Modos de ler literatura nos anos iniciais em escola do campo em Humaitá - sul do Amazonas: entrelaçamentos

Abstract

This study was developed within the Graduate Program in Teaching of Sciences and Humanities at the Institute of Education, Agriculture and Environment of the Federal University of Amazonas (IEAA/UFAM), in the research line Teaching of Human Sciences. The study aimed to understand the ways of reading literature and their interconnections. The research participants were twelve children and one teacher from a 3rd-grade class of Elementary School in a rural school located in the municipality of Humaitá, Amazonas, Brazil. The research is justified by the relevance of literary reading practices as a fundamental tool for the development of reading habits and the construction of reading education, especially in rural contexts marked by structural, cultural, and pedagogical challenges. To achieve the proposed objectives, a qualitative, exploratory approach was adopted, using a case study and participatory research design, in accordance with Creswell (2014). Data collection with the children was carried out through mediated literary reading practices in two moments: classroom reading activities and reading during an activity entitled Literary Meetings, allowing the observation of reading modes and their interconnections. These activities were concluded with a focus group session, prioritizing children’s voices and perspectives. With the teacher, a recorded interview was conducted based on a semi-structured script addressing the teaching of children’s literature in the rural context. Data analysis was guided by the Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) proposed by Feuerstein, Feuerstein, and Falik (2014), based on four universal criteria: intentionality and reciprocity, transcendence, meaning, and planning and achievement of objectives. The results indicate that the mediation of literary reading, when supported by intentional practices, playful resources, spatial organization, and encouragement of active participation, enhances children’s engagement, comprehension, and attribution of meaning to reading. Regarding intentionality and reciprocity, the teacher’s actions in organizing mediated reading situations and promoting interaction among students fostered active involvement and shared construction of reading comprehension. Concerning meaning, the reading practices enabled children to attribute affective and symbolic value to literary experiences, strengthening their bond with books and reading. In terms of transcendence, the activities encouraged students to go beyond the immediate text by relating narratives to their own experiences, imagining new meanings, and expanding their cognitive and expressive possibilities. Challenges related to the scarcity of materials, the lack of a diversified literary collection, and limitations in continuing teacher education were also identified, impacting the teaching of literature in rural schools. It is concluded that, despite structural limitations, the pedagogical mediation exercised by the teacher constitutes a central element in reading education, enabling children’s literature to become a meaningful, formative, and humanizing experience, contributing to students’ development and to the expansion of their relationship with reading throughout their school and personal lives.