Discursivas

Discursivas is the feminine plural form of the adjective discursiva in Portuguese and Spanish, used to describe things related to discourse or to a discursive approach. In educational contexts in Portuguese-speaking countries, the term is often used to refer to open-ended assessment items: questões discursivas. These require students to produce extended written answers that present argument, analysis, and synthesis on a given topic. They contrast with objective questions (questões objetivas) and are valued for assessing critical thinking, writing ability, and depth of understanding, though they demand more time for both responding and grading, typically using explicit rubrics.

In linguistics and discourse studies, discursivas can refer to phenomena, strategies, or practices within actual discourse rather than within isolated sentences. The term may appear in discussions of discursive strategies such as argumentation, stance, cohesion, and pragmatics, and in analyses of how speakers construct meaning across larger stretches of text or conversation.

Usage notes: the term is more common in Portuguese than in Spanish for these educational and analytical senses. In Spanish, discursivas generally functions as the feminine plural of discursiva and appears in contexts discussing discursive styles or features in academic writing.

See also: discourse, discursive, discourse analysis, essay questions, rubrics.