Purposes Courses in the light of the profile of a reflective teacher. For this purpose the teachers´ beliefs about teaching and learning in the Teaching of Foreign Languages for Specific Purposes were pointed out and the teachers´ beliefs regarding learning assessment in the Teaching for Specific Purposes were identified. Finally, it was verified to what extent the identified beliefs characterize a reflective teacher. To develop each case study, the used methodologies were the metacognitive and contextual approaches for the study of beliefs (BARCELOS, 2001). The participating subjects of this study were four teachers who worked in Portuguese and Spanish Foreign Language for Specific Purposes Courses in the Teaching and Research of Foreign Languages for Specific Purposes Center CEPESLI/UFSM. The results indicate that the teachers have beliefs which are coherent with the theoretical proposal of teaching of languages for Specific Purposes. Concerning the communicative approach, the participating present compatible concepts with what is proposed in literature, and they also present, to a lesser extent, signs of identification with the traditional approaches of language teaching.. As to the learning assessment, the teachers´ beliefs allude consistently to the teaching of languages for Specific Purposes, with traces of formative assessments. It was possible to conclude that some of the teachers´ beliefs present reflective characteristics that demonstrate a potential reflective behavior from the teachers.