ABSTRACT

Different research studies in Applied Linguistics, in Brazil, have sought to examine the work with language practices in Portuguese language classes in Elementary Education. These studies have employed ethnographic research, action research, and analyses of documents and discourses. Within this approach, our article aims to propose a theoretical-methodological discussion about the concept of ‘language practices’ present in national parameterizing documents. Through this, we aim to systematize a metatheoretical construct concerning this concept, focusing specifically on the discipline of Portuguese Language in Elementary Education. Theoretically, we ground our work in the principles of Dialogical Studies of Language, and, methodologically, we align with the assumptions of Metatheorization and Document Analysis. The results demonstrate that the analyzed documents reflect convergent/approximate meanings regarding ‘language practices’ as linguistic usages in real situations and as teaching and learning units or axes. Based on these results, this study proposes a metatheoretical overview of this concept, not only revisiting core issues already demonstrated in document analysis but also addressing other aspects that reaffirm the social, ideological, and political aspects of working with ‘language practices’ in schools.