As imagens na formação inicial docente e no ensino de Ciências e Biologia: imaginários científicos em disputa

Abstract

Images present in Science and Biology education play an important role in constructing meanings about science, identity, and belonging, influencing how students understand who can occupy scientific spaces. This study aimed to analyze how representations circulating in Science and Biology education and the media contribute to the construction of the scientific imagination in pedagogical experiences by high school students. This qualitative research was conducted during the researcher’s participation in the Institutional Scholarship Program for Teaching Initiation (PIBID) and supervised teaching internships at a public secondary school in Ituiutaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil. As part of Biology classes, students were invited to draw what they imagined a scientist to be, and these drawings constituted the main empirical material of the study. Based on Cultural Studies, the analysis revealed the predominance of representations of White male scientists associated with laboratory environments and exceptional intelligence, as well as the limited representation of women and the absence of Black women. The findings indicate that images circulating in schools and the media contribute to shaping representations of science, influencing processes of identification and belonging. Therefore, the study highlights the importance of pedagogical practices that promote a more diverse and inclusive understanding of science.