Exploring digital resources in the teaching and learning of Portuguese as a Third Language

Abstract

The impact of digital resources in a Portuguese as a Third Language class requires a careful reflection on the teacher's actions, on the choice of methodologies and on the selection of the most appropriate application(s) for a given topic or didactic unit. In this article, the teacher’s role and the scope of the concept of Third Language will be addressed. This concept will be linked, on the one hand, to some contexts where Portuguese is taught as a third language and, on the other, to the sociolinguistic emergency resulting from the demands of migratory movements, where intercultural diversity and multicultural coexistence require not only proactive participation but also the construction of a plurilingual and multicultural training space. Thus, the chosen methodologies not only impact the motivational process and collaborative involvement, but also determine the path of self-training and the degree of satisfaction with the results of all those involved. An empirical study will be presented, carried out with secondary school students in a non-immersive environment. This study, based on the expansion of the lexicon, shows that digital resources can make an important contribution to the development of multicompetences at any level of proficiency.