O ensino de língua inglesa em escolas rurais da região do bico do papagaio:

Abstract

The current work is a result of inquiries and reflections of an English language teacher, a rural basic education teacher in two municipalities of Maranhão, in the region called Bico do Papagaio. The research is qualitative-interpretative (FLICK, 2009) and it aims to analyze, under the Content Analysis theory (BARDIN, 2011) some curricular documents and national, state, and institutional educational guidelines, to investigate challenges and obstacles to the application of those curricular documents concerning the teaching of English in rural schools. The study is situated within the scope of Applied Linguistics and has as its theoretical basis mainly renowned authors in the areas of Countryside Education (ARROYO, 2007; 2020; CALDART, 2003; 2009; SILVA, 2018; 2020), Curricula and English language teacher training (MARQUES; 2019; ROSA, 2011). The paper brings a brief historical context about the conception and consolidation of Countryside Education in Brazil, as well as about the evolution of English Language teaching in the national territory. Besides, it also brings a reflection on the role and importance of curriculum in the Brazilian rural context. Considering the research scope, we collected material for on-site analysis, specifically in rural public schools located in the Bico do Papagaio region. By visiting four rural schools in different cities (two in the state of Maranhão and two in the state of Tocantins) and collecting their Projeto Político-Pedagógico. The corpus also consists of national documents, such as Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BRASIL, 2017), Plano Nacional de Educação (BRASIL, 2014), Diretrizes Operacionais para a Educação Básica nas Escolas do Campo (BRASIL, 2002), Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional (BRASIL, 1996); state documents, such as Documento Curricular do Território Maranhense (MARANHÃO, 2019) e Documento Curricular do Tocantins (TOCANTINS, 2019). From the documental analysis of the referred documents, it was possible to identify that the right of rural subjects to have access to an English language education considering their rural context has been denied mainly due to the non-implementation of public educational policies, throughout Brazil’s history, directed to this public, despite the large number of inhabitants in the countryside areas. The results of the study allow us to affirm that this is a secular Brazilian problem, derived from historical problems such as the neglect and dehumanization of the countryfolk by public authorities and the high concentration of territorial conflicts and deaths in all the countryside regions. Thus, this work intends to call attention to the gaps that exist both in the curricula and in the school realities of the Brazilian countryside.