Writing assignments in a textbook of English as a foreign language: an analysis of writing activities under a socio-discursive interactionist perspective

Abstract

Given that students of English as a foreign language usually face difficulty while writing, this research analyzes a textbook named “Take action!” (RICHTER; LARRÉ, 2020), to investigate whether their written activities bring the matter of textual genres under the light of language production as a form of action. The analyzes made were qualitative, interpretative, and documentary. First, there is a contextualization of the contribution of the interactionist and socio-discursive interactionist theory to the teaching of languages (VYGOTSKY, 1980.; BRONCKART, 2017.). Then, a discussion is made about what textual genres are and their use as a didactic tool that helps students improve their language capacities (DOLZ; GAGNON, 2015; DOLZ; SCHNEUWLY, 2004; BAKHTIN, 1984; DOLZ ET AL., 1993; MARCUSCHI, 2005; ROJO, 2005.). The theme of difficulty in writing is discussed, as well as the purpose of this language activity (SOUSA, 2012; PARAHYBA; LEURQUIN, 2015; PARAHYBA, 2017; DOLZ ET AL., 2004; KERSCH; MARQUES, 2015; KOCH, 2003;). The results found were that the book is an interesting introductory material, however, there are some issues regarding the genres’ presentations.