Ensaio Research in Science Education
type: channel
description: Continuous flow journal, peer reviewed, that publishes national and international articles that are unpublished, of empirical or theoretical nature, with topics of interest to the field of research in science education and its interlocutions with the social and human sciences. The journal seeks to keep criteria of academic rigor and social and educational relevance. The publishing of the journal Ensaio Research in Science Education is the responsibility of the Center for Science and Mathematics Teaching - CECIMIG (www.fae.ufmg/cecimig), a research and extension agency in the area of science education of the Faculty of Education of UFMG. The journal also has the support of the Graduate Program in Education at UFMG (Level 7 at Capes) and inter-institutional partnerships in the composition of our editorial board: Brazilian (UFOP, UFJF, UFES, CEFET-RJ, UNESP, UFSC, UFABC, USP, UFRB) and international institutions (King's College of London, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, University of Groningen). The journal was first published in 1999. Later, it was available online three times a year (April, August and December). In 2017, it became available in a single annual volume, accepting articles in continuous flow. Over the last twenty years, we have sought to consolidate ourselves as a reference journal in the field of science education. We always seek to improve our process of receiving, evaluating and publishing articles, relying on a qualified editorial team, with the support of collaborators from different institutions. Its abbreviated title is Ens. Pesqui. Educ. Ciênc. (Belo Horizonte), which should be used in bibliographies, footnotes and bibliographical references, and strips.
publisher: CECIMIG-FaE-UFMG
language: pt-BR
publication name: Ensaio Research in Science Education
issn: 1415-2150
items: The dominance of utilitarianism and the weakening of criticism: generative artificial intelligence and the values at stake in science
items: EDUCATIONAL MEDIATION PROCESSES AT FAMILIES’ VISITS TO A SCIENCE INTERACTIVE MUSEUM: A STUDY CASE AT THE EXHIBITION UGH!: THE SCIENCE OF DISGUST AT MALOKA (COLOMBIA)
items: Educational Perspectives and Science Education: an analysis focused on participant actions
items: ARTICLE-OPINION: SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: DISCUSSING INVISIBLE ACTORS IN THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE BUILDING
items: Teaching botany in a bilingual context portuguese - Brazilian Sign Language from the historical-cultural theory
items: CREOLE SEEDS AND COPING WITH THE ANTHROPOCENE IN SCIENCE EDUCATION.
items: REPRESENTATIVENESS OF MYCOLOGY IN INITIAL TRAINING IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
items: Regarding the theoretical foundations for social justice science education
items: TEACHING INTERNSHIP: A LOOK AT DIDACTIC MODALITIES IN BOTANY TEACHING
items: The kinetic science of teaching and science teachers education
items: Latin American Research in Chemical Education
items: The missing piece
items: Training of physics teachers in the state of Paraná: How does the topic “Active learning” constitute itself in the discourse of teachers?
items: THE ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS IN RESEARCH ETHICS
items: BLURRING BETWEEN FICTION AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN SCIENCE FICTION FILMS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
items: Mobilization and articulation of the personal PCK and the enacted PCK of a pre-service teacher
items: INFLUENCE OF AUTHOR GENDER AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT ON THE REPRESENTATION OF SCIENTISTS IN SCIENCE AND BIOLOGY TEXTBOOKS OF THE BRAZILIAN NATIONAL TEXTBOOK PROGRAM
items: ARTICLE-OPINION: FOUCAULDIANS SPECULATIONS ON A NEOSCIENCE UBUESQUE
items: THE STUDY ON PRODUCTIVE DISCIPLINARY ENGAGEMENT AND EPISTEMIC PRACTICES IN BIOLOGY TEACHING BASED ON SOCIOSCIENTIFIC ISSUES ABOUT DRUG USE
items: ARTICLE-OPINION: THE ROLE OF THE PROBLEM IN SOCIO-SCIENTIFIC ISSUES AND IN THE DISCURSIVE DYNAMICS OF THE CLASSROOM
items: Investigations into the use of the STEAM approach in school practice: state of knowledge between 2017 and 2022
items: Scientific and Technological Literacy as Social Transformation: a reflection for its promotion in science teaching using Social Technology
items: SOCIAL EPISTEMOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC MISINFORMATION: PERSPECTIVES FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION
items: METACOGNITIVE EXPERIENCES IN THE TRAINING OF FUTURE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS
items: POPULAR SONGS IN TEACHING GENETICS AND EVOLUTION: BREAKING STEREOTYPES AND SCIENTIFIC RACISM
items: ADHERENCE AND PERMANENCE AS A PHYSICS TEACHER: A VIEW FROM THE TEACHING PORTRAITS PERSPECTIVE
items: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MOTIVATION TO LEARN SCIENCE: A REVIEW OF NATIONAL LITERATURE
items: Conception of inclusion in research in science teaching with students on the autistic spectrum
items: LO SUBJETIVO Y LO OPERACIONAL EM LA SUPERACIÓN DE LAS DIFICULTADES DE APRENDIZAJE EM BIOLOGÍA
items: The Curriculum Guidelines for Environmental Education in Curitiba from a ecophenomenological perspective

The dominance of utilitarianism and the weakening of criticism: generative artificial intelligence and the values at stake in science
type: item
description: This editorial aims to share the formative path taken by the editorial board of the journal Ensaio: Research in Science Education on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). In addition, by highlighting the foundations adopted, the questions raised, and the contradictions observed, we invite the community to an open and critical dialogue about GenAI and scientific practice. We mobilize discourses, positions, and controversies presented nationally and internationally, and, based on critical theories, we seek to expose the contradictions inherent in the production process, appropriation, distribution, and the uses and discourses associated with this technology. We emphasize the risks associated with the use of GenAI, including illegality, non-compliance, illegitimacy, implausibility, and uncriticality. In taking a critical stance towards the use of GenAI for academic production, we acknowledge its complex and intricate nature, as well as the limited research in the area of science education. This perspective aims to encourage the creation of communities and educational contexts in the science education field that promote the in-depth study, production, and critical analysis relevant to emerging technologies, such as GenIA.
subject: EDITORIAL / EDITORIAL
  topic: section
subject: science education
  topic: keywords
subject: scientific ethics
  topic: keywords
subject: scientific integrity
  topic: keywords
subject: risk
  topic: keywords
subject: technology
  topic: keywords
creator: Nathália Helena Azevedo
creator: Paulo Gabriel Franco dos Santos
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
doi: 10.1590/

EDUCATIONAL MEDIATION PROCESSES AT FAMILIES’ VISITS TO A SCIENCE INTERACTIVE MUSEUM: A STUDY CASE AT THE EXHIBITION UGH!: THE SCIENCE OF DISGUST AT MALOKA (COLOMBIA)
type: item
description: Neste artigo, analisamos as interações entre familiares, exposição e educadores ocorridas ao longo das visitas de oito famílias à exposição interativa Eca!: a ciência do nojo, do museu de ciências Maloka, localizado em Bogotá (Colômbia), tendo como objetivo compreender os processos de mediação educativa ocorridos durante as visitas. A coleta de dados consistiu na gravação das visitas por meio de uma câmera GoPro acoplada na cabeça de uma das crianças de cada grupo. As gravações foram categorizadas e analisadas com uso do software Dedoose. Os resultados demonstraram que educadores, familiares adultos, objetos e textos foram mediadores da conexão entre crianças e exposição. A mediação humana, baseada na formulação de perguntas, foi pautada no diálogo, na autonomia e no estímulo à reflexão, tendo caráter de negociação. Associando às perguntas orientações sobre o uso dos aparatos e explicações e informações científicas, os educadores forneceram aos visitantes conhecimentos científicos novos, promovendo o aprendizado.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: mediação em museus
  topic: keywords
subject: educação museal
  topic: keywords
subject: museus interativos de ciências
  topic: keywords
creator: Alice Ribeiro
creator: Luisa Massarani
creator: Antero Vinicius Portela Firmino Pinto
creator: Juliana Araujo
creator: Sigrid Falla Morales
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-11-07
publication date: 2025-11-07
doi: 10.1590/

Educational Perspectives and Science Education: an analysis focused on participant actions
type: item
description: The appropriation of educational perspectives by science educators has sparked controversies and discussions about the different ways to carry out this process. Most of these movements have been based on psychological, sociological and philosophical approaches centered on human actions, restricting the participation of non-human agents to mere intermediaries cohabiting educational spaces. In this article, I aimed to present an analytical framework in which the actions of objects are considered active participants in the various ways of teaching and learning. To achieve this, I drew on classical and contemporary texts in education and science teaching, reinterpreting these works from a Science and Technology Studies (STS) perspective. As a result, I presented considerations in terms of didactic-pedagogical approaches and science education research, which I hope can unfold into new research initiatives engaged with this topic.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: Educational Perspectives
  topic: keywords
subject: Science and Technology Studies
  topic: keywords
subject: humans
  topic: keywords
subject: non-humans
  topic: keywords
creator: Leonardo Wilezelek Soares de Melo
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-09-18
publication date: 2025-09-18
doi: 10.1590/

ARTICLE-OPINION: SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: DISCUSSING INVISIBLE ACTORS IN THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE BUILDING
type: item
description: Este artigo-parecer reflete sobre contextos, ponderações e critérios na avaliação do artigo "Educação em Ciências para Justiça Social: discutindo atores invisibilizados no processo de construção da ciência", oportunizando uma meta-avaliação ao dialogar com Aline Mazzarella, Hermann Schiffer e Andreia Guerra. Ao desvelar os mecanismos subjacentes aos aspectos epistêmicos, sociais e pessoais de nossa prática científica, exemplifica-se a influência de fatores subjetivos e de uma historicidade inconsciente que nos atravessam, o que exige uma autovigilância epistêmica constante. Proponho reflexões para embasar a promoção da justiça social na educação em ciências e considerar a perspectiva histórica de Peter Burke para o episódio em foco. Sugiro um desdobramento sobre a crença em comprovações e verdades finais na Teoria da Relatividade de Einstein e discuto minhas limitações no conceito de participação equitativa nas ciências. Advogo a revisão por pares aberta, levando em conta as disputas no campo e favorecendo o nosso desenvolvimento enquanto comunidade.
subject: PERSPECTIVAS / PERSPECTIVES
  topic: section
subject: Justiça social e educação científica;
  topic: keywords
subject: História cultural das ciências
  topic: keywords
subject: Meta-avaliação da prática científica
  topic: keywords
subject: Autovigilância epistêmica
  topic: keywords
creator: Thaís Cyrino de Mello Forato
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-06-04
publication date: 2025-06-04
doi: 10.1590/

Teaching botany in a bilingual context portuguese - Brazilian Sign Language from the historical-cultural theory
type: item
description: This article aims, based on the Historical-Cultural Theory, to investigate the conceptual appropriation of deaf students in a bilingual environment, focusing on botany and using strategies such as imagery resources and experimentation. For this purpose, we developed a didactic sequence, consisting of four pedagogical interventions, which was implemented in the year 2023. The data collection instruments used were questionnaires, imagery activities, and video recordings. The data were subjected to conversation analysis. Our data allowed us to show that pedagogical strategies focusing on visual experience and the use of imagery resources enhance the learning of the deaf and their development, as they function as mediating signs, and experimentation fosters learning, as it provides opportunities for social interaction and observation of natural phenomena. Furthermore, we point out the linguistic barrier and the lack of language stimulation, which hinders the acquisition of spontaneous concepts and impairs the development of scientific concepts.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: botany
  topic: keywords
subject: Deaf
  topic: keywords
subject: Vigotski
  topic: keywords
creator: Gustavo Fernandes Rodrigues
creator: Lidiane de Lemos Soares Pereira
creator: Anna Maria Canavarro Benite
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
doi: 10.1590/

CREOLE SEEDS AND COPING WITH THE ANTHROPOCENE IN SCIENCE EDUCATION.
type: item
description: This study documents the affective ecologies that form between undergraduate students in rural education and other-than-humans and creole seeds. To analyze the data collected, we followed the ethnographic inspiration adopted by the Actor-Network Theory (ANT), according to the version by Latour (2012). The students' reports are articulated with scientific humanities (Latour, 2016). We argue that the involutionary stories narrated by the students and their collectives are possibilities to postpone the end of the world, telling other stories about the relationality with the earth. What emerges between the soil, the air, the houses, the families, the waters, the Nutrients shape peasant life, landscapes and rhythms that are not so easily delimited. Likewise, the act of keeping your hands on the ground, repairing artifacts and thinking about the maintenance of practices, can allow access to resistance exercises and recognition of life maintenance strategies that involve the present, past and future. Thus, with this study we intend to bring some considerations about the way we produce knowledge, and the possibilities of dialogues between ontologies and heterogeneous collectives that allow us to weave a world where many worlds can fit.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: Rural Education
  topic: keywords
subject: affective ecology
  topic: keywords
subject: actor-network theory
  topic: keywords
subject: anthropocene
  topic: keywords
creator: Mariana Borchio
creator: Francisco Coutinho
creator: Geisieli Oliveira
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-04-29
publication date: 2025-04-29
doi: 10.1590/

REPRESENTATIVENESS OF MYCOLOGY IN INITIAL TRAINING IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
type: item
description: Mycology is neglected in the Biological Sciences curriculum. The dependence on other areas, such as Botany, contributes to the low representation of fungi in the formation of biologists and teachers. This research investigated, through documentary and content analysis, the representativeness of Mycology in initial undergraduate Biological Sciences courses. Course syllabuses and materials used as bibliographical references were analyzed. It was concluded that the materials are unspecific and outdated. In addition, the recent scientific consensus on the systematics of fungi makes it difficult to introduce contemporary taxonomic proposals, and it is necessary to update the materials indicated in the bibliography of the teaching plans, highlighting aspects such as the systematics of the group and the recognition of terms with etymology independent of Botany. There is also a need for specific subjects for the study of these organisms and greater integration with other areas of knowledge, such as Ecology and Evolution.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: Biological Education
  topic: keywords
subject: Fungi
  topic: keywords
subject: Professional Training
  topic: keywords
creator: Gabriel Prado Barcelos
creator: Matheus Ganiko-Dutra
creator: Veridiana de Lara Weiser
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-05-06
publication date: 2025-05-06
doi: 10.1590/

Regarding the theoretical foundations for social justice science education
type: item
description: In order to help ensure that the term “social justice” does not operate as an empty signifier in science education, we raise arguments based on the work republished more than two decades ago by Lee Anne Bell, Theoretical Foundations for Social Justice Education. By recovering elements present in the literature on science education, it was possible to point out correlations between this field and Bell’s work, as well as challenges to confronting the mechanisms of oppression categorized by the author. In dialogue, also, with Freirean theory present in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, we intend to contribute with the theoretical foundation and reflection for a social justice science education, arguing, among other aspects, that this process is built from confronting these mechanisms of oppression.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: Science Education
  topic: keywords
subject: Social Justice
  topic: keywords
subject: Science Teaching
  topic: keywords
creator: Douglas da Costa Cardinot
creator: André Ferrer Pinto Martins
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
doi: 10.1590/

TEACHING INTERNSHIP: A LOOK AT DIDACTIC MODALITIES IN BOTANY TEACHING
type: item
description: Botany classes in teacher training tend to be content-based and present subjects in a decontextualized way, which worsens the phenomenon of plant awareness disparity. The teaching modalities of higher education teachers directly influence the future practices of undergraduate students in the teaching training. This work investigated the teaching modalities used by Biological Sciences graduates during their teaching internship to teach botany. Documentary analysis of reports was used using the Content Analysis method. The teaching modalities and resources used that appeared mentioned in the internship reports that taught botany content in high school were identified. The results revealed the predominance of expository-dialogue classes, solving exercises, practical activities, and a preference in the use of playful activities. The creativity of the interns and the tendency to propose more interactive and contextualized methods stood out.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: estratégia didática
  topic: keywords
subject: material didático
  topic: keywords
subject: educação básica
  topic: keywords
creator: Isabel Wosniak Severo
creator: Edeilson Brito de Souza
creator: Rosi Maria Prestes
creator: Maria Cecilia de Chiara Moço
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-06-04
publication date: 2025-06-04
doi: 10.1590/

The kinetic science of teaching and science teachers education
type: item
description: This work aims to demonstrate that teaching action is a “kinetic science” and that the analysis of this science can be enriching for teacher training. We apply a recipe – in Stengerlian terms – to analyze a teacher’s body movement during two classes of a didactic game about cosmology in a first year high school class. A group of undergraduates and teachers in the field of natural sciences, while attending classes, asked non-obvious questions about the teacher’s actions in the classroom. Questions that were answered and discussed by all in a speculative way. This dynamic was evaluated by all: 1) regarding the perception of the kinetic science of teaching and the relationship with the classroom ecosystem and; 2) as a training movement for undergraduates. Despite the group’s difficulty in recognizing what would be considered “non-obvious” questions, the results demonstrate success in both objectives.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: kinetic sciences
  topic: keywords
subject: Decoloniality
  topic: keywords
subject: Scientific education
  topic: keywords
creator: Alexandre Bagdonas
creator: Vitor Machado
creator: Daiane Costa
creator: Jéssica Oliveira
creator: David Barbosa
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-11-07
publication date: 2025-11-07
doi: 10.1590/

Latin American Research in Chemical Education
type: item
description: A mapping of scientific productions of the Latin American (Spanish-speaking) research community in Chemical Education is presented. Little interaction was found between Latin American researchers of different nationalities, especially between Brazilian researchers and Spanish-speaking Latin American researchers. The articles were classified into eight thematic axes. In this work we present the analysis of one of the axes, which grouped the texts on the teaching of Chemistry during the pandemic. The analysis methodology was phenomenological-hermeneutic. Teachers' concern about teaching, learning and assessment during the pandemic was expressive. Some texts lead to a necessary discussion about the Chemistry curriculum that has been propagated from a set of pre-established concepts, with little attention to the socio-environmental conditions of the students.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: Mapping; Professional Development; Chemical Education.
  topic: keywords
creator: Maria do Carmo Galiazzi
creator: Ana Laura Salcedo de Medeiros
creator: Robson Simplicio de Sousa
creator: Jeíza Teles
creator: Andrei Steveen Moreno Rodríguez
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-09-18
publication date: 2025-09-18
doi: 10.1590/

The missing piece
type: item
description: Given that bodies labeled as feminine are underrepresented in various areas of society, including education, this study aimed to elucidate how textbooks from the 2024 National Textbook Program (PNLD) represent the homologous organs, clitoris and penis. To do so, seven textbook collections were analyzed in terms of the presence of three aspects: volume of discussion, visual representation, and written representation of these organs. The results highlight the underrepresentation of the clitoris compared to the penis across all analyzed collections, in both written and visual aspects. None of the collections presented the full structure of the clitoris in an explicit and identifiable manner. Additionally, there was a notable tendency to associate the penis with reproductive function and the clitoris with sexual pleasure, along with reinforcement of cisheteronormative perspectives. This discussion led us to recognize the need for a more comprehensive approach to the clitoris, aiming for a science education that embraces bodily, sexual, and gender diversities.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: Sexuality
  topic: keywords
subject: Sex/gender
  topic: keywords
subject: Sex Education
  topic: keywords
creator: Bruno Tavares
creator: Maria Eduarda de Melo Vieira
creator: Matheus D'avila Schmitt
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-06-04
publication date: 2025-06-04
doi: 10.1590/

Training of physics teachers in the state of Paraná: How does the topic “Active learning” constitute itself in the discourse of teachers?
type: item
description: Active Learning (AA) places the student at the center of teaching, with the teacher as a guide, promoting the critical construction of knowledge. Considered a pertinent proposal for physics classes, these methodologies require specific teacher training to be effective in the classroom. In 2021, the State Department of Education of Paraná (SEED/PR) offered a continuous training course in AA for teachers in the state network. This article is part of a doctoral thesis investigating the initial and continuing education of physics teachers in Paraná, using Mikhail Bakhtin's discursive analysis. The data show that in the teachers' discourse, the emerging valuations about AA are: I) Student responsible for carrying out activities and the smooth running of AA; II) AA contributes to student participation in the classroom; III) Time as an emerging need for planning and developing activities from the perspective of AA.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: Initial and continuing education
  topic: keywords
subject: Theme of the utterance
  topic: keywords
subject: Physics teaching
  topic: keywords
creator: Nathalie Akie Omachi
creator: Carla Hernández Silva
creator: Marcia Borin da Cunha
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
doi: 10.1590/

THE ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS IN RESEARCH ETHICS
type: item
description: Editorial que discute o papel das revistas científicas com a integridade da pesquisa, em especial, os aspectos éticos da pesquisa com seres humanos.
subject: EDITORIAL / EDITORIAL
  topic: section
subject: ethics
  topic: keywords
subject: research
  topic: keywords
subject: journal
  topic: keywords
creator: Luciana Massi
creator: Rosana Louro Ferreira da Silva
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2024-11-06
publication date: 2024-11-06
doi: 10.1590/1983-21172022240198

BLURRING BETWEEN FICTION AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN SCIENCE FICTION FILMS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
type: item
description: In the literature, we find papers that enhance the possibility of science fiction films influence public's understanding of science, blurring the boundaries between scientific knowledge and fiction. In this essay, we propose to debate the blurring process as being composed of a combination of elements, ranging from filmic textual aspects and the cinematographic device, passing through the mediation and reception of media, namely: the attributes of the cinematographic image; the use of the language of science; the characteristics of science fiction narratives, especially the novum and the sense of the wonder; the readdressing of science fiction films and the subjectivity of audience reception. Such an understanding gives us a theoretical tool that, basing on a holistic approach of reception studies, allows for greater nuances in mapping the potentialities and limitations of science fiction films in teaching Natural Sciences.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: movies
  topic: keywords
subject: science fiction
  topic: keywords
subject: readdressing
  topic: keywords
creator: Rodrigo Mello
creator: Luiz Augusto Coimbra de Rezende Filho
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-01-15
publication date: 2025-01-15
doi: 10.1590/

Mobilization and articulation of the personal PCK and the enacted PCK of a pre-service teacher
type: item
description: We investigated the mobilization and articulation of the personal PCK (pPCK) and enacted PCK (ePCK) of a pre-service teacher when planning and conducting a teaching sequence for the first time on a chemical content topic involving argumentation. We analyzed data from planning meetings, recordings of meetings with students, questionnaires and interviews. In a case study, we identified the mobilization of pPCK and ePCK and the articulation between them. We concluded that: pre-service teacher adopted argumentation as a teaching orientation, amplifying its actions in the teaching-learning processes and the articulation between pPCK-ePCK; that pPCK initially had a theoretical-practical character; and, that teaching experience favored the expansion of pPCK. We highlight the link between pPCK and ePCK, the contribution of teaching experiences and reflective processes to the formation of pPCK and the action of argumentation as a filter and amplifier in regular teaching processes.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: pPCK
  topic: keywords
subject: ePCK
  topic: keywords
subject: Pre-service-teacher
  topic: keywords
subject: RCM
  topic: keywords
subject: Argumentation
  topic: keywords
creator: Roberta Rochelle Souza Andre
creator: Juliana Vieira Ferreira Ribeiro
creator: Stefannie Ibraim
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-11-07
publication date: 2025-11-07
doi: 10.1590/

INFLUENCE OF AUTHOR GENDER AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT ON THE REPRESENTATION OF SCIENTISTS IN SCIENCE AND BIOLOGY TEXTBOOKS OF THE BRAZILIAN NATIONAL TEXTBOOK PROGRAM
type: item
description: This study examines the representation of female scientists in science, biology, and nature science textbooks published by the brazilian National Textbook Program between 1991 and 2024. The research aims to elucidate whether there are differences in how male and female authors present scientists in their texts; to investigate how the portrayal of female scientists has evolved over time; and to explore the manifestations of these changes. The methodology involved the selection of textbooks, content analysis to identify and compile relevant texts, and both statistical and lexicographic analyses. A total of 90 textbooks were examined. The analysis revealed that the total number of citations of scientists in a textbook is the primary factor influencing the inclusion of women, with no significant discrepancies between genders. The findings highlight the need for greater equity in the representation of scientists, aiming for a more inclusive and just narrative of the history of science.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: Textbook
  topic: keywords
subject: Education and gender
  topic: keywords
subject: Equity
  topic: keywords
creator: Maxwell Luiz Ponte
creator: Rosemary Rodrigues de Oliveira
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
doi: 10.1590/

ARTICLE-OPINION: FOUCAULDIANS SPECULATIONS ON A NEOSCIENCE UBUESQUE
type: item
description: This paper review aims to continue the discussion brought by the paper Foucauldian Speculations on a Neuroscience Ubuesque. Inspired by Isabelle Stengers (2023) on the importance of decelerating science, I discuss the partial research results’ publications, the relationship between science and the public, and some considerations about science education in a time of post-truth. So, I defend that individuals do not separate the learning of science from its implications. Then, the relationship between science and the public, considered responsible for the growth of negationism, is marked by value, context, and life history. Moreover, in dialogue with science education researchers, I argue that the time of post-truth challenges us to build pedagogical practices able to problematize the race, gender, class, and ambiental inequalities that we live on and produce actions that could create a sense of collective since there is no transformation without the social movements.
subject: PERSPECTIVAS / PERSPECTIVES
  topic: section
subject: Fake News
  topic: keywords
subject: Science education
  topic: keywords
subject: sociopolitical
  topic: keywords
creator: Andreia Guerra
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2024-11-06
publication date: 2024-11-06
doi: 10.1590/1983-21172022240197

THE STUDY ON PRODUCTIVE DISCIPLINARY ENGAGEMENT AND EPISTEMIC PRACTICES IN BIOLOGY TEACHING BASED ON SOCIOSCIENTIFIC ISSUES ABOUT DRUG USE
type: item
description: Este artigo apresenta um estudo sobre o engajamento disciplinar produtivo de estudantes do ensino médio durante atividades de caráter investigativo sobre o tema drogas realizadas em grupo e pautadas no debate sociocientífico. Ele também investiga a relação desse engajamento com as práticas epistêmicas. Por meio da observação participante e de registros audiovisuais, percebe-se nos episódios analisados, processos discursivos que evidenciam as práticas epistêmicas de produção, comunicação, avaliação e legitimação do conhecimento. Nota-se, ainda, um padrão de indicadores de engajamento (E3, EDP1 e EDP2), associado ao ensino de ciências sob a perspectiva da aprendizagem social. Estes resultados podem estimular futuras propostas de pesquisas acerca da relação entre questões sociocientíficas e a mobilização das práticas epistêmicas e engajamento dos estudantes em aulas de ciências.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: Questões sociocientíficas
  topic: keywords
subject: Práticas epistêmicas
  topic: keywords
subject: Engajamento disciplinar produtivo
  topic: keywords
creator: Sarah Eliane de Matos Silva
creator: Fábio Augusto Rodrigues e Silva
creator: Juliana Carvalho Tavares
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-04-29
publication date: 2025-04-29
doi: 10.1590/

ARTICLE-OPINION: THE ROLE OF THE PROBLEM IN SOCIO-SCIENTIFIC ISSUES AND IN THE DISCURSIVE DYNAMICS OF THE CLASSROOM
type: item
description: I present the evaluation of the article “The Role of the Problem in Socioscientific Issues and the Discursive Dynamics of the Classroom,” focusing on the approach to Socioscientific Issues (SSI). The text is organized into three main sections: initially, I discuss the theoretical assumptions that guided the article's evaluation, highlighting the importance of articulating different perspectives for understanding and resolving socioscientific problems. Next, I analyze the complex and controversial nature of SSIs and how conflicts of values and ethical dilemmas are crucial in conceptualizing these issues as socioscientific. Finally, I explore some emerging perspectives for research in the field of Science Education, emphasizing the importance of a more in-depth analysis of discursive dynamics in the classroom. I also stress the need to value social and cultural interactions and adopt a holistic perspective that considers the interdependence and mutual influence between micro and macro contexts in teaching and learning processes. In this regard, I highlight that the evaluation process was significantly enriching and fostered important debates in our field.
subject: PERSPECTIVAS / PERSPECTIVES
  topic: section
subject: Socio-scientific issues
  topic: keywords
subject: scientific controversies
  topic: keywords
creator: Ana Carolina Gomes Miranda
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-01-15
publication date: 2025-01-15
doi: 10.1590/

Investigations into the use of the STEAM approach in school practice: state of knowledge between 2017 and 2022
type: item
description: This study aimed to analyze scientific articles and dissertations on STEAM practices carried out with elementary school students from Brazilian and foreign schools. This is a bibliographical research of the literature review type on the topic of STEAM in Elementary Education, of a qualitative and exploratory nature. For data collection, the search platforms Google Scholar, Periódicos Capes, SciELO, SciencDirect and Scopus were used, with a time frame from 2017 to 2022, using the following descriptors: “STEAM and Elementary Education” and “STEAM and Elementary School”. From the universe researched, 45 scientific productions were selected and analyzed. To analyze the data, we chose to make a tabulation, focusing on the content analysis of Bardin (2016). We consider that this article presents relevant data for researchers who aim to address the STEAM theme regarding Elementary Education in their future research by outlining the current state of knowledge about STEAM practices at this stage of education.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: STEAM approach; Elementary School; State of knowledge.
  topic: keywords
creator: Mayara Rossi
creator: Rodrigo Claudino Diogo
creator: Geison Jader Mello
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
doi: 10.1590/

Scientific and Technological Literacy as Social Transformation: a reflection for its promotion in science teaching using Social Technology
type: item
description: O objetivo que direciona este trabalho é o de refletir teoricamente sobre a promoção de uma Alfabetização Científica e Tecnológica (ACT) como transformação social, no contexto de sala de aula, a partir de uma Tecnologia Social (TS). Nessa perspectiva, revisitamos os conceitos previamente estabelecidos na literatura sobre a ACT e transformação social e apresentamos proposições de um referencial teórico para o contexto escolar. Na perspectiva da ACT escolar, apontamos algumas considerações para se desenvolver a transformação social, entre elas: o ensino de Ciências como prática social, a inserção da TS como um modelo social e didático a ser estudado, a intencionalidade do professor em desenvolver a ACT escolar e a argumentação como prática epistêmica para a identificação da ACT como transformação social
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: Alfabetização Científica e Tecnológica
  topic: keywords
subject: transformação Social
  topic: keywords
subject: Intencionalidade do Professor
  topic: keywords
subject: Tecnologia Social
  topic: keywords
subject: Argumentação
  topic: keywords
creator: Geraldo Wellington Rocha Fernandes
creator: Iury Henrique Fernandes
creator: Danilo Lopes Santos
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2024-11-06
publication date: 2024-11-06
doi: 10.1590/1983-21172022240195

SOCIAL EPISTEMOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC MISINFORMATION: PERSPECTIVES FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION
type: item
description: This work aims to contribute to the production of knowledge in the field of ​​Science Education concerning the presentation of a theoretical-conceptual proposal, materialized as a set of concepts and criteria to analyze the reliability and credibility of supposedly scientific claims disseminated in the Internet and social media. The theoretical foundation of the proposal has as its main assumption that, in the current context of post-truth media, we are all epistemologically dependent on each other. The theoretical support that underlies the proposal is based on works in Social Epistemology, mainly those of John Hardwig, Elisabeth Anderson, Helen Longino and Alvin Goldman, and its developments in the field of ​​Science Education by Stephen Norris and Douglas Allchin.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: Epistemologia Social
  topic: keywords
subject: Desinformação Científica
  topic: keywords
subject: Educação em Ciências
  topic: keywords
creator: Aldo Aoyagui Gomes Pereira
creator: Silvia Fernanda de Mendonça Figueirôa
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-03-11
publication date: 2025-03-11
doi: 10.1590/

METACOGNITIVE EXPERIENCES IN THE TRAINING OF FUTURE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS
type: item
description: In this study, we investigated the metacognitive experiences of chemistry education students during a Teaching Practice and Supervised Internship course, designed based on the assumptions of the Guided Reflection Process. We analyzed the students' manifestations regarding the planning, execution, and self-assessment of microteaching sessions, guided by a questionnaire and an interview. From the collected data, we identified central terms related to metacognitive experiences, as manifested in the students' responses. We employed discursive textual analysis and mapping of metacognitive experiences in organizing and analyzing the information. Furthermore, we found manifestations related to categories such as feelings, subjects, contexts, task specificities, estimations, and judgments of memories. We observed that metacognitive experiences activated the students' metacognitive skills, supported by their knowledge of teaching. Following self-assessment, there was a reorganization of ideas, allowing for new inferences about their experiences. These results underscore the importance of metacognitive reflection in the professional development of chemistry education students.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: aprendizagem docente
  topic: keywords
subject: estágio supervisionado
  topic: keywords
subject: metacognição
  topic: keywords
subject: química
  topic: keywords
creator: Juliana Marciotto Jacob
creator: Isadora Polvani Barbosa
creator: Fabiele Cristiane Dias Broietti
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-04-29
publication date: 2025-04-29
doi: 10.1590/

POPULAR SONGS IN TEACHING GENETICS AND EVOLUTION: BREAKING STEREOTYPES AND SCIENTIFIC RACISM
type: item
description: This article presents a literature review on the importance of biocultural memory for Science Teaching and a suggestion for teaching genetics and evolution through the interpretation of popular songs. The objective is to discuss Biocultural Memory and ways to contextualize the teaching of Genetics and Evolution to destroy prejudices and stereotypes spread in the Brazilian imagination in relation to black race. It is hoped that readers recognize the way in which Eurocentric culture dominates the curriculum and teaching materials, belittling Afro-Brazilian memory, knowledge, culture and traditions. Using Bardin's content analysis technique, the lyrics of some songs were analyzed to illustrate the way in which the body and black culture are stigmatized. The article instigates the development of criticism in relation to the racist and stereotypical content of certain content contained in popular music, which directly or indirectly reinforces structural racism in the Brazilian imagination.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: Ensino de Genética
  topic: keywords
subject: Memória Biocultural
  topic: keywords
subject: Racismo
  topic: keywords
subject: Questões Sociocientificas
  topic: keywords
subject: memórias
  topic: keywords
subject: Músicas Populares.
  topic: keywords
creator: Joana Lúcia Alexandre de Freitas
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2024-11-06
publication date: 2024-11-06
doi: 10.1590/1983-21172022240189

ADHERENCE AND PERMANENCE AS A PHYSICS TEACHER: A VIEW FROM THE TEACHING PORTRAITS PERSPECTIVE
type: item
description: This paper presents a teacher portrait of a Physics graduate who has embraced teaching and continues to perform her activities in a public school in Porto Alegre. The goal of the study is to seek elements in the plurality of her individuality (her wealth of dispositions) that allow redefining the way her experiences affect her permanence in teaching. The study is grounded in sociology on an individual scale, with specifications to Science Education. The methodology consists of constructing a teacher portrait from interviews. The results show that, for the particular case studied, the participant exhibited important dispositions for her permanence in teaching at a public school, namely: disposition to recognition, disposition to affectivity, and disposition to introspection.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: Retratos Sociológicos
  topic: keywords
subject: Retratos da Docência
  topic: keywords
subject: Permanência na docência
  topic: keywords
creator: Luiz Felipe de Moura Rosa
creator: Alexsandro Pereira de Pereira
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-03-11
publication date: 2025-03-11
doi: 10.1590/

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MOTIVATION TO LEARN SCIENCE: A REVIEW OF NATIONAL LITERATURE
type: item
description: The aim of this work is the analysis of the national scientific production, published between 2010 and 2020, related to the study of the motivation of high school students for the learning of science. A search was carried out in the Capes and Scielo journal portals, resulting in the selection of 28 articles of theoretical and empirical studies, divided into 4 categories of analysis: self-report studies (n=5); theoretical study (n=1); self-report studies with measurement scales (n=9); and teaching methods as a motivational strategy (n=13). The main analyses indicate that Brazilian students are mainly extrinsically motivated, that 57.1% of the studies are based on some theory of motivation, and that researchers have used reliable instruments to assess the motivational quality of students. It can be concluded that the research on this topic has made progress and that different instruments have been used to quantify the motivation of the students to learn science.
subject: THEORETICAL ARTICLE
  topic: section
subject: Motivação
  topic: keywords
subject: Aprendizagem de Ciências
  topic: keywords
subject: Ensino Médio
  topic: keywords
creator: Ayla Márcia Cordeiro Bizerra
creator: Jesus Angel Meneses Villagrá
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-01-15
publication date: 2025-01-15
doi: 10.1590/

Conception of inclusion in research in science teaching with students on the autistic spectrum
type: item
description: We seek to understand how national and international research presents the inclusion of autistic people in science classes. Our objective was a bibliographical investigation in the area from the diagnostic elaboration of autism from 1943 to the year 2022. Based on the assumptions of the Historical-Cultural Theory, we analyzed the 19 articles (eight national and 11 international) in identifying limits and contributions of the productions. We noticed that, for the most part, pedagogical intervention research took place in Specialized Educational Service rooms without the relationship with peers in the regular classroom. Many of them as stagnant pedagogical actions without an articulated and continued proposal in school projects. We identified few justifications regarding the teaching of science knowledge in contributions to overcoming explicit interruptions – the difficulty of people with autism in relation to communication and social bonds.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: Autism
  topic: keywords
subject: Deficiency
  topic: keywords
subject: Inclusion
  topic: keywords
creator: Joanna Paoli
creator: Patrícia Fernandes Lootens Machado
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2024-11-06
publication date: 2024-11-06
doi: 10.1590/1983-21172022240194

LO SUBJETIVO Y LO OPERACIONAL EM LA SUPERACIÓN DE LAS DIFICULTADES DE APRENDIZAJE EM BIOLOGÍA
type: item
description: We present a summary of results of an investigation into overcoming difficulties in learning biology, based on the theory of subjectivity, from a cultural-historical perspective. We investigated the action’s subjective configuration of learning biology of three high school students and how they produced or mobilized specific operational, relational and subjective resources to learn the content, aiming to overcome learning difficulties. Based on qualitative epistemology and through the constructive-interpretive method, we carried out field research in which we used self-assessment questions, sentence completion, conversational dynamics, informal conversations, observations and document analysis. We developed workshops, aiming to contribute to overcoming the participants' difficulties in learning biology. The results highlighted the operational and subjective dimensions of the students' biology learning difficulties, as well as the processes of subjective and operational changes that favored overcoming these difficulties.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: Overcoming biology-learning difficulties
  topic: keywords
subject: Subjective dimension of learning
  topic: keywords
subject: Operational dimension of learning
  topic: keywords
creator: Hanna Patrícia Silva Bezerra
creator: José Moysés Alves
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2025-05-06
publication date: 2025-05-06
doi: 10.1590/

The Curriculum Guidelines for Environmental Education in Curitiba from a ecophenomenological perspective
type: item
description: Este texto apresenta os resultados de um estudo que analisou as Diretrizes Curriculares Municipais de Educação Ambiental (DCMEA) da Secretaria Municipal da Educação de Curitiba, objetivando investigar se o documento preconiza a dimensão do sensível e as experiências estéticas na educação ambiental. Esta investigação se instala no campo dos estudos qualitativos, à luz da ecofenomenologia, tendo como foco a pesquisa documental nas DCMEA e entrevistas semiestruturadas com quatro profissionais envolvidos na escrita deste documento. Os resultados apontam que o documento contempla a sensibilidade e avança na superação de dualismos cartesianos. Contudo, há lacunas concernentes à viabilização de experiências sensibilizantes do educar para a atenção, do desenvolver outras formas de interrogar a organização social, as relações culturais e seus processos históricos encarnados na vida e nas relações.
subject: RESEARCH REPORTS
  topic: section
subject: epistemologias ecológicas
  topic: keywords
subject: dimensão estética
  topic: keywords
subject: ecofenomenologia
  topic: keywords
creator: Rosimeri Becher
creator: Valéria Ghisloti Iared
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Ensaio Research in Science Education
date: 2024-11-06
publication date: 2024-11-06
doi: 10.1590/1983-21172022240188