Percepção de ciência e tecnologia de futuros professores das séries iniciais do ensino fundamental: um estudo descritivo
Resumo
A functioning democracy requires citizen participation in questions of science and technology (S&T). The attitudes of beginning Pedagogy students towards S&T are relevant because as prospective teachers they will influence future generations of school children. Their attitudes will influence their actions in the classroom. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to examine the opinions and attitudes with regard to S&T of students beginning a Pedagogy course at a public federal university, in the interior of San Paulo state. Students began their studies in 2020 and 2021. Data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The perceptions of S&T by the public were analyzed in relation to existing research, including perceptions of pedagogy students. The group analyzed represented 74% of the beginning students. The data collected in the first semester of 2021 were obtained from a structured questionnaire. Based on previous research in public education undertaken in Brazil in 2015, a Likert scale was used. A socioeconomic survey was also undertaken. Students responded to the two questionnaires during synchronous sessions on the Google Meet platform. Descriptive statistical analyses were applied using the IMB Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The majority of the students were feminine (87% of the total). The students were between 17 and 24 years old. They belonged to classes C and D, had no classroom experience, and the majority had attended public schools. Positive visions of S&T were held by all groups. The research showed that the students were interested in themes in S&T, but did not consider themselves well informed about them. Students showed little participation in scientific-cultural activities. The students investigated use the internet, TV and newspapers to inform themselves about S&T. On the internet the students mainly used Instagram. Twitter and Facebook were also used. In addition, the study showed that they trust scientists, who are considered to be intelligent, but demonstrates the desire for greater citizen participation in decisions about questions of S&T. Considering topics in S&T, the study showed that the students trust universities, public research bodies, hospitals and museums. In addition, despite half of the students considering themselves religious, the great majority demonstrate low confidence in churches with regard to topics in S&T. The results obtained here contribute to the knowledge of perceptions of such teachers and, thus, may help in the formulation of better practices for such courses. The results of this study may also contribute to actions for the popularization of science and the formulation of public education policy.
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