Multiliteracies, Digital Culture and Neuroscience: Teacher Perceptions and Implications in School Pedagogical Practice

Maria Eduarda Machado Correr; Alaina Alves

DOI: 10.22167/2675-6528-202603247

Article derived from a Course Conclusion Work (TCC), with content based on the student’s original work and adapted to the editorial format of the E&S Magazine with the support of the ResumeAI tool, an artificial intelligence solution developed by Instituto Pecege for textual synthesis and organization.

Summary

This research analyzed how 9th-grade teachers of Ensino Fundamental II perceive and integrate multiliteracies, digital culture, critical literacy, and digital competencies in their pedagogical practices, considering the curricular guidelines of the National Common Curricular Base (2018) and the São Paulo Curriculum (2019), in addition to the relevance of executive functions in teaching and learning. An exploratory and descriptive approach was adopted, with a mixed methodology predominantly qualitative. Data were collected through an anonymous questionnaire applied to four teachers from private schools in São Paulo. The results indicated that the teachers demonstrated consistent conceptual knowledge about the topics, but the integration of these concepts into pedagogical practices occurred partially and non-systemically. It was observed that teachers’ continuing education for the use of digital technologies was insufficient, leading to autonomous pursuit of training. Furthermore, weaknesses were identified in students’ executive functions, such as planning, focus, and self-regulation, impacting critical literacy. It was concluded that the effective integration of digital culture and multiliteracies requires intentional work from the teacher, adequate training, consistent pedagogical planning, and attention to students’ cognitive skills, with neuroscience offering support for more conscious practices.

Keywords: Digital culture; Teacher training; Executive functions; Critical literacy; Multiliteracies.

1. Introduction

The contemporary scenario is marked by significant transformations in the contextual, cultural, social, and technological spheres. Faced with this reality, the school, understood as individuals’ first contact with the world (Arendt, 1957), faces the pressing need to redefine its pedagogical teaching-learning practices. It is therefore imperative that students be immersed in digital culture and the diverse semiotic multimodalities it offers, which demands training that transcends traditional literacy.

In this context, the need arises to incorporate digital multiliteracies, a concept that encompasses the multiplicity of languages — verbal, visual, auditory, and gestural — and which should constitute an intrinsic model of critical literacy. Such a model aims to form citizens capable of thinking critically and questioning (Buzato, 2002; Bawden, 2003; Street, 2014). Authors such as Rojo (2013) and Kenski (2012) emphasize that multiliteracies and multimodalities, whether digital or anachronistic, are not limited to technical aspects but are always inserted in the contextual and historical changes of a society, adapting to its social, ideological, and discursive practices. Thus, these literacies should be approached from a critical perspective, as pointed out by Soares (2004).

National curriculum guidelines, such as the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC, 2018) and the Paulista Curriculum (2019), recognize digital culture as an essential competence to be developed critically and ethically. However, the mere presence of technology in the classroom does not guarantee effective learning (Kenski, 2012). The real challenge lies in the teacher’s ability to handle these tools and foster situations and discussions that lead the student to construct a critical and multimodal thinking and literacy, enabling them to analyze, interpret, and make decisions in reality, positioning themselves authorially in the face of discourses (Freire, 1996).

Digital culture is explained in various ways by researchers, but this work adopts the perspective of Buzato (2010). For the author, digital culture is a living dynamic that arises from social interaction through the use and appropriation of digital technologies, involving distinct habits and contexts marked by inequalities in the use of these tools. For this criticality to develop in an optimized manner, it is fundamental to incorporate neurocognitive processes into pedagogical practices.

The discoveries of neuroscience and their educational applications (Cosenza and Guerra, 2011; Kandel et al., 2014) offer significant innovations in the teaching-learning area, by explaining how the brain learns and how this process can be enhanced. In particular, executive functions — which include planning, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory — are the mental foundation for students to be able to “learn to learn” (BNCC, 2018). It is, therefore, essential that teachers integrate cognitive neuroscience into their practices to facilitate the construction of the mental architecture and cognitive plasticity of their students (Cosenza and Guerra, 2011).

Despite the curricular obligation to integrate digital culture and its developments, a significant distance is still observed from students in relation to the intentional and critical use of technologies. The challenge is not limited to the lack of resources, but above all encompasses the continuous training and perceptions of teachers (Espindola, 2015; Nóvoa, 2015). Given this scenario, the question arises: how do teachers of the final years of Elementary School II, specifically the ninth grade, perceive and integrate into their pedagogical practices the multiliteracies, digital culture, and digital competencies proposed by the BNCC (2018) and the Paulista Curriculum (2019), aiming for students’ critical literacy and considering the necessary executive functions? This research is justified by the need to understand the vision of active teachers in the face of this new educational framework. The choice of a sample from a private school in São Paulo, which in theory has ample technological resources, allows for an investigation into the training, perception, and pedagogical intentionality of teachers, going beyond the issue of infrastructure. By identifying the difficulties, gaps, and successes in the teaching-learning relationship, it will be possible, through practice and theory, to reflect on the need for continuous teacher training and the readjustment of practices in the face of digital culture and neuroscience in different school realities, with the objective of analyzing how teachers of Elementary School II, specifically the ninth grade, perceived and incorporated the concepts of multiliteracies, digital culture, critical literacy, and digital competencies into their pedagogical practices.

2. Material and Methods

The present research adopted a mixed methodological approach, characterized as exploratory and descriptive regarding its objectives. This nature of study allowed for the investigation of perceptions and the integration of specific concepts by the faculty, combining the depth of qualitative analysis with the objectivity of quantifiable data. The qualitative predominance was chosen to explore the subjective opinions and experiences of the participants, which are fundamental to understanding the phenomenon in question.

The study’s unit of analysis consisted of teachers working in the final years of Elementary School II, specifically the ninth grade. Data collection was carried out in private schools located in the city of São Paulo. The choice of private institutions, which in theory possess ample technological infrastructure, aimed to deepen the investigation into the pedagogical training, perception, and intentionality of the teachers, decoupling the analysis from the issue of resource scarcity.

The research participants were selected through personal contacts of the researcher, including ninth-grade teachers from private schools. Initially, the participation of six teachers was expected, but four responded to the questionnaire. The participants were from different areas of knowledge, including English, financial mathematics, history, and Portuguese, ensuring diversity of perspectives on the integration of digital culture in distinct disciplines.

Data collection occurred during the months of February and March. For this purpose, an anonymous questionnaire, designed with scaled and unstructured questions, was used, administered through the Google Forms platform. The questionnaire was designed to investigate how ninth-grade teachers perceive and integrate multiliteracies, digital culture, and digital competencies in their pedagogical practices, considering executive functions and curricular guidelines.

The data collection instrument began with an explanation of the research’s key concepts, such as multiliteracy, multimodality, digital culture, digital competencies, critical literacy, and executive functions, in addition to presenting the investigation’s purpose. The scaled questions allowed for the evaluation of teachers’ opinions with response options such as “yes”, “partially”, or “no”, and “excellent”, “good”, “fair”, or “critical”. The unstructured questions sought to capture the teachers’ views on their pedagogical practices and their relationship with the digital world and neuroscientific executive functions.

The ethical procedures were rigorously observed. The research was submitted to and approved by the PECEGE Ethics Committee (CEP), under the Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Appreciation (CAAE) number 94395625.8.0000.9927. The well-being, privacy, and safety of the participants were ensured, maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality of the information. After collection, the digital data were downloaded from the Google Forms platform to a password-protected local electronic device, and all cloud records were immediately deleted, with restricted access to the principal investigator.

The analysis of the collected data was performed using the Thematic or Content Analysis technique for the qualitative responses, according to the bibliographic references in the field. The analytical process was divided into stages. Firstly, an exhaustive reading of all responses was carried out for familiarization with the corpus. Subsequently, coding was performed, decomposing the text into units of record, such as keywords, phrases, or significant excerpts, aligned with the specific research objectives.

From the coding, thematic categories were built that emerged directly from the data, and not solely from the theoretical framework. These categories allowed the grouping of teachers’ discourses into central axes of analysis. The scaled questions, which provided objective data, were treated through simple descriptive statistics, measuring the frequencies of the responses. No means or percentages were calculated at this stage, only the count of occurrences.

The final stage of the analysis consisted of the integration, or triangulation, of the data. The frequencies obtained from the scaled responses were related to the discourses of the qualitative thematic categories. This articulation allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomena studied, connecting the quantitative information to the narratives and perceptions of the faculty. The objective was to go beyond description, enabling an analysis that considered the complexity of the interactions between the investigated concepts and pedagogical practices.

3. Results and Discussion

The analysis of the collected data, from a questionnaire answered by four 9th-grade teachers from private schools in São Paulo, revealed teaching perceptions and practices regarding multiliteracies, digital culture, critical literacy, and digital competencies, as well as the influence of executive functions on the teaching-learning process. Although the number of participants was smaller than initially planned, the group demonstrated diversity in knowledge areas and vast experience, with an average of twenty years of teaching, which allowed for a rich qualitative exploration of their views and challenges. The results indicated robust conceptual knowledge on the part of the teachers, but a still partial and non-systemic integration of these concepts into their pedagogical practices, evidencing the complexity of the contemporary educational landscape.

Participant Data

The research, which initially expected the participation of six professors, obtained responses from four faculty members, resulting in a reduction of the planned *corpus* for analysis. However, the diversity of subjects taught — English, financial mathematics, history, and Portuguese — ensured a variety of perspectives on the integration of digital culture in different areas of knowledge. All participants teach the 9th grade of Ensino Fundamental II (Middle School) in private schools and have between fifteen and twenty-five years of experience, with an average of twenty years, indicating a group of experienced professionals who have experienced various phases of education, including the pre and post-COVID-19 pandemic period, with the intensification of the use of digital technologies.

Regarding conceptual understanding, teachers demonstrated mastery of digital culture, defining it as a “set of habits, customs, behaviors, and knowledge related to the digital world.” This conception was associated with the development of critical thinking, the ethical use of technologies, and student autonomy. Such an understanding aligns with Buzato’s (2010) view, which describes digital culture as a living dynamic of social interaction mediated by technologies, and dialogues with the guidelines of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC, 2018) and the Paulista Curriculum (2019), which establish digital competence as one of the pillars to be developed from digital culture.

Multiliteracies were understood by teachers as the “ability to read, interpret, and produce meanings through different languages”, while critical literacy was associated with the skill of “analyzing, questioning, and interpreting information, discourses, and social practices”. These definitions are in line with the perspectives of Rojo (2013) and Soares (2003), who emphasize the social use of reading and writing in real contexts, transcending mere technical literacy. By articulating different languages and promoting critical analysis of social practices, multiliteracies and critical literacy broaden the forms of subject participation in culture and the digital context.

These findings suggest that teachers have a significant theoretical appropriation of the concepts investigated, indicating that difficulties in pedagogical practice do not stem from a lack of conceptual knowledge, but from other factors, such as continuing education and institutional conditions. The participants’ insertion into a demanding and competitive work environment may favor the individual search for updates. However, it is important to emphasize that this reality does not extend to other educational contexts, such as public schools, which prevents direct comparisons and reinforces the need for future research that considers inequalities in access to training and teaching working conditions, as pointed out by Boto et al. (2020), avoiding the individualization of challenges that are, in fact, systemic.

Challenges in Teacher Training for Digital Culture and its Digital Competencies

The contemporary educational scenario, influenced by digital culture, demands that teacher training go beyond the mere incorporation of technologies, requiring a reorganization of teaching-learning dynamics. Nóvoa (2015) highlights that educational innovations promote the opening of the school model to new pedagogies, especially in the face of the digital revolution and the need to cater to student diversity, an aspect relevant to neuroscience. In this context, continuing teacher education becomes crucial, not only for the technical mastery of digital tools but also for the ability to reframe pedagogical practices in an interconnected world.

The research results showed that teachers’ training for the pedagogical use of digital technologies is still a challenge. None of the participants stated they had received sufficient training to work with digital technologies in the classroom. Despite this, 75% of teachers declared feeling partially prepared for multimodality, suggesting a movement towards autonomous training. The qualitative responses reinforced this perception, with teachers reporting having sought training “on their own” or out of personal interest, highlighting individual effort as the main path for professional development in this field.

This scenario, according to Nóvoa’s (2015) reflections, reveals a structural fragility in teacher training, as professional development should not occur in isolation. The author emphasizes that mentoring processes imply deeper changes in the organization of schools and in the profession itself, requiring the valorization of experienced teachers and the construction of collective work dynamics. Thus, continuing education must be a shared process, based on joint and collective reflection, since integration into a profession and the construction of new pedagogical practices depend on the support and dialogue with other teachers.

Participants also pointed out the need for greater institutional investment in continuing education, suggesting training courses, pedagogical meetings, and collective planning as strategies to improve their practices. One of the teachers mentioned an attempt to structure a digital culture project in their school, which was interrupted due to internal changes, illustrating the fragility of these initiatives. Regarding obstacles in the use of technologies, the lack of time for planning, the need for constant updating, insufficient training, and institutional support stood out. A professor emphasized that the challenges are not only technical but also structural, such as the “demand for quantity of content” in a scenario of institutional changes, according to Kenski (2007), who points out the central role of the school and the teacher in mediating knowledge.

In summary, the data indicate that, although there is recognition of the importance of digital culture and digital skills, and an autonomous search for appropriation, the effective integration of these tools into pedagogical practices and the teaching-learning process is limited. This limitation is associated with gaps in teacher training, insufficient institutional support and ongoing training, and the demand for pedagogical innovation amidst strong content-based pressure. Despite these restrictions, teachers mobilize individual efforts to fill these gaps, seeking to integrate, even if partially, digital resources into their pedagogical proposals.

Multimodality, Multiliteracies, Digital Competencies, Curricula

The discussion on digital literacy encompasses diverse theoretical perspectives, from more technical approaches to critical and contextualized understandings. Initially, Bawden (2002) associates digital literacy with the development of competencies for the efficient use of informational resources, focusing on the technical and functional mastery of technologies for insertion into academic and professional contexts. However, this view is problematized by Buzato (2006), who warns against reducing digital literacy to a merely instrumental use, arguing that technology is not neutral but shaped by social, cultural, and ideological relations among teachers, students, and contexts of use.

Along the same lines, Soares (2003) emphasizes that being literate does not guarantee literacy, which presupposes the effective use of language in real situations with social, cultural, and communicative purposes. Rojo (2013) complements this by explaining that the concept of multiliteracies, which emerged in the 1990s with the New London Group (NLG), seeks to integrate contemporaneity into schools, exposing individuals to multiple cultures and languages. For the author, multiliteracies are only effective when related to transformations in the teaching of language and literacy, considering the influence of new communicative forms in the school environment, such as the use of technologies.

When transposing this discussion to the digital universe, Buzato (2006) proposes that digital literacies be understood as a set of social practices that are continuously articulated and transformed through technologies, in different contexts and purposes. This means that the student should not only master digital tools or platforms, but be able to critically evaluate information, navigate between different languages (multiliteracies) and formats (multimodality), and participate actively and reflectively in social practices mediated by technologies. Understanding digital literacy in the educational context implies overcoming the technical view, recognizing it as a process that involves criticality, participation, and meaning-making, as well as highlighting possible distances between teachers and students due to different uses and understandings of technologies.

The survey data indicated that 100% of the participating teachers claim to use digital technologies and their competencies in their classes frequently, with 75% using them three or more times a week. They justify this practice by stating that “it is impossible to think/work in Education without considering multiliteracies” and that these “broaden the forms of access to knowledge,” making learning more meaningful and connected to the students’ different realities. This perspective highlights the power of multiliteracies articulated with digital culture and its competencies, according to Buzato (2010), who describes digital culture as a shared repertoire of signs, practices, values, and meanings in constant transformation. By incorporating these practices, teachers not only use digital tools but also engage with different forms of meaning-making, bringing the school closer to the students’ social and cultural dynamics.

Among the most used digital tools, 100% of teachers mentioned Canva. Furthermore, 75% use Word and PowerPoint, while 50% employ Excel and Padlet. Tools such as Moodle and Tinkercad were cited by 25% of participants. This data proves a significant incorporation of digital resources in the daily school environment. The responses also revealed a theoretical understanding of multiliteracies, associating the concept with the multiplicity of “visual, spatial, auditory, and verbal” languages and the need for students to understand a “multidimensional world.” This vision is aligned with the guidelines of the BNCC (2018) and the Paulista Curriculum (2019), which emphasize the integration of different languages and social and pedagogical practices mediated by digital technologies in the teaching-learning process.

Regarding student engagement, 75% of teachers perceived greater engagement when using digital or multimodal resources, while 25% considered this increase partial. Qualitative responses reinforce this view, indicating that multimodal activities “make more sense to students” and allow for the mobilization of different competencies and skills, especially collaborative ones. This data reinforces the perception that the digital is essential in students’ social and cognitive practices, in line with the BNCC (2018), which recognizes digital culture as one of the general competencies of basic education. According to Buzato (2007), digital and multimodal literacies are not dissociated from traditional literacies, but permeate them, operating in the same semiotic systems and social spheres. Thus, increased engagement can be attributed not only to the insertion of digital tools but to the expansion of students’ forms of meaning-making and participation, which align with their social and cultural experiences.

Participants highlighted that greater engagement stems not only from the digital tool itself, but from how it is integrated with learning objectives, with “pedagogical intentionality” and considering students’ different digital profiles and repertoires. There is a perception that the combination of media, mediated by the professor, mobilizes distinct skills, making the learning process more meaningful. This perception approaches what Street (2014) calls the ideological model of literacy, in which literate practices are social constructions, historically situated and crossed by power relations. In this sense, student engagement is not linked to the use of technology itself, but to the mediation and intentionality of the professor, who assigns meanings and contexts.

On the other hand, the responses revealed an educational concern with the impact of technologies and Artificial Intelligence. A movement of teachers towards analog media was observed, especially in writing and textual production activities, as a strategy to avoid direct copying, transforming technology into a consultation tool. One of the teachers explained: “before it was done on the computer, now I’m going back to paper until I’m sure that the pedagogical project can support me and prepare the student to produce digital texts in this new reality.” The post-pandemic period and the increased use of generative AI have led educators to restrict the use of digital in assessments, prioritizing paper to ensure authorship and the development of fundamental competencies and skills. Furthermore, concerns were mentioned about the decrease in concentration time and the greater tendency for students to become distracted due to technologies.

When analyzing teachers’ knowledge of the digital competencies foreseen in the BNCC (2018) and the Paulista Curriculum (2019), an important gap was observed: only 50% of participants stated they knew them, while the other 50% reported partial knowledge. Qualitative responses reinforced this fragility, indicating that knowledge is often not systematic, but general or superficial. One teacher, for example, stated they understood “the concern of these documents with critical, responsible, and ethical thinking,” but not as a result of in-depth study. It is important to note that the original research identified a limitation in direct dialogue with the BNCC and the Paulista Curriculum due to the collected responses, which prevented a more in-depth analysis of this relationship.

Despite partial knowledge, when questioned about the alignment between their practices and digital competencies, 66.7% of the teachers stated that their activities are partially aligned, and 33.3% considered themselves to have total alignment. This data suggests that, although there are practices that dialogue with the curricular guidelines, this alignment is not always conscious, systematic, or intentionally planned based on these documents. Regarding the competencies effectively worked on in the classroom, the responses indicated practices that approach the official proposals, especially in the development of critical literacy. Teachers reported working with the analysis of reliable sources, critical reading of information, data interpretation, discussion about ethics in the use of technologies, and problematization of topics such as *fake news* and algorithms.

One of the participants highlighted activities involving the analysis of news graphs and statistics, discussing data production, while another mentioned proposals where students watch documentaries about internet manipulation and need to assume a critical stance. These practices dialogue directly with the BNCC (2018), which emphasizes the development of critical thinking, information analysis, and the ethical use of digital technologies. Furthermore, teachers reported the use of multimodal activities, such as podcast production, designed reports, and interdisciplinary projects involving the construction of digital objects. These practices demonstrate an incorporation of multiliteracies into pedagogical practice, mobilizing different languages and forms of expression, aligning with the concept of literacies defended by Soares (2003) and Buzato (2007), who understand digital literacy as critical, empowering students to interpret, question, and reframe discourses.

Another relevant aspect is how teachers select digital resources, guided by pedagogical intentionality and learning objectives, as evidenced by the statements: “I think about the objective determined in my planning” and “according to the nature of the textual genre in focus.” This stance demonstrates a concern for aligning the use of technologies with educational purposes, in line with BNCC (2018) guidelines. This teaching stance proves a movement of adaptation and reflection on one’s own practice, even in the face of contextual limitations, which dialogues with the concept of professional competence discussed by Espindola (2015). Thus, the intentional choice of digital resources can be seen as part of the reflective process of teacher professional development.

However, it was observed that the use of technologies is more structured in interdisciplinary projects, while their use in daily activities is more limited, often as a strategy to avoid student distractions and diversions. This indicates that the integration of technologies occurs in a punctual manner, and not fully incorporated into pedagogical planning in a transversal way. Based on neuroscience studies, it is understood that the use of technologies should be organized with balance and pedagogical intention. Not all skills and competencies require digital tools; in some cases, excessive use can hinder teaching and learning, especially in attention, memory, and knowledge consolidation, according to Amaral and Guerra (2022) and Cosenza and Guerra (2011).

Perception of Gaps in Executive Functions

The understanding of teaching-learning processes has been significantly expanded by the dialogue between educational psychology and advances in neuroscience. Vygotsky’s (1991) contributions remain fundamental, especially in highlighting the cultural, linguistic, and social interaction role in the formation of thought. For the author, higher psychological functions, such as planning, attention, and self-regulation, are socially mediated and developed through the internalization of signs, which can be related to the concept of executive functions. Vygotsky’s notion of the zone of proximal development already indicated the importance of challenges appropriate to the student’s level for building new cognitive skills, and practices such as the use of language to guide behavior can be understood as planning and self-control strategies.

With the advancement of neurosciences, these conceptions are deepened by the understanding of the brain as a dynamic and plastic system. Cosenza and Guerra (2011) highlight neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself from experiences, as a central element for learning, influenced by stimuli, emotion, and attention. Kandel et al. (2014) reinforce that cognitive processes should be understood from integrated neural networks, highlighting the need to articulate knowledge from neuroscience with cognitive psychology for a broader understanding of learning. Elements such as attention and memory play a central role in cognitive development, as attention functions as the gateway to learning, and only experiences that mobilize individuals are recorded in memory, according to Amaral and Guerra (2020).

The authors Amaral and Guerra (2020) also highlight that executive functions, especially inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory, are fundamental for the performance of complex tasks, such as planning, problem-solving, decision-making, and metacognition. Currently, these functions are even more challenged by the presence of digital technologies. Although technologies can favor the personalization of teaching, collaborative learning, and student autonomy, their use without adequate mediation can lead to multitasking behavior and superficial information processing, compromising learning. This reinforces the need for pedagogical practices to be interconnected with the content, the tools used, and the cognitive processes involved in learning.

In this context, the research sought to understand teachers’ perceptions of possible gaps in students’ executive functions, revealing significant weaknesses. Regarding planning, 100% of participants classified this skill as partial, indicating that students have difficulties organizing tasks and anticipating demands. One teacher highlighted that assignments are frequently done “at the last moment,” evidencing low autonomy in time management. As for focus, 75% of teachers rated this function as partial, associating students’ reduced attention span with the intense use of digital technologies and social media, which hinders teaching work, as it depends on students’ attention to explain content and instructions.

Self-regulation was also considered partial by 100% of the participants, being associated with emotional issues that interfere with learning. This situation may be linked to the students’ age and social pressure, although one professor observed that executive functions develop more towards the end of the 9th grade, with natural maturation and interactions at school enhancing growth. Inhibitory control showed greater diversity of thought, with 50% of responses indicating a partial level and 25% classifying it as critical, evidencing difficulties in impulse control and attention maintenance. Furthermore, teachers highlighted that students are not always able to rethink strategies or adapt their actions in new situations, pointing to limitations in cognitive flexibility.

In general, the questionnaire responses associate these difficulties with the post-pandemic context, with one participant mentioning an increase in anxiety, dispersion, and disengagement. One of the teachers suggested that these issues are not individual but reflect broader social changes impacting the school environment. The data show that the executive functions of 9th-grade students are not fully developed, which can compromise critical literacy, increasingly required in high school, an environment that will demand greater autonomy, organization, and reflective analysis. One participant suggested that an effective strategy for developing executive functions would be “developing lesson plans that promote reflection on the learning process and metacognition,” aligning with the “learning to learn” competence of the BNCC (2018) and neuroscience, which understands metacognition as a result of cognitive reorganization processes mediated by neuroplasticity (Cosenza and Guerra, 2011).

In light of this scenario, neuroscience can collaborate with educators to architect more conscious and well-founded multiliteracy practices. More than guiding methodologies, its contributions rethink the organization of pedagogical practices, highlighting cognitive limitations related to attention, memory, and stimulus overload, often ignored in proposals that favor the multiplicity of languages without intentionality. Thus, thinking about multiliteracies through the lens of neuroscience implies refocusing to incorporate technological resources that build more striking, complex learning experiences and that, with teacher mediation and correct intentionality, develop executive functions, fostering student engagement and criticality. Amaral and Guerra (2019) reinforce that emotion and cognition are interconnected, directly influencing mental functions such as memory, attention, language, and reasoning, and can enhance or impair student performance. Learning situations that arouse interest and generate a sense of accomplishment tend to favor cognitive development.

Comparison between Expected Results and Obtained Results

Regarding the valorization of digital languages and their partial integration into pedagogical planning, the data indicate that teachers recognize the need for digital culture, multiliteracies, and multimodality in the school context. Educators have a consistent conceptual understanding of these terms, often acquired individually, seeking to relate them to critical reading, the ethical use of technologies, and the interpretation of multiple languages. Although educators include digital technologies in their pedagogical practices, the integration is not always systemic in didactic planning. Many teachers justify this difficulty by the large amount of content and evaluative methods imposed by institutions, and comment that the tools should be used intentionally or in interdisciplinary projects, which one teacher highlighted as aligned with the Transversal Contemporary Themes (TCTs) of the BNCC.

However, Nóvoa (2015) points out that the transformation of school practices demands more than the punctual insertion of new tools, implying the construction of a new educational environment, marked by diversity of spaces, collaborative work, and articulation between study, research, and knowledge production. This change requires the creation of new teacher training contexts, capable of generating pedagogical practices that are more integrated and coherent with the present day. Therefore, the transversal integration of technologies cannot be understood as an individual limitation of the teacher, but as a reflection of structural conditions that do not yet favor these transformations. The lack of time for collective planning and the absence of institutional training appear as determining factors that hinder the constant integration of these digital languages into the curriculum, being incorporated into planning in a partial way.

Regarding students’ familiarity with digital tools, participating teachers confirmed that there is a difference between knowing about digital tools and mastering technological tools. Although students demonstrate ease with current and multimodal tools, educators indicated that many have difficulty using tools considered basic, such as text editors and spreadsheets. This data reinforces the idea that this generation does not possess in-depth technical or cognitive digital skills, but rather a familiarity with certain digital environments. Furthermore, participants’ responses indicate that these difficulties are related to executive functions, particularly planning, focus, self-regulation, and inhibitory control. These skills organize thoughts, solve problems, and perform more complex reading and production activities, as pointed out by Amaral and Guerra (2022) and Cosenza and Guerra (2011). Thus, the research strengthens the view that critical literacy can be enhanced not only by digital technologies but also by cognitive and metacognitive skills related to executive functions.

Another point to highlight from the data is that students can produce work using different digital formats and languages, such as presentations and multimodal productions in interdisciplinary projects. However, teachers point out that these productions do not always have analytical or critical depth. One of the factors mentioned is the presence of ready-made templates and automated tools, which can homogenize productions and limit the development of deeper reflection. The emergence and popularization of artificial intelligence tools also appear as a challenge for educators, who report the need to rethink assessment and text production methods. Thus, the data indicate that the use of digital technologies does not, in itself, guarantee the development of critical thinking, requiring teacher mediation and pedagogical practices that promote activities for analyzing, interpreting, and contextualizing information.

The research also showed that teachers perceive greater student engagement when activities use digital and multimodal resources. The responses indicate that tasks combining different languages — such as text, image, audio, and video — favor student participation, allowing different skills to be mobilized in the teaching-learning process. Furthermore, educators highlight that student engagement occurs better when pedagogical proposals dialogue with students’ cultural and digital repertoire, bringing school content closer to communicative practices used in everyday life. In this sense, according to Libâneo (in Boto, 2020), social interactions in the educational context, mediated by activities planned by the teacher and considered from the students’ world, are fundamental to mobilizing cognitive capacities and promoting the development of theoretical thinking, contributing to the formation of critical and autonomous subjects.

However, this engagement is dependent on pedagogical mediation and the teacher’s intentionality, as the use of technology can also generate distractions and dispersion during classes. Lastly, most teachers stated they had not received sufficient training to work with digital technologies in the classroom, indicating that much of the knowledge used in their practices was acquired autonomously, self-taught, or through professional experience. This data emphasizes a gap in continuing teacher education, especially in the pedagogical integration of digital, multimodal, and multiliteracy technologies, as pointed out by Nóvoa (2015). Thus, teachers highlight the need for training courses, institutional spaces for training, collective and interdisciplinary pedagogical planning and exchanges, and institutional support for the development of digital projects.

In summary, the data analysis shows that, although there are advances in the incorporation of digital culture, multiliteracies, multimodalities, and critical literacy in pedagogical practices, challenges persist related to educational institutions, teacher training, mediation of technology use, and the development of student executive functions. These factors are directly intertwined and impact the quality of teaching-learning practices and the development of critical thinking in the contemporary school context. The effective integration of digital culture and multiliteracies requires intentional work from the teacher, adequate training, consistent pedagogical planning, and attention to students’ cognitive skills, with neuroscience offering support for more conscious and effective practices that consider brain limits and potential for meaningful learning.

4. Conclusion

This research sought to analyze how 9th-grade teachers of Ensino Fundamental II perceive and integrate multiliteracies, digital culture, critical literacy, and digital competencies in their pedagogical practices, considering students’ executive functions. It was found that teachers demonstrate consistent conceptual knowledge about these topics, but the integration of these concepts into their pedagogical practices occurs partially and not systemically. It was observed that the continuing education offered for the pedagogical use of digital technologies is insufficient, leading teachers to seek training autonomously. Furthermore, significant weaknesses were identified in students’ executive functions, such as planning, focus, and self-regulation, which directly impacts the development of critical literacy. The study’s contribution lies in highlighting the need for intentional teacher work, combined with adequate training and consistent pedagogical planning, for the effective incorporation of digital culture and multiliteracies.

The research reinforces that critical literacy is enhanced not only by the insertion of digital technologies, but also by the development of cognitive and metacognitive skills related to executive functions, with neuroscience offering support for more conscious and effective practices. However, the study presents limitations due to the restricted number of participants and the specific selection of private schools, which prevents the generalization of findings. It is suggested for future studies to expand the number of participating teachers and include different school realities, in order to deepen the discussion on the integration of digital technologies in education and their impacts on the development of critical literacy, with the support of school neuroscience.

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