Education, ideology and discourse: a critical and multimodal analysis of the investigative series “Blitz Educação”

Abstract

In this article we examine the investigative series “Blitz Educação”, produced by Rede Globo television station and broadcasted in its main news show, Jornal Nacional in may 2011, in order to elicit the conceptions of formal education disseminated by the media (here represented by the aforementioned TV station), as well as the role assigned to the teacher in the educational process. We seek support in Critical Discourse Analysis, in Norman Fairclough (2001, 2003), making a link with Teun A. van Dijk’s ideas on ideology and power relations between social groups (2006, 2010) and the multimodal analysis of visual texts proposed by Kress and van Leeuwen (1996). In order to contextualize the pedagogical concepts up for discussion throughout the series, we’ve discussed the main theories guiding formal education in Brazil today, extracted from the Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais (1997) among other sources. Keeping in mind that the multimodal semiotic resort is a powerful tool in the construction of discourse, we’ve examined the montage and editing choices, the representational narrative processes, as well as the representational conceptual constructions employed throughout the series. Finally we’ve seen how through lexicalization, transitivity and multimodal semiotic recourses, among other strategies, the teacher is framed as being solely responsible for the students’ success or failure in the formal educational process. We’ve also observed how, through discourse (verbal and visual) and supported on this view of the teacher, the investigative series imposes a hegemonic and conservative educational ideology.