XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

Teaching (re)writing at university: school literacies and academic literacies in conflict

• In Event: Perspectives on academic writing in Brazilian universities: a socio-discursive approach

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the teaching/learning processes of writing in Portuguese by academic learners of the Higher Interdisciplinary Training Program (ProFIS) at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). The study was based on a discursive perspective of language and the New Literacies Studies, and it identified conflicts between school literacies and academic literacies. The data result from a ProFIS course entitled Reading and Production of Academic Texts, consisting of two versions of a critical review (77 texts, 154 in total) produced by academic learners in the Program and evaluative comments by mediators of these texts. Results show that in the first version of the review, the learners tended to reproduce the writing techniques they had learned for the National High School Exam (called ENEM). However, in the rewrites, they made some changes in an attempt to get closer to academic writing practices. These changes were influenced by the mediators' comments, but they were also influenced by the learners' own understanding of what it means to write academically. The findings of this study suggest that the teaching of academic writing should be sensitive to the different literacies that learners bring with them to the classroom. It is also important to provide learners with opportunities to engage in authentic academic writing tasks, so that they can develop a deeper understanding of the conventions and expectations of academic writing.

Authors

• Jully Liebl, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp)

• Cynthia Neves, Unicamp