Abstract

SANTO, Esmeralda Maria. School Textbooks, knowledge building and the learner’s autonomy. An instrumental case study of teachers and students . Rev. Lusófona de Educação [online]. 2006, n.8, pp.103-115. ISSN 1645-7250.

This study is about school textbooks for they are the main tool in the student’s learning process. We focused on the Portuguese and Science manuals adopted in a public Portuguese school, grounded the work on constructivism (Ausubel, 1980) and adopted the categories of Hummel’s work (1988). Throughout a qualitative methodology, we interviewed students/ teachers (semi-directed conducted) in a High School in the surroundings of Lisbon. And, to gather elements to obtain a holistic point of view concerning the building of knowledge, we analysed the two former 10th grade manuals. Working on the basis of an “instrumental case study” (Stake, 1988:88), and by means of a content analysis, we concluded that in the making of manuals “Primary categories” (from Hummel) are as relevant as “Secondary categories” (derived from the interviews’ content analysis). Data analysis has also emphasised the student’s pedagogical autonomy for its implication in the individual learning process. At last, data stressed the teacher’s ability to limit/ condition/ amplify the manual’s working potentialities in class. Presently, a more effective working with school textbooks is absent from “Teacher Training” (Tormenta, 1996) but it shouldn’t. We aim to contribute for the changing.

Keywords : Manuais escolares; construção de saberes; alunos; professores.

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