O que dizem as pesquisas sobre a Política Nacional de Alfabetização (PNA)?

Abstract

This research was developed within the scope of the Professional Master's in Education at the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) and aimed to investigate the context of public literacy policies in Brazil, focusing primarily on the National Literacy Policy (PNA). Since the 1990s, the process of redemocratization in Brazil has mobilized the creation of a series of actions and programs in an attempt to reverse the failure in teaching and learning reading and writing. However, historically, these efforts have been marked by disruptions and disagreements, mainly due to changes in the federal government administration. For instance, the PNA, established by Presidential Decree No. 9,765 on April 11, 2019, during the government of former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro (2018-2022), was also revoked and replaced by another policy, the National Commitment for Literate Children, under the current government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2023-present). In this context, the objective is to analyze the concepts and discourses proposed by the PNA in the stages of Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education, as the policy introduced new perspectives on the literacy process and raised criticisms and doubts about its effectiveness, especially since it contradicted initiatives in place nationally until 2019, the year of its implementation. To achieve this objective, a quantitative-qualitative bibliographic research was conducted, surveying academic publications in the Revista Brasileira de Alfabetização (RBA) that specifically address the PNA. Data were analyzed using content analysis (Bardin, 2011), based on generating categories and themes, which were examined in light of authors specializing in public literacy policies. In the quantitative analysis, variables considered included the total number of published articles, authors, institutions, distribution of publications by region, and keywords. In the qualitative analysis, the categories established were: a) Lack of understanding of literacy and literacy education concepts; b) The concept of scientific evidence; c) The phonics method as the sole teaching methodology. The quantitative analysis revealed that there are many publications in the RBA regarding public literacy policies, specifically 33 scientific articles on the PNA. Additionally, there is a similarity between authors and co-authors in the number of publications on the topic and a recurrence of publications by public universities located in the Southeast region. Variations among keywords were identified, but few articles directly referenced the PNA. Regarding the qualitative analysis, the generated data indicated that the PNA is perceived as a setback in the literacy process, presenting a reductionist view of its concept, contrary to all studies and actions in this field in our country. This research aims to contribute to understanding literacy policies implemented in partnership with federal entities between 2019 and 2023.