Livro Didático e o ensino de Ciências: a integração das Tecnologias Digitais nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental

Abstract

This study examined how digital technologies have been incorporated into science education in early elementary school years in Cascavel, Paraná. The study examined scientific literature, the content of the adopted science textbook for grades four and five, and the perceptions of educational administrators to identify possible convergences and divergences between these dimensions. Using a qualitative approach, this investigation combined bibliographic research, a review of the literature, documentary analysis of legislation and textbooks, and semi-structured interviews with two municipal administrators. The data were interpreted using content analysis, in dialogue with the epistemology of Álvaro Vieira Pinto, and integrated through triangulation methods. The results showed that references to digital technologies in documents and textbooks are mostly complementary. The interviews revealed significant investments as well as challenges concerning teacher training in science and pedagogical monitoring. Therefore, it can be concluded that integrating digital technologies into science education is a multifaceted process influenced by pedagogical mediations, structural and training conditions related to teaching, infrastructure and school organization, access conditions, repertoires, and the learning needs of early elementary school students. The challenges involved extend beyond equipment availability to encompass conceptual dimensions, revealing advances and weaknesses and pointing to the need for further studies on the pedagogical use of digital technologies in science education during the early elementary years.