A IMPLANTAÇÃO DA LÍNGUA ESPANHOLA NO ENSINO MÉDIO PÚBLICO DO MUNICÍPIO DE PONTA GROSSA - PR: CONQUISTAS E DESAFIOS

Abstract

This research presents the politics of implementation of Spanish language teaching in Brazilian public schools, especially high school, according to the law 11.161, from August 5, 2005 (BRASIL, 2005). This study debates the end of the time limit to implement the law and the constant challenges to put the law into practice. The main objective was to investigate the process of implementation of the Spanish language in the curriculum of some schools in Ponta Grossa city, Paraná, Brazil. To do this investigation, it was necessary to understand the history of teaching foreign languages in Brazil, and to discuss the importance of a foreign language as a subject in the curriculum. The theory related to this discussion was based on Cury (1986), Kosik (2002) and Pêcheux (1988, 1990). Besides that, this research used the concepts of “habitus”, “field” and “cultural capital” by Bordieu, to comprehend all the movement the Spanish language teaching has caused in Brazilian culture since the 1990’s. Goodson (1995) and Saviani (1994) were also a reference to relate the Spanish language teaching to the high school curriculum. Furthermore, concerning specifically Spanish language teaching, there were other authors who were important, such as Celada (2002) and Picanço (2003). The research used the following strategies to collect information: choosing four schools in Ponta Grossa city – PR which already have added the Spanish language to their curriculum and comparing these schools to others in the same city. To access these schools, a questionnaire was used with principals. An interview was also organized with the coordinator of the Spanish area for all public schools in Ponta Grossa. The analysis of the information indicated the following: a) most schools chose the most practical way to put the law 11.161/2005 into practice; b) There are contributions of public policy, but they are not always plausible for all schools; c) the principals of the schools can contribute to promote the insertion of the Spanish language in the school curriculum; d) to insert the Spanish language in the curriculum effectively in all grades of high school in Ponta Grossa city – PR is a challenge to be overcome.