Contributions of the theory of social representations to the formation of the literary reader

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the social representations of literature reading by middle school fifth grade students in Colégio Pedro II. The research, of qualitative type, aimed to explore some relevant conceptual assumptions to the practice of literature reading in the school environment under the teacher’s mediation. The investigation method was the focus group and the total of subjects was twenty three fifth grade students that accepted to participate and were arranged in three groups. It was used in the interactions, audiovisual material, literature books, role-playing activities and games. The transcribed discursive material was analyzed with the help of content analysis technique, implying categories that originated the theme classification. The communication trades brought up an opportunity for the building of a common sense knowledge that justified the study’s rationale in the moscovician social representations theory. A theoretical-methodological approach that searched for the image elements that condensed the meaning of literature reading for the subjects, culminating with the building of the figurative model that consists of the imagination, learning and fun images, aimed at in the literature classes. The research revealed literature reading as an object of belonging to these children, it was expressed as something positive and pleasurable, which contributed to the suggestion of growth of this social reading practice in other school contexts. It is pointed the importance of new studies about social representations with children to clarify significant aspects of the reader’s education.

Keywords: Social representations, Literature reading, Literature class, Elementary school, Reader’s education.