The knowledge mobilized by high school students in formulating arguments about scientific and social-scientific issues

Author(s)

Rafael Gonçalves Pereira

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física (IF/SBI)
• Defense date: 2010-11-09

Examining board members

Silvia Luzia Frateschi Trivelato; Anna Maria Pessoa de Carvalho; Danusa Munford

• Advisor: Silvia Luzia Frateschi Trivelato

Abstract

In contemporary society, science proves important for people to criticize, argue, and position themselves. It is, therefore, important to understand the mechanisms of operation and production of this form of knowledge. Currently, science is recognized as a form of culture with its own values, language, practices, perceptions, theories and beliefs. In science education, several authors have used the idea of science learning as enculturation. This design provides for the development of multiple practices in the classroom in order to facilitate alignment of the students in this culture and foster the acquisition of new knowledge. Regarding the language of science, the argument plays a distinctive feature, and it has been shown by many researches that, in terms of the interface between argumentation and science teaching, there are few opportunities for students to develop their argument-building skills. With this background, this study examined the arguments raised by secondary education classes, in order to identify, among the knowledge mobilized by the students to construct their speeches, the relationship with scientific knowledge. We also sought to characterize such argumentsby analyzing whether they ratify the link between scientific culture and the scientific knowledge transmitted at school. . Our reference to analyze the data is the argument\'s layout as presented by Toulmin (2006) and, to analyze the knowledge mobilized by students, we used references that work with the epistemic dimension of science education, namely Jimenez-Aleixandre et al (1998, 2000). We analyzed two teaching sequences for data collection, out of which two specific classes were thoroughly analyzed. In the first class students were discussing a scientific problem and, in the second, a social-scientific one. Our data showed that when students discuss scientific issues, they refer to scientific knowledge on their speeches.. However when they discuss a social-scientific issue, they partially refer to scientific knowledge, resorting to other fields of knowledge as well. These observations corroborate the data discussed on our reference literature, however, further studies are required, as well as reflection on the characteristics of knowledge mobilized in scientific and social-scientific discussions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 08/02196-1 - Construction of arguments by high school students, in scientific and social-scientific matters
• Grantee: Rafael Gonçalves Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master