Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa Crítica: Correlações com a Alfabetização Científica e os aspectos didáticos da ação docente no Ensino de Química

Abstract

Scientific Literacy (SL) has established itself as an educational obejctive focused on teaching conceptual, material, epistemic, and social knowledge related to science. Developing SL constitutes an educational commitment to fostering independent thinking and promoting responsible social participation—indispensable aspects in a society increasingly shaped by scientific and technological knowledge. Promoting SL is linked to the intentionality of teaching practices, through which strategies are employed to advance the goal of scientific literacy. In this context, Critical Meaningful Learning Theory (CMLT) presents a theoretical framework with the potential to guide teachers in developing didactic strategies that foster Critical Meaningful Learning (CML), contributing to the formation of thoughtful individuals capable of attributing meaning to knowledge and using it to solve problems, as well as critically engaging with reality. This research aimed to understand SL from the perspective of CMLT, investigating the relationships with the teaching strategies used in the classroom practices of Chemistry teachers at the Federal Institute of Paraná (IFPR). The research questions guiding the study were: (i) “How can CMLT be used as a theoretical and methodological framework for pedagogical practices aimed at promoting SL in the classroom?”; and (ii) “To what extent do the teaching strategies employed by Chemistry teachers at the IFPR align with the principles of SL and CMLT?”. This research is qualitative in nature and employs a multi-methodological approach structured in a Multipaper presentation format. Thus, each section comprising the thesis document is organized as a complete, publishable article, with its own methodology, albeit integrated into the research context. Six articles are presented, four of which are theoretical in nature and two of which take an exploratory approach. In the first three articles, we seek to understand the baselines of SL and CMLT and establish connections with teaching strategies in Chemistry education. In the fourth article, we examine how CMLT can serve as a theoretical and methodological framework for implementing CML and SL in the classroom context. In the final two articles, we explore the extent to which the teaching strategies employed by Chemistry teachers align with the principles of SL and CMLT. As a result, we argue that CMLT is a theoretical and methodological framework consistent with teaching aimed at critical thinking, and that the Facilitating Principles of CML align with the guidelines of critical thinking, contributing to the development of teaching strategies consistent with an educational approach aimed at fostering critical thinkers capable of applying scientific knowledge in different contexts. Teaching strategies employed by Chemistry teachers show partial and heterogeneous convergence with SL and CML. Although similarities can be observed in contextualization and dialogue, development of actions favoring conceptual and material mastery of knowledge prevails, to the detriment of the epistemic and social dimensions. We recognize the need to develop training processes that foster the formation of reflective and critical teachers, knowledgeable about educational theories and methodological frameworks consistent with teaching objectives.