A Físico-Química na licenciatura em Química: currículo, formação e práticas docentes em análise

Abstract

This study aimed to understand how the syllabi of Physical Chemistry courses were constructed in three Chemistry Teacher Education programs, as well as to analyze the perceptions of faculty members and pre-service Chemistry teachers regarding the impact of these courses on teacher education. To this end, documents governing Chemistry teacher education programs and the Physical Chemistry syllabi of three courses were analyzed using the methodology proposed by Lima and Mioto (2007). Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with three faculty members and three pre-service Chemistry teachers. Interview data were analyzed using content analysis as proposed by Bardin (2016). The categories for analysis were: 1) the construction of syllabi by faculty members; 2) the articulation of these syllabi with Basic Education; 3) pre-service teachers' perceptions of the relationship between higher education content and Basic Education; 4) the possibility of teaching Physical Chemistry concepts in Basic Education. The findings indicate that official documents do not specify in detail the content that should be included in Physical Chemistry syllabi and that, although the syllabi cover the content prescribed for Basic Education, there is no effective articulation between what is taught in higher education and what is required for teaching in schools. According to the faculty members interviewed, this is related to the fact that the syllabi of teacher education programs frequently replicate the structure of bachelor's degree programs, with an emphasis on mathematical calculations and little attention to the specificities of the school context. Pre-service teachers, in turn, reported not feeling prepared to teach such content. These results point to the need to reconsider the curricular organization of Physical Chemistry courses in Chemistry teacher education programs, so that initial teacher education is genuinely aligned with the demands of teaching practice in schools.