A natureza da ciência em projetos pedagógicos de cursos de licenciatura em química, física e ciências biológicas de universidades federais de Minas Gerais

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze if, how and what aspects related to the Nature of Science (NoS) have been proposed in the initial training of Chemistry, Physics and Biological Sciences’ teachers at federal universities in the state of Minas Gerais. This is a documentary-type research, in which we selected Pedagogical Course Projects (PCP) of the 11 federal universities of Minas Gerais that offer the Licentiate courses in these areas 41 PCP were located, which were analyzed through Discursive Textual Analysis. Data analysis showed the presence of aspects related to NoS in 39 PPC. In 37 of them, such aspects are included in the mandatory curricular components, whose menus include contents such as: concepts and theoretical currents about the NoS; History of Science and NoS; relationships between NoS and other science education topics; implications of views on NoS in science teaching; the teaching of NoS. In 13 PCP, we found insertions related to NoS in optional or elective curricular components, in which the following are addressed: the philosophy of science, the history of science, the methodology of science related to NoS. We also verified, in 37 documents analyzed, mentions of the importance of the NoS in other parts of the PCP, as in the objective of the course, profile of the graduate, competences and abilities that the students must develop This way of inserting aspects related to the NoS in the PCP proved to be very similar between the areas. When analyzing some possible elements that influence this insertion, we verified that, in a more explicit way, the PCP are based on official documents that guide the teacher training curriculum in the respective areas to justify the importance of understanding aspects related to the NoS in the training of teachers. Some of these justifications are also based, even if in smaller numbers, in documents that govern the basic curriculum of science education. In general, the PPC do not make explicit, in the form of citations and/or bibliographic references, research in the science education area that discusses the NoS. On the other hand, when analyzing the profile of the professors who prepared these PCP, we found that, although most are from Bachelor's and postgraduate courses and/or research in specific areas, there is, in these teams, at least one professor with a degree in Licentiate and postgraduate courses and/or research in the science education area.We conclude that the degree programs in Biological Sciences, Physics and Chemistry, from the Federal Universities of Minas Gerais, generally bring some type of insertion of aspects related to NoS in the initial training curriculum of their graduates. Influenced by official documents that guide the training of teachers in these areas and/or by the presence of teachers/researchers in the science education area in the preparation of PCP, these courses seek to train teachers who reflect on the historical, philosophical and sociological aspects of science.