A integração da tecnologia nos cursos de licenciatura em Letras do estado do Paraná a partir da perspectiva dos professores: um estudo de métodos mistos

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the integration of technology, or rather CALL – Computer Assisted Language Learning – in the classroom of Modern Languages courses in the state of Paraná. The Diffusion of Innovations Theory and the Spherical Model of L2 Teachers’ Integration of CALL Technology into the Classroom were the theoretical and analytical models that respectively guided the research. This is a mixed methods study that adopted a sequential explanatory design that consisted of two distinct phases: a first phase with a quantitative approach and a second phase with a qualitative approach. The final inferences were made from the results of both phases of the study. Analytically, the use of technology in the classroom was not considered a unitary construct, but rather multifaceted. Contextually, different higher educational institutions, not just one or two universities were investigated. The purpose was to avoid methodological, analytical and contextual constraints commonly found in studies on the integration of CALL. For the first quantitative phase a questionnaire was developed to collect data. The instrument was validated by a panel of experts, tested in a pilot study and, finally, applied to a sample of 152 teachers from 33 Modern Languages courses from public and private institutions throughout the state of Paraná. Statistical analyzes were performed to examine the relationship between the three sets of factors from the Spherical Model and the multifaceted uses of technology by the teachers of undergraduate language courses in the state of Paraná. The results identified four different uses and also the influences of individual factors, contextual factors and prior CALL/ICTs education on the uses of technology, showing that individual factors and contextual factors are important predictors of CALL/ICTs integration. Participants were selected for the qualitative phase according to the results of the quantitative phase and to Rogers’ Individual Innovativeness Theory. Sixteen semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. The qualitative phase deepened the quantitative results and explained the unexpected results and the results that could not be answered in the quantitative phase. The integration of the results showed that in addition to individual and contextual factors, apparently prior CALL/ICTs education should not be dismissed as a predictor of CALL/ICTs integration. It was also possible to provide a clearer picture of CALL in the Modern Languages courses in the state of Paraná. CALL is far from normalization. Additional findings were obtained in the two phases of the study. In international and Brazilian contexts, despite extensive research on CALL, there are still significant gaps in some areas. There is the need for more studies to further investigate the issue of integration and help elucidate the relationship between the factors that lead to CALL integration or not. This research on the integration of CALL in the Brazilian context sought to contribute to a broader understanding of CALL and to show ways for integration to take place in other contexts.