Attitudes and teaching competencies in teachers of Spanish of the Institutos Federais (Brazil) in relation to the varieties of the language

Abstract

With the intention of studying the reality of the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language in Brazil and its different varieties, 25 teachers who work at the Institutos Federais from the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Roraima have answered a thorough questionnaire. Thanks to their answers we can, both generally speaking and as teachers, define their sociolinguistic profiles in relation to their training, prejudices, beliefs and attitudes towards variation and varieties within the Spanish language. After analyzing all the collected information, we have come to observed a complex landscape of training deficits, sensitivities, attitudes, teaching approaches and needs that make necessary a profound reflection and the consequent involvement of the academic authorities at issue, as well as the cooperation of other actors involved in the realm of Spanish-FL.