Controversial themes in science, technology and society: training and teacher competence

• Autor(a) principal: Vestena, Rosemar de Fátima
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Boer, Noemi, Scherer, Nádia Maria Bohrer
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.34624/id.v8i1.10969

This article presents the results of a research involving basic education teachers from the municipality of Palma Nova, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The study aimed to identify which, among the controversial topics (CT) related to Science, Technology and Society (CTS), the teachers have shown greater competence to work with in the classroom. This study, following a qualitative research approach, investigated 89 basic education teachers with diversified training profiles, employment experience and career paths. Data was collected within a continuous education context by means of a questionnaire with direct and essay-like questions, during the first semester of 2014. Results from the direct questions were represented in graphs and compared to the existing literature, while the results from the essay-like questions were analyzed by means of content analysis following Bardin’s perspective (2004). It was concluded that teachers showed greater competence in the in-class approach of the following controversial topics: socio-environmental issues (water, global warming, pollution, species and transgenic extinction) and social-scientific issues (assisted reproduction, cloning and dubious paternity). To enhance their knowledge of controversial topics, teachers prioritized the use of textbooks and websites. Therefore, it is possible to infer that teaching competences concerning the understanding of controversial topics does influence the school curriculum and the students’scientific training.