This paper aims at finding out if code-switching is an asset or a problem in a multilingual classroom. The main goal of the study was to find out what impact code-switching into mother tongue has on L2 development and what learning/teaching situations induce the act of code-switching. Through classroom observation, interviews and a questionnaire data were collected and the main questions of the study answered.Previous research and the results from the present study show that code-switching is a natural phenomenon in L2 development and that code-switching has a positive impact on L2 development as it fulfils a significant number of functions in the classroom, including vocabulary and concept development, need for clarification and emphasis, provides a learning strategy for L2 acquisition, and generally helps students maintain and develop their L2. / Denna rapport syftar till att ta reda på om kodväxling är en tillgång eller ett problem i ett flerspråkigt klassrum. Syftet med studien var att ta reda på vilken effekt kodväxling till annat språk har på andraspråksutveckling och vilka lärande-/undervisningssituationer som framkallar kodväxling. Genom klassrumobservationer, intervjuer och ett frågeformulär samlades data in.Tidigare forskning och resultaten från denna studie visar att kodväxling är ett naturligt fenomen i andraspråksutveckling och att den har en positiv inverkan på språkutvecklingen, eftersom den fyller ett stort antal funktioner i klassrummet, inklusive ökning av ordförrådet och begreppsförståelsen, fungerar som hjälp när det som läraren säger behöver betonas eller förtydligas, lärandestrategi för andraspråksinlärning, och hjälper slutligen elever att underhålla och utveckla sitt andraspråk.

This research study deals mainly with the influence of the medium of instruction on throughput at the Vaal University of Technology. The underlying hypothesis driving this research, is that learners at the Vaal University of Technology will tend to underachieve during their period of study, largely because the medium of instruction and assessment is not their first language, but a second or even a third language. The assertion is that learners on tertiary level can only perform academically well if they have gained a certain level of competency in their mother tongue, to ease the difficult process of acquiring the second language English, which is the main medium of instruction at the VUT. For most human beings language is the medium through which knowledge is transferred or negotiated. The success of this interaction is determined by the effectiveness of communication. Thus it would be fair to say, that if the means of communication is inappropriate, there will be little or no language transfer. Further, it seems logical that before any other considerations are made with regard to teaching and learning, the instrument which enables this interaction should first be in place. The research aims are: to determine the influence of a second language as medium of instruction on academic performance, to establish the nature of the support system which might facilitate the advancement of learners not prepared for the academic demands of university, to determine what can be done to address the problem and provide possible recommendations for improved academic performance. In order to attain the abovementioned research aims, a literature review and an empirical investigation were undertaken. The literature study discussed the role which the medium of instruction has played in the history of South African Education. The South African Language Policy, before and after 1994, was then reviewed. Parent and learner choice in respect of the choice of medium of instruction was then considered. The findings of the empirical study have shown that the medium of instruction has a remarkable influence on learners' proficiency and eventual performance in their content subjects. The empirical research was conducted by using a questionnaire in order to obtain data on relevant variables as indicated by the literature study, as well as identify barriers perceived by students that hamper their academic progress. Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, were used to summarize the data. Marks from the compulsory language test at the institution were also taken into account in order to establish learners' English language proficiency. This data, together with students' marks, were interpreted in the empirical analysis. The target population for this study consisted of L1 and L2 students who registered in 2004 and will have completed their studies in 2006, as well as students having completed in 2007. The population consisted of both female and male students from the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design. In the last chapter, Chapter 6, conclusions from the literature review and empirical investigation were drawn. Recommendations for further research were provided which stressed the need for developing an appropriate training course for L2MI (Second Language Medium of Instruction) content subject teachers. Effective training in L2MI is one of the most important factors in improving the level of academic literacy in South African learners. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

This research study deals mainly with the influence of the medium of instruction on throughput at the Vaal University of Technology. The underlying hypothesis driving this research, is that learners at the Vaal University of Technology will tend to underachieve during their period of study, largely because the medium of instruction and assessment is not their first language, but a second or even a third language. The assertion is that learners on tertiary level can only perform academically well if they have gained a certain level of competency in their mother tongue, to ease the difficult process of acquiring the second language English, which is the main medium of instruction at the VUT. For most human beings language is the medium through which knowledge is transferred or negotiated. The success of this interaction is determined by the effectiveness of communication. Thus it would be fair to say, that if the means of communication is inappropriate, there will be little or no language transfer. Further, it seems logical that before any other considerations are made with regard to teaching and learning, the instrument which enables this interaction should first be in place. The research aims are: to determine the influence of a second language as medium of instruction on academic performance, to establish the nature of the support system which might facilitate the advancement of learners not prepared for the academic demands of university, to determine what can be done to address the problem and provide possible recommendations for improved academic performance. In order to attain the abovementioned research aims, a literature review and an empirical investigation were undertaken. The literature study discussed the role which the medium of instruction has played in the history of South African Education. The South African Language Policy, before and after 1994, was then reviewed. Parent and learner choice in respect of the choice of medium of instruction was then considered. The findings of the empirical study have shown that the medium of instruction has a remarkable influence on learners' proficiency and eventual performance in their content subjects. The empirical research was conducted by using a questionnaire in order to obtain data on relevant variables as indicated by the literature study, as well as identify barriers perceived by students that hamper their academic progress. Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, were used to summarize the data. Marks from the compulsory language test at the institution were also taken into account in order to establish learners' English language proficiency. This data, together with students' marks, were interpreted in the empirical analysis. The target population for this study consisted of L1 and L2 students who registered in 2004 and will have completed their studies in 2006, as well as students having completed in 2007. The population consisted of both female and male students from the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design. In the last chapter, Chapter 6, conclusions from the literature review and empirical investigation were drawn. Recommendations for further research were provided which stressed the need for developing an appropriate training course for L2MI (Second Language Medium of Instruction) content subject teachers. Effective training in L2MI is one of the most important factors in improving the level of academic literacy in South African learners. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

This thesis investigates the relationship which both academic vocabulary and lexical bundles have to academic performance at university. While academic vocabulary is defined in terms of the University Word List (Coxhead, 2000), lexical bundles are identified as groups of four words that commonly co-occur, such as on the other hand and as a result of. A corpus of student essay writing in a single discipline, psychology, was developed over the course of a three-year undergraduate degree. To provide a benchmark against which to compare the student academic writing, a corpus of published articles in the same discipline was developed. The VocabProfile program (Cobb, 2002) was used to establish the density of academic vocabulary in the student essays. Similarly, the density of lexical bundle use was analysed by means of WordSmith Tools (Scott, 2012). The densities were then correlated against students’ academic performance as measured by their essay results. Comparisons were also made between the use of academic vocabulary and lexical bundles by first- and additional-language speakers, and by first- and third-year students. A keyness analysis enabled comparisons of academic vocabulary and bundle usage by high and low achievers. An additional aspect of this study was the comparison of densities of academic vocabulary and lexical bundles found in the IELTS writing test and in student essays, and the correlation of IELTS reading and writing test scores to students’ academic performance. The students’ vocabulary knowledge was also tested by the application of receptive and productive vocabulary tests, and the results compared to their academic performance. Results indicate that the 10 000-word level is a stronger predictor of academic performance than either the 5000-word level or academic vocabulary, and that there is a significant relationship between the density of lexical bundle use by students and their academic performance. Both vocabulary measures are therefore arguably better predictors of academic performance than the IELTS test scores. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A presente investigação se volta para a expressão de objeto direto anafórico (ODA) na produção de dados espontâneos de aquisição bilíngue simultânea (BFLA Bilingual First Language Acquisition) de Português Brasileiro (PB) e de inglês. A literatura em BFLA tem assumido que as duas línguas são adquiridas de maneira independente (DE HOUWER, 1990, 2005; PARADIS; GENESEE, 1996), porém indica que pode haver momentos de interação entre os dois sistemas linguísticos, resultando em transferência entre propriedades paramétricas das línguas (HULK; MÜLLER, 2000; MÜLLER; HULK, 2001; PÉREZ-LEROUX, et al 2009 ; STRIK; PÉREZ-LEROUX, 2011; SORACE, 2011). Essa investigação é conduzida com base na teoria de Princípios & Parâmetros (CHOMSKY, 1981) do Gerativismo, reformulada com o Programa Minimalista (CHOMSKY, 1995). PB e inglês se diferenciam em relação à marcação paramétrica para ODA: o PB admite objeto nulo anafórico (ON) e o inglês não. A hipótese de trabalho adotada é de que haverá transferência do PB para o inglês. Dois tipos de categorias nulas são observados: objetos nulos dêitico (Odeit) e anafórico (ON). Assume-se que a manifestação do primeiro tipo indica um estágio default universal, que constituiria uma estratégia facilitadora (RIZZI, 2005). A possibilidade de uso de ONs agramaticais no inglês é concebida como resultado da presença de dados ambíguos, que reforçariam essa possibilidade equivocadamente no inglês, em consonância com o defendido em Hulk & Müller (2000) e Müller & Hulk (2001). Assume-se, ademais, que as restrições semânticas que regem a distribuição das formas possíveis para ODA no PB (CYRINO, 2006; LOPES, 2009) só poderiam ser detectadas em uma faixa etária mais alta. São analisados dados espontâneos de três bilíngues simultâneos (N, L e A) em interação com seus pais. N foi acompanhado dos 2;1,18 aos 3;8,24 anos de idade, enquanto L foi acompanhada dos 2;5,30 aos 3;1,1 anos e A foi acompanhado dos 3;2,6 aos 3;8,26 anos. As manifestações de ODA foram identificadas e classificadas em DP, pronome, ON e ODeit. Comparando os bilíngues, constatou-se que cada criança parece estar em um momento de aquisição: N apresenta instâncias de ODeit em contextos imperativos e pronomes aparecem apenas no inglês aos 2;5,2 anos. L tem preferência por DPs nas duas línguas e usa pronomes apenas na língua inglesa. Aos 2;6,22 anos, surgem instâncias de ON com mais frequência no PB, mas também no inglês. A criança A apresenta todos os tipos de preenchimento de ODA e ONs aparecem nas duas línguas. Os dados indicam que ONs agramaticais estão presentes no inglês, sugerindo que há transferência do PB para o inglês / This research focuses on the expression of the anaphoric direct object (ADO) in Bilingual First Language Acquisition (BFLA) of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and English. It has been assumed in the BFLA literature that the two languages are acquired independently in BFLA context (DE HOUWER, 1990, 2005; PARADIS; GENESEE, 1996). However studies also indicate that there may be moments in the course of the bilingual acquisition in which both languages interact resulting in parameter transfering (HULK; MÜLLER, 2000; MÜLLER; HULK, 2001; PÉREZ-LEROUX, et al 2009 ; STRIK; PÉREZ-LEROUX, 2011; SORACE, 2011). The framework adopted is the Generative Theory, particularly, the Principle & Parameter Theory (CHOMSKY, 1981) reformulated within the Minimalist Program (CHOMSKY, 1995). BP and English set different parameters for ADO: BP allows for null objects whereas English does not. The hypothesis is that there will be transfer from BP to English. Two types of null categories are observed: deictic object (Odeit) and anaphoric object (NO). We assume that the expression of the first type of null category indicates a universal default stage which would configurate a facilitation strategy (RIZZI, 2005). The possibility of use of ungrammatical NOs in English is conceived as a result of ambiguous data, which wrongly reinforce the possibility of NOs in English, in accordance with Hulk & Müller (2000) and Müller & Hulk (2001). We claim that the semantic restrictions which govern the expression of ADO in BP (CYRINO, 2006; LOPES, 2009) could only be detected with older bilinguals. The spontaneous data of three simultaneous bilinguals (N,L and A) in interaction with their parents are analyzed. N was observed from 2;1,18 to 3;8,24 years old, L was observed from 2;5,30 to 3;1,1 years old and A,from 3;2,6 to 3;8,26 anos. The forms used for the expression of ADO were identified and classified into DP, pronoun, NO and ODeit. Comparing the three bilinguals, we verified that each child seems to be in a particular moment of acquisition: N presents instances of Odeit in imperative contexts and pronouns appear only in English at 2;5,2. L shows preference for DPs in both languages and pronouns pop up only in English. At 2;6,22 years old, instances of NO appear in BP, but also in English. The bilingual A presents all types of expression of ADO and NOs appear in both languages. The data indicates that ungrammatical NOs are present in English suggesting transfer from BP to English

This study investigates the Co-responsible Professional Development (DPC, in Portuguese), in first language teachers’ formation (LM teachers, in Portuguese) based on the Holistic Activity Theory (THA, in Portuguese). The DPC is a triadic conception of professionalization that articulates, based on alliance and reciprocal confidence, three contexts: Academy, Graduation and Market. The DPC is one of the basic concepts of THA studied by Richter (2011) which pattern concerns on the inseparability among conduct, concept and quality in the professional practice, ordered in a systemic way through a set of criteria that are the basis of the parameterization of a specialized job in an autopoietic horizon, denominated as framework. The development of the investigation starts out from an analysis from an excerpt of the activity report of the Portuguese Language Course Subproject that integrates the Institutional Scholarship Program of Introduction to Teaching First Language (PIBID/Português, in Portuguese). Owing that, to implement a DPC, a professional alliance is necessary based on a link of confidence and on the adoption of a paradigm of consensual work (framework) between initial and in-service capacitation, this study begins by analyzing the PIBID/Português as a formative model able to anchor the necessary elements to the professional development of first language teachers. Through a case study within the scope of qualitative research and using the indiciary paradigm from GINZBURG (1989), it is possible to say, in a general way, that PIBID/Português revealed itself as a formative referential with a strong tendency to anchor a DPC and its developments: principles of job framework founded by the DPC, absence of problems in the framework interfaces, setting up as a consequence of the absence of deviation in the means and relations with the socio-interacionist paradigm in the conceptual field of first language, which are revealers of what THA denominates as overcoming akrasia. In other words, this study brings out some positive aspects concerning the inseparability between conduct, concept and value in a triadic situation of professionalization. / Este estudo investiga o Desenvolvimento Profissional Corresponsável (DPC), especialmente, na formação do professor de Língua Materna (LM) à luz da Teoria Holística da Atividade (THA). O DPC consiste em uma concepção triádica de profissionalização, articulando, em bases de aliança e confiança recíproca, três lugares: Academia, Graduação e Mercado. O DPC é um dos conceitos básicos da THA, escudada por Richter (2011), cuja matriz diz respeito à inseparabilidade entre conduta, conceito e valor no exercício profissional, ordenados de forma sistêmica, por meio de um conjunto de critérios embasadores da parametrização de um trabalho especializado num horizonte autopoiético, (enquadramento). O desenvolvimento da investigação partiu da análise de uma parte do relatório de atividades do Subprojeto Letras Português, integrante do Programa Institucional de Bolsa de Iniciação à Docência – PIBID. Tendo em vista que, para se implementar um DPC, é necessária uma aliança profissional alicerçada num elo de confiança e na adoção de um paradigma de trabalho (enquadramento) consensual entre capacitação inicial e emserviço, essa pesquisa parte da análise do PIBID/Português como um referencial formativo capaz de ancorar os fatores necessários ao desenvolvimento profissional de professores de LM. Por intermédio de um estudo de caso, no escopo das pesquisas de base qualitativa, e através do paradigma indiciário de GINZBURG (1989), pode-se dizer, de modo geral, que o PIBID/Português revelou-se como um referencial formativo, com forte tendência ao ancoramento de um DPC e seus desdobramentos: princípios de enquadramento de trabalho proposto pela THA, ausência de problemas nas interfaces do enquadramento, configurando, consequentemente, ausência de desvios aos meios e relações com o paradigma sociointeracionista no quadro conceitual do ensino de Língua Materna como marca de superação do que a THA denomina de acrasia. Em outras palavras, revelou aspectos positivos no tocante à inseparabilidade entre conduta, conceito e valor, em uma situação triádica de profissionalização.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A presente investigação se volta para a expressão de objeto direto anafórico (ODA) na produção de dados espontâneos de aquisição bilíngue simultânea (BFLA Bilingual First Language Acquisition) de Português Brasileiro (PB) e de inglês. A literatura em BFLA tem assumido que as duas línguas são adquiridas de maneira independente (DE HOUWER, 1990, 2005; PARADIS; GENESEE, 1996), porém indica que pode haver momentos de interação entre os dois sistemas linguísticos, resultando em transferência entre propriedades paramétricas das línguas (HULK; MÜLLER, 2000; MÜLLER; HULK, 2001; PÉREZ-LEROUX, et al 2009 ; STRIK; PÉREZ-LEROUX, 2011; SORACE, 2011). Essa investigação é conduzida com base na teoria de Princípios & Parâmetros (CHOMSKY, 1981) do Gerativismo, reformulada com o Programa Minimalista (CHOMSKY, 1995). PB e inglês se diferenciam em relação à marcação paramétrica para ODA: o PB admite objeto nulo anafórico (ON) e o inglês não. A hipótese de trabalho adotada é de que haverá transferência do PB para o inglês. Dois tipos de categorias nulas são observados: objetos nulos dêitico (Odeit) e anafórico (ON). Assume-se que a manifestação do primeiro tipo indica um estágio default universal, que constituiria uma estratégia facilitadora (RIZZI, 2005). A possibilidade de uso de ONs agramaticais no inglês é concebida como resultado da presença de dados ambíguos, que reforçariam essa possibilidade equivocadamente no inglês, em consonância com o defendido em Hulk & Müller (2000) e Müller & Hulk (2001). Assume-se, ademais, que as restrições semânticas que regem a distribuição das formas possíveis para ODA no PB (CYRINO, 2006; LOPES, 2009) só poderiam ser detectadas em uma faixa etária mais alta. São analisados dados espontâneos de três bilíngues simultâneos (N, L e A) em interação com seus pais. N foi acompanhado dos 2;1,18 aos 3;8,24 anos de idade, enquanto L foi acompanhada dos 2;5,30 aos 3;1,1 anos e A foi acompanhado dos 3;2,6 aos 3;8,26 anos. As manifestações de ODA foram identificadas e classificadas em DP, pronome, ON e ODeit. Comparando os bilíngues, constatou-se que cada criança parece estar em um momento de aquisição: N apresenta instâncias de ODeit em contextos imperativos e pronomes aparecem apenas no inglês aos 2;5,2 anos. L tem preferência por DPs nas duas línguas e usa pronomes apenas na língua inglesa. Aos 2;6,22 anos, surgem instâncias de ON com mais frequência no PB, mas também no inglês. A criança A apresenta todos os tipos de preenchimento de ODA e ONs aparecem nas duas línguas. Os dados indicam que ONs agramaticais estão presentes no inglês, sugerindo que há transferência do PB para o inglês / This research focuses on the expression of the anaphoric direct object (ADO) in Bilingual First Language Acquisition (BFLA) of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and English. It has been assumed in the BFLA literature that the two languages are acquired independently in BFLA context (DE HOUWER, 1990, 2005; PARADIS; GENESEE, 1996). However studies also indicate that there may be moments in the course of the bilingual acquisition in which both languages interact resulting in parameter transfering (HULK; MÜLLER, 2000; MÜLLER; HULK, 2001; PÉREZ-LEROUX, et al 2009 ; STRIK; PÉREZ-LEROUX, 2011; SORACE, 2011). The framework adopted is the Generative Theory, particularly, the Principle & Parameter Theory (CHOMSKY, 1981) reformulated within the Minimalist Program (CHOMSKY, 1995). BP and English set different parameters for ADO: BP allows for null objects whereas English does not. The hypothesis is that there will be transfer from BP to English. Two types of null categories are observed: deictic object (Odeit) and anaphoric object (NO). We assume that the expression of the first type of null category indicates a universal default stage which would configurate a facilitation strategy (RIZZI, 2005). The possibility of use of ungrammatical NOs in English is conceived as a result of ambiguous data, which wrongly reinforce the possibility of NOs in English, in accordance with Hulk & Müller (2000) and Müller & Hulk (2001). We claim that the semantic restrictions which govern the expression of ADO in BP (CYRINO, 2006; LOPES, 2009) could only be detected with older bilinguals. The spontaneous data of three simultaneous bilinguals (N,L and A) in interaction with their parents are analyzed. N was observed from 2;1,18 to 3;8,24 years old, L was observed from 2;5,30 to 3;1,1 years old and A,from 3;2,6 to 3;8,26 anos. The forms used for the expression of ADO were identified and classified into DP, pronoun, NO and ODeit. Comparing the three bilinguals, we verified that each child seems to be in a particular moment of acquisition: N presents instances of Odeit in imperative contexts and pronouns appear only in English at 2;5,2. L shows preference for DPs in both languages and pronouns pop up only in English. At 2;6,22 years old, instances of NO appear in BP, but also in English. The bilingual A presents all types of expression of ADO and NOs appear in both languages. The data indicates that ungrammatical NOs are present in English suggesting transfer from BP to English

This thesis presents a study of the relationship between test-takers’ first language, listening proficiency and their performance on paired speaking tests. Forty participants from two different L1 backgrounds (20 Urdu and 20 Thai) participated in the study. They took two paired speaking tests: one with a shared L1 partner, and one with a non-shared L1 partner, as well as a listening test and a monologic speaking test to measure their listening ability and individual speaking ability. After each paired speaking test, the participants were also interviewed about their test-taking experience. All speaking tests and interviews were video recorded and transcribed. Raters awarded test-takers analytical speaking test scores (grammar and vocabulary, discourse management, pronunciation and interactive communication) and provided comments to justify their scores. Raters also participated in a stimulated recall session. The mixed-methods approach was utilised in analysing and triangulating different data sources. The data analysed in this study included listening and speaking test scores, raters’ perceptions of the test-takers’ speaking performance gathered from stimulated recalls and test-takers’ stimulated recall interviews, as well as the interactional discourse data in the paired speaking formats. The combination of quantitative analysis, Conversation Analysis (CA) and thematic analysis informed the relationship between test-takers’ listening proficiency, their L1 and their paired speaking performance.

This thesis focuses on Chinese–Swedish code-switching of bilingual children in Sweden. The purpose is to, through a case study, study what Chinese–Swedish code-switching looks like in daily conversations between bilingual children and their parents. Three main questions are formulated from the purpose of the thesis, foucusing on the types and frequencies of code-switching, the grammar of code-switching, and the motivation of code-switching. The linguistic material comes from voice recordings of naturally occurring conversations between three children and their parents, which are transcribed afterwards. In order to answer the questions, two different kinds of analyses are carried out: a quantitative analysis, to study the types and frequencies of code-switching, and a qualitative analysis, to study the grammar and motivation of code-switching. The qualitative analysis includes a grammatical analysis and a conversation analysis. The results of the analyses show that the types and frequencies of code-switching vary between different children, due to the interplay of three factors, namely the children’s language competence, the parents’ language patterns and the status of Swedish as the primary language in the society. In intra-sentential code-switching, when both languages have the same word order, constituents in different languages follow the corresponding grammar; and when code-switching occurs at places where there are different word orders in the two languages, the speaker has to choose and follow one of the grammars. The conversation analysis shows that code-switching is used as an extra and exclusive resource for bilingual speakers at turn distribution, marking preference and initiating repair.

Orientador: Roxane Helena Rodrigues Rojo / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T02:14:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dias_AnairValeniaMartins_D.pdf: 3003650 bytes, checksum: 72fd3939879bdfa350b8e1cfac90ba47 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo compreender e refletir sobre o ensino de língua materna mediado pelas tecnologias e, além disso, tentar apontar caminhos que possam contribuir para a transformação na maneira como esse ensino tem sido efetivado nas escolas públicas. Para isso, optei por ministrar um curso para alunas (os) do 9ª ano do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública, que possuía laboratório de informática funcionando, no município de Uberlândia/MG. O curso foi desenvolvido entre os meses de agosto e dezembro de 2009 e organizado em torno de alguns eixos norteadores: (i) a definição do estudo de um gênero específico, a autobiografia, a partir do qual estudamos uma cadeia de gêneros; (ii) a utilização de uma proposta metodológica com base em uma sequência didática para o estudo do gênero autobiografia; (iii) o estudo de um aspecto linguístico significativo para o gênero abordado; (iv) o desenvolvimento de avatares, pelos alunos participantes do curso, com o objetivo de potencializar a recepção e a produção do gênero autobiografia e (v) a utilização da plataforma de ensino virtual TelEduc na efetivação do curso proposto. Como pressuposto teórico, filiei-me às perspectivas teóricas de Bakhtin (2003[1952-1953]) para discutir sobre os gêneros discursivos; de Swales (2004) para refletir sobre aspectos referentes à cadeia de gêneros; de Dolz e Schneuwly (2004[1996]) para discutir sobre sequência didática; de Lejeune (2008) para abordar questões referentes ao estudo do gênero autobiografia; de Koch (2003), (1996) e Travaglia (2011) para refletir sobre os usos significativos dos elementos coesivos, de Kalantzis; Cope (2006), (2003) e de Rojo (2009) para refletir sobre os multiletramentos. No desenvolvimento desta investigação busquei, portanto, mostrar que a utilização dos laboratórios de informática nas escolas deve partir de um fazer pedagógico significativo para o aluno. Nesse sentido, é possível afirmar que o ensino de língua materna pode ser potencializado pelo estudo dos gêneros discursivos em ambientes virtuais, bem como pelo trabalho pedagógico com avatares. Esse fato ficou evidenciado quando observei que os alunos-adolescentes, ao desenvolverem as atividades propostas durante o curso de produção de autobiografias, não promoveram distinção entre a sua própria história de vida e a história de vida do seu respectivo avatar. Esse aspecto especificamente foi importante porque favoreceu a recepção e a produção do gênero em questão, sendo o envolvimento dos alunosadolescentes com a escrita redimensionada quando passaram a escrever sob a égide de seu avatar / Abstract: This research aims at reflecting and understanding the teaching of mother tongue mediated by technologies, trying to point out ways that can contribute to the changes in the way of teaching in public schools. For this, I chose to teach a course for the 9th grade students from a public elementary school in Uberlandia/MG, where there was a computer lab working. The course was developed between August and December 2009 and organized with some guiding principles: (i) the definition of the study of a specific gender, autobiography, from which we studied a chain of genders, (ii) the use of a methodology based on a didactic sequence for the study of the autobiography gender, (iii) the study of a significant linguistic aspect to the gender approached, (iv) the development of avatars by the participants of the course, in order to enhance the production and reception of the autobiography gender and (v) the use of a virtual learning platform - the TelEduc - on which the proposed course was based. As a theoretical assumption, I based on the theoretical perspectives of Bakhtin (2003 [1952-1953]) to discuss discursive genders, of Swales (2004) to reflect on aspects relating to the chain of genders, of Dolz and Schneuwly (2004 [1996 ]) to discuss about didactic sequence; of Lejeune (2008) to deal with issues related to the study of the autobiography gender; of Koch (2003), (1996) and Travaglia (2011) to reflect on the significant uses of cohesive elements of Kalantzis; of Cope (2006), (2003) and of Rojo (2009) to reflect on multiliteracy. In developing this research I tried to show that the use of computer labs in schools should happen with a pedagogical work that is meaningful to the student. In this sense, I can say that the teaching of the mother tongue can be enhanced by the study of genders in virtual environments, as well as by the use of a pedagogical method with avatars. This fact became evident when I observed that the students, in developing the proposed activities during the course of producing autobiographies, did not distinguish their own life stories from the life stories of their respective avatar. This aspect was particularly important because it favored the production and reception of the gender in question and resized the involvement of the students with their writings when they started writing under the aegis of their avatars / Doutorado / Linguagem e Tecnologia / Doutora em Lingüística Aplicada