Large-scale evaluation and alphabetization: the adoption of phonetic alphabetization in Foz do Iguaçu

Abstract

This ethnographic research was made in an elementary school classroom in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, located in the triple frontier with Argentina and Paraguay. It was observed how two teachers used, in their lessons, the textbook "Phonetic Alphabetization" of Capovilla and Capovilla, distributed for' all schools of the municipality. The use of this textbook was made obligatory in all schools of Foz do Iguaçu. It shows that this book is tr-aditional and doesn't help in the alphabetization when the students speak idiomatic variations, what is problematic in a city situated in a border' with other country. It asserts that the teachers were forced to use this textbook due to the objective to obtain better results in the "Prova Brasil", the national valuation of education. It points that large scale evaluation leads the curriculum to a monocultural education in a multicultural society, in that the spoken language of the students includes linguistic variations. Thus, the result of this research is similar to the conclusions of others studies criticizing the large scale evaluation (Apple, 2002; Freitas, 2007 e Freitas 2011). Large scale evaluation, according to the results of this study, is characterized by a weak conception of literacy.