LIBRAS IN THE SCHOOL CONTEXT: ILLUSTRATED INSTRUMENT FOR EVALUATION OF SIGNED NARRATIVES

ABSTRACT

The initial contact with an accessible language occurs, for Brazilian deaf students, often in the school environment, when they encounter other deaf children and with adult interlocutors who are fluent in Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS). This late access can cause a certain delay in language acquisition and development. Thus, bilingual education for the deaf place’s teachers in the face of the challenge of how to evaluate LIBRAS in the school context. In view of the educational proposals, there are still few instruments that contribute to assessing deaf students’ knowledge in LIBRAS. Therefore, the objective of this study is, through an illustrated instrument for investigating signaled narratives, to contribute to the evaluation of LIBRAS and to the pedagogical work of teachers who work in bilingual education for the deaf. The instrument for evaluating narrative texts proves to be quite sensitive to detect the linguistic development of signaled narrative discourses, intrinsically contributing to the observation of communicative functions/needs.

KEYWORDS
Special Education; Bilingual education of the deaf; Assessment instrument; Signed narratives; School context