Narrativas de mulheres negras acerca da influência do racismo no processo de avaliação da aprendizagem escolar

Abstract

This dissertation proposes a dialogue between studies that deal with race and gender relations and the theory of school learning assessment. This articulation contributes to the understanding of how learning assessment strengthens the maintenance of racist practices, with implications, particularly, for the development of the subjectivity of black girls and young black women. In this sense, the main purpose of this research was to analyze the influence of racism in the school learning assessment process of black female students. Specifically, we aimed to: 1) determine the factors that may interfere with the school performance of black female students; 2) present how the learning assessments of these students occur in Brazilian schools and 3) verify the relationship between racism and the self-perception of black female students regarding their cognitive abilities. We then carried out a descriptive and exploratory investigation, with a qualitative approach, using narrative research as technical procedures. Regarding the data, we used the electronic questionnaire and the narrative interview as collection instruments and applied content analysis for interpretation. The sample consisted of 4 black women, nominated by people close to the researcher. As results, we identified that the main factors that affect the school performance of black female students are: 1) the representations of black women in textbooks and literature; 2) social relationships at school and 3) stereotype threat. However, the participants9 narratives focused on the second factor, due to the difficulty involved in perceiving more subtle discriminatory practices. In the context of social interactions, sometimes the foundation of the pedagogical relationship, for black female students, is refusal, which leads to exclusion. This perspective, which is related to teachers9 social representations of black students, affects the way in which the school learning assessment of this group occurs, characterized by: 1) praise for the task, rather than the person; 2) use of superficial and subjective assessment criteria; 3) perception of mistakes, to the detriment of successes; 4) giving lower grades and 5) criticism of the person, rather than the task. It is important to highlight that these aspects are applied in the opposite way in the assessment of white students. Finally, we found that memories of racialization experienced during childhood/adolescence, at school, can interfere with the self-perceptions of black women in adulthood, leading them to not recognize themselves as intelligent. Thus, this study breaks with the discourse of neutrality of learning assessment process and exposes the perverse plot imposed on black girls and young black women in Brazilian schools.