Videoconferência nas defesas de mestrado do PPGL da UESPI em tempo de pandemia: uma análise dos affordances

Abstract

This research aimed to know the perception of the professors of the Postgraduate Program in Letters of the Universidade Estadual do Piauí (PPGL-UESPI) about the defense of master's degree mediated by videoconference, observing the affordances that emerge from the interaction with this technology during the execution of such academic activity in the context of the pandemic. Therefore, it was necessary to describe the professors' perceptions regarding the new defense format, categorize the affordances found in this evaluative practice when mediated by this tool and identify the connection between the affordances perceived in the online master's defenses. To achieve these objectives, we investigated the perception of the teachers of the PPGL of UESPI about the affordances in this evaluative practice when mediated by this technical artifact, in order to identify the different possibilities of action, among them, the linguistic potentialities that this new defense format provides. We seek a foundation in the theory of affordances, also relying on the concept of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and on the perspective of Academic Literacy, dialoguing with authors such as: Gibson (1986), Gaver (1991), Van Lier (2004), Fischer (2007), Bezerra (2010), Santos Costa (2013), Curinga (2014), Evans et al. (2016), Minas (2017), Costa (2017), Smith (2018), Paiva (2018), Alqbailat (2019), Ng (2020), Carvalho (2020), among others. The methodology adopted was of an applied nature, with a qualitative-quantitative approach, opting for a descriptive case study as the data collection procedure. For the collection of data, we chose as research participants a sample of 7 (seven) professors from the PPGL-UESPI, both in the areas of linguistics and literature. We administred a questionnaire organized in order to categorize the affordances arising from the use of videoconferencing in master's defenses during the pandemic. And, for the data analysis process, we chose the interactive model by Miles et al. (2014). The results of this study indicated that in a master's defense, technological, social, linguistic and cognitive affordances are interrelated and guarantee the conservation of the characteristics and structure of this genre in the face-to-face modality, although some communicative actions have shown to be more particular to the online modality. The potential of videoconferencing combined with the knowledge of this academic activity and the linguistic uses to interact/socialize are enabling the adaptation of this academic activity to the online format. The relevance of this study lies in the new perspective on the potential actions that interaction through this digital tool can provide for the defense of the master's thesis, adding sharply to the collection of academic literature, bringing cognitive, social, linguistic and technological contributions to the empowerment of the subject in its relationship with the resources that the environment makes available.