STUDYING PORTUGUESE ONLINE: CHALLENGES FACED BY MOZAMBICAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The aim of this study is to discuss the main challenges faced by university students enrolled in Portuguese language courses offered through distance and online learning. Data on these challenges were collected through an online survey involving 405 students from the first to the fourth year of teacher education programmes in Portuguese. The study is grounded in constructivist theory and draws on the assumptions of Piaget and Vygotsky. From a methodological perspective, a descriptive quantitative approach was adopted. The results indicate that, across all four levels of training, students struggle with limited access to learning materials, the predominance of written materials to the detriment of other types of resources and content, the lack of effective interaction mechanisms to address problems related to pronunciation and sentence construction, and difficulties in distinguishing the variety of Portuguese used in the country from correct and incorrect language forms. In the light of constructivist theory, these problems can and should be overcome through the use of information and communication technologies and active methodologies. Students, in turn, should maximise the advantages of their autonomy, dynamism, and proactivity in learning, and should not become dependent on the tutor’s materials and strategies.