Conceptions of Culture in Learning Physics: From Educational Perspectives to Students Representations

Author(s)

Felipe Velasquez de Oliveira

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física (IF/SBI)
• Defense date: 2014-07-18

Examining board members

Ivã Gurgel; Maria Regina Dubeux Kawamura; Marcos Ferreira dos Santos

• Advisor: Ivã Gurgel

Abstract

This research aims to discuss the some of the ways of comprehending education in physics as cultural, from the point of view of educational research and from the point of view of students, based on an investigation of students\' understanding of cultural knowledge and how this knowledge can be related to physics and the physics classroom. In research in science education, investigations focused on Science, Science Education and Culture are still a minority, however there is a growing recognition of the importance of this kind of discussion, where the term culture has got several meanings. We can identify some possible branches of work with cultural subjects such as identity (Gurgel, 2014), bridge between art and culture (Zanetic, 2006; Piassi, 2007) and the matter of dialogue and cultural practices in the classroom (Tobin, 2011), and these works have different theoretical bases and practical procedures in the classroom. For the debate between how students understand cultural knowledge and the different ways of working with cultural perspectives in education, it is presented a discussion of a understanding of the concept of culture, from an analysis of discussions of the authors Willian Sewell (1999) and Terry Eagleton (2005). As a methodological basis for investigation of students\' understanding of culture, it is presented a discussion of cultural identity, social representations and the methodology of educational research COGEN (dialogue generated by the collective). The research conducted in a a school of the public basic education system, and its analysis, took place in two stages, using questionnaires and group interviews in the format of COGEN methodology and focal groups, where we identify peculiarities in the existence of distinct representations for culture, accessed independently for each subject of debate (classroom / school; Physics / Science), which allowed a discussion on the importance of taking into consideration how the students understand the concept of culture and attitudes in the classroom to the effectiveness of teaching science from a cultural perspective. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/16424-9 - The social representations of science and culture and its role in learning physics
• Grantee: Felipe Velasquez de Oliveira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master