Evidence of Students' Critical Thinking Development in Chemistry Classes

• Grant number: 24/21301-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Educational Teaching and Learning
• Principal Investigator: Lúcia Helena Sasseron Roberto
• Grantee: João Pedro Santos Coutinho Duarte
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Educação (FE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/11360-0 - A study on science teaching as a social practice and its potential for education of critical and participatory subjects, AP.R

Abstract

As described in this master's project, we intend to investigate the relationship between Science teaching and the development of critical thinking by students, by conducting qualitative research. To this end, we based our work on studies that reveal the importance of developing critical individuals who are able to analyze and verify news and facts in the current social context, in which the flow of correct and incorrect scientific information is immeasurable. Understanding Science classes as privileged environments for the development of critical thinking, we intend to analyze and highlight evidence of the development of critical thinking in texts written by 57 students in the 1st year of high school at a state school in São Paulo, in the context of Chemistry classes. In this way, we hope to obtain theoretical and empirical results that imply contributions both to science teaching, based on a deeper understanding of how the development of critical thinking can be evidenced and mobilized in classroom activities, and also to the area of research in Science Education, based on in-depth studies of productions in the area and their relationship with the development of critical thinking. It is worth mentioning that this master's project will be linked to the regular FAPESP project entitled "A study on Science teaching as a social practice and its potential for the formation of critical and participatory individuals", Process No. 2023/11360-0, coordinated by the advisor.