Resumo:
Meetings involving scientists and students can happen in different ways and with different intentions. Focusing on delimiting the form of these meetings, this work is anchored in Andrew Feenberg's Critical Theory of Technology and is focused on holding discussions related to education and technologies. Thus, the research conducted a conversation involving a scientist and students from a public school in the south of Minas Gerais, about a technological device under development, DSSC (Dye Sensitized Solar Cell). The objective of this work is to identify what understanding regular elementary school students have about the process of optimizing solar cells when they talk to a scientist. The students answered a preliminary questionnaire with open questions that addressed science and technology. Subsequently, an online meeting was held between the scientist and students. The meeting was then recorded in audio and video and transcribed into text. This material, as well as plus the students' written responses generated the corpus of analysis. Regarding data analysis, categories were constructed from the core meanings identified in the corpus. The three categories elaborated in this research are: Technology and science: Understanding the device and the use of technology in scientific production; Economic and manufacturing issues of the device; and Relationship between the device and the environment. Regarding the results, it is clear that the students had perspectives on the performance and functioning of the device, developed questions regarding its value and place of manufacture, and also questioned how beneficial such a device would be for the environment. So, it was possible to identify what understanding the students had when experiencing a dialogue with a scientist about a technological device. It can also be inferred that this kind of research brings advantages to participating students, as they will have the opportunity to experience discussions about research that is still under development. In addition, it is also clear that under the framework of Andrew Feenberg's Critical Theory of Technology and his works it is possible to analyze the themes raised by the students. And with this philosopher's perspective on democratic participation in technology (Democratic Rationalism), there is support for including different extracts of society – in the context of this research, students – in the midst of discussions about the production of technological devices.
