The influence of neuroscience on the assessment of the quality of scientific explanations by teachers in basic education

• Grant number: 24/16216-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Eduardo Padovan Neto
• Grantee: Mariana de Almeida Cirelli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the impact of neuroscientific information on teachers' satisfaction with scientific explanations, even if the neuroscientific content presented is irrelevant to their logic. The project employs a cross-sectional design and quantitative methodology as described in the literature. The study will be conducted across five distinct groups: (i) teachers with no prior exposure to neuroscience, (ii) teachers with prior exposure to neuroscience, (iii) the general population with no prior exposure to neuroscience, (iv) the general population with prior exposure to neuroscience, and (v) individuals with expertise in neuroscience. Participants will be exposed to descriptions of scientific phenomena and their respective explanations, which may be "good" or "bad" and may or may not include additional neuroscientific information. Statistical analyses will be performed to compare between groups (explanation: "good" or "bad" vs. neuroscience: with or without) using the JASP software. The expected results will contribute to a broader understanding of how neuroscientific information can affect teachers' and the general public's perception of the quality of scientific explanations. Additionally, this study aims to counter the superficial appeals to neuroscience that are currently popular and potentially convincing in media such as social networks and news portals.