A educação profissional e tecnológica e a formação de estudantes do ensino médio como agentes digitais: a programação como linguagem de transformação social no contexto amazônico

Abstract

This study examines how programming education can be understood as a language of social transformation within Professional and Technological Education (PTE) and as a pathway for educating upper-secondary students to become digital agents in the Amazonian context. This is a qualitative study based on bibliographic and documentary research, drawing on books, legislation, official documents, and scientific articles, with an emphasis on publications issued between 2021 and 2025. Thirteen recent studies were analyzed and organized into three categories: PTE and digital technologies; programming and computational thinking; and digital inclusion and the Amazonian context. The findings show that PTE goes beyond training aimed solely at the labor market, as it integrates education, work, science, technology, and culture. They also demonstrate that when programming is taught as a language, it fosters critical thinking, autonomy, and participation in digital society. The studies analyzed confirm regional inequality, identifying Brazil’s Northern Region as the area with the lowest level of internet access in schools nationwide, and show that expanding access without pedagogical mediation does not translate into digital inclusion. The literature also reveals a significant gap: none of the studies analyzed simultaneously addresses Professional and Technological Education, programming education, and the development of digital agents. It is concluded that PTE can contribute to digital and social inclusion in the Amazon, provided that access to technologies is accompanied by intentional pedagogical mediation.