Initial reading instruction and literacy in the works of Magda Soares: contributions to the training of researchers

Abstract The purpose of this article is to pose some reflections on the relationship between initial reading instruction and literacy in the light of the discussions proposed by Magda Soares, and how they have contributed, over the years, to field research of literacy, reading and writing. As a methodological procedure, we carried out a mapping out of the papers in Working Group 10 – Literacy, reading and writing – of the Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação (Anped) conferences, between 2000 and 2021. We proceeded to analyze the papers seeking to identify the existing references to Magda Soares’ production and those that used her ideas as a basis for discussing research data. The results indicate that the works of that scholar were cited in all papers published in Anped, analyzed in this study. The book “Literacy: a theme in three genres”, published in 1998 by Editora Autêntica, was cited in the 17 meetings analyzed, appearing in 48 works. The article “Multiple facets of literacy and initial reading instruction”, published in 2004 in the Revista Brasileira de Educação, was the second most cited, since it was cited in 10 conferences. These data demonstrate the importance of that scholar for the field of literacy, reading and writing.