Between Methods and Evidence: Contemporary Reflections on School Literacy

Abstract

This article critically revisits a doctoral research study of a theoretical-empirical nature, conducted with more than 343 Brazilian schoolchildren who were assessed at two distinct stages of the literacy process. It establishes a dialogue between the study’s findings and the advances in the Science of Reading, Cognitive Neuroscience, and evidence-based literacy. The objective was to analyze the evolution of literacy methodologies by examining their theoretical foundations, their contributions to reading and writing instruction, and their relationship with contemporary scientific evidence. The discussion highlights that the debate on literacy should move beyond the polarization between teaching methods, acknowledging the historical contributions of the Psychogenesis of Written Language to the understanding of child development while simultaneously incorporating evidence that supports explicit, systematic, and intentional pedagogical practices, particularly in teaching the alphabetic principle and phonological awareness. The findings indicate that evidence-based literacy does not advocate a single instructional method but rather represents a scientific perspective that integrates different theoretical frameworks to strengthen teacher education and promote pedagogical practices grounded in scientific evidence