A temática vacinação na educação em Biologia: uma análise freireana da prática educativa

Abstract

This research investigated about vaccination in Biology Education context, whose focus was on the socio-scientific issue (SSI) due to its complexity, social controversies, and widespread dissemination in the media. The main objective of this study was to analyze knowledge of both Biology teachers’ and third-year high school students about vaccination, as well as to understand the social role of these actors in decision-making and critical positioning regarding individual and collective health. The specific objectives were: (1) to carry out a state-of-the-art review regarding vaccination in Science and Biology Education; (2) to bring teachers' knowledge closer to vaccination theme, according to Paulo Freire; (3) to analyze Biology teachers' understanding about scientific and technological concepts related to vaccination and the immune system; (4) to analyze social and pedagogical role of Biology teachers’ regarding vaccination and their teaching knowledge; and (5) to investigate students’ knowledge and perception about vaccines and their implications for health. Five teachers and 43 students from state schools on the coast of Paraná took part of this empirical research. The methodological approach employed bibliographic and empirical research involving interviews with teachers and students, respectively. The content analysis was used to obtain the responses, according to Bardin (2011). The results of the bibliographic research indicated an increase in research on vaccination during the pandemic, with a predominance of qualitative empirical studies focusing on scientific literacy, especially regarding Covid-19. The connection between Freirean teaching knowledge and vaccination theme has contributed to the investigation analysis and supported analytical categories framing for the teachers' interviews. This analysis has shown that the studied teachers have mobilized systematized knowledge about vaccination theme, but they still have some conceptual weaknesses and discourses based on common sense. Furthermore, the interviews revealed the emergence of ethical political, pedagogical-didactic, and humanistic knowledge, which associated teaching, research, example, and social commitment. The students' responses demonstrated several perceptions about vaccination, ranging from technical understandings to misconceptions, with evidence at different levels of scientific literacy. The results of this research pointed out to the need for teachers to adopt an investigative approach, delve deeper into scientific concepts related to vaccination and production processes, and critically integrate them into the school curriculum. This approach allows students to develop critical thinking, a solid understanding of the vaccination phenomenon, and skills for evidence-based decision-making, thereby strengthening ethical, social, and scientific training, which is essential for citizenship. At last, this research contributes to the understanding of vaccination as a relevant and underexplored area of knowledge, while it has also suggested some possibilities for reflective and investigative teaching practice, to promote a critical, contextualized and socially responsible science education based on the mobilization of teaching knowledge, required for educational practice of Biology teachers.