The theory of discourse as a theoretical and methodological approach in the field of public policies in education

Resumo

Assessment, as an institutional practice, has been designed for the sphere of higher education in response to the conflicts that prevail in the discourses that seek dominance in this field. Assessment is a discourse that clarifies the meanings, beliefs and values of both people and institutions with regard to conflicts and states of tension, as well as disputes and authority. Understanding assessment as being a discourse creates a need to follow an analytical path that places us in a realm beyond mere words and takes account of contexts, people, and meanings that are established through social practices. Thus, the Dicourse Theory provides theoretical and methodological categories that can assist us in conducting an analysis of the meanings surrounding the discourses of (and within) assessment. The reason for this is that in the Dicourse Theory, language is not regarded as the core of analysis but rather as one of the dimensions of social practices, and involves the inclusion of people and their relationships within a social domain that is constituted and being transformed.