Método científico e prática docente : as representações sociais de professores de ciências do ensino fundamental

Abstract

This research intended to investigate Social Representations of Science teachers working at 5th-8th grades in what regards the Scientific Method (MC) and the effects of those representations in their educational practices. The methodological theoretical referential used was that of the Social Representations, in the Moscovician perspective. For Moscovici and followers, in order to know the Social Representations of a group, one must identify the group, its symbolic content and in what specific context it is inserted. In order to formulate and present data, we used the three Jodelet s questionings: who are the subjects, what they know and with which effects. The instruments used for the research were questionnaires and interviews. Analyzing the subjects representations we verified some incoherence in their answers, both in the questionnaires when they were asked to take a position in relation to some statements which were sometimes constructivists and other times traditional , and in the interviews, when they verbalized their representations. The analysis of the instruments, although with some incoherence, it points out a prevalence of constructivist representations. In relation to the effects that those representations cause on the subjects practices, we concluded that this happens in part. We also verified that MC experience in the subjects lives was insignificant, both in the Basic and in the Initial and Continued Education, what can explain the difficulty of viability of that methodology in their educational practices. In general the teachers evaluate as advantageous the use of that methodology in the teaching of Sciences, justifying that they don t use it due to some operational difficulties and even due to education. We hope that this work can contribute to those that worry about the teachers of Sciences education.