O circuito da Ciência : possibilidades de alfabetização científica aos alunos do ensino fundamental

Abstract

Non-formal spaces of science help in achieving the progressive development of facts and scientific knowledge essential to students. In view of this, this research aimed to develop reflections on the educational experiences offered in the Science Circuit for the promotion of Scientific Literacy among Primary School students. It was also the intention of this study to report the manifestations of the subjects before the situations experienced during the visit to the Circuit of Science; to investigate the educational experiences that the Science Circuit provides for elementary school students; and to analyze, from specific indicators, the possible contributions of the Circuit Science Project in the Scientific Literacy of students. Thus, it was followed up in five editions in this INPA - National Institute of Amazon Research project. The data of this research were collected from three sources: through the observation of the project editions (recorded in the field diaries), a questionnaire applied to the Forest of Science coordinator and an interview with 20 (twenty) students from different state schools in Manaus participants of the event. The data obtained were analyzed according to the Discursive Textual Analysis which is a qualitative methodology with the purpose of elaborating new understandings about the phenomena, discourses and corresponds to an interpretation of hermeneutical character. This methodology is composed of three important steps: 1) unitarization, which is the thorough reading of the data, separating them into units of meaning; 2) categorization which is the process of grouping similar elements; and, 3) metatexts that are the emergence of new understandings. The constituent elements of the phenomenon of this research and the relationships that exist between them were described based on the analyzes not only of the personal understanding of the researcher but also of the expressions of the subjects participating in the research. The analysis of the data was preceded by the pattern comparison phase, articulating the empirical foundations with the predicted theoretical standards, including with other correlated research in order to go beyond simple description. The presence of the Scientific Literacy Indicators and their attributes were perceived at various times during the editions of the Science Circuit. The results of the analysis of the data show that the Science Circuit contributes not only to the expansion of scientific knowledge, but also to increase the ways of teaching and learning and creates situations that favor the student's cognitive development aiming at Literacy Scientific. KEYWORDS: Non-formal spaces. Circuit of Science. Forest of Science. Scientific Literacy. Discursive Textual Analysis.