O papel dos museus e centros de ciências na divulgação científica: um estudo no estado do Paraná

Abstract

Zoos, botanical gardens, planetariums, aquariums, natural history museums and other places are characterized as museums and science centers. Museums and science centers are essential to the science popularization, the justification is given to the fact that in our country, science represents a little part of our culture. In this scenario, this paper discusses elements of science communication and scientific culture, especially of sciences teaching in non-formal fields. More specifically, we investigated sixteen museums and science centers located at Paraná state and listed in the Guia de Centros e Museus de Ciências do Brasil. Through field observations and interviews with its coordinators, subjected to content analysis, we aimed to understand the possibilities and limitations of these space´s impact over the sciences teaching, in other words, the interaction possibilities between these places and formal education places. So, the data registration occured by audio and also video, photo, document analysis and logbook. From the observations and interviews, was constructed a profile of these places and their activities aimed to the science popularization, as well as the impact of these on sciences teaching, in other words, the interaction possibilities between these centers and museums of sciences and technology and formal education places, such as schools and universities. Therefore, this research deals with the the science divulgation in one of the most important segments of the social constitution, the education. Teaching, is a starting point when forming the potential divulgator, and it is arrival point as ultimate instance, in which scientific knowledge is incorporated into the scientific culture. We decided that in the sample located at Paraná state, museums and science centers assumed functions as science divulgators, research institutions, "appendices" from schools and universities, interactive places, places of academic and cultural formation. Museums and science centers are potencial formation places, places for information and scientific updating, teaching places for school and adult audiences, places where equipments and teaching materials are developed. They are extracurricular institutions charged of science diffusion and responsable for helping in the skilled people formation to the science culture. We believe that museums and science centers contribute to the science teaching and, therefore, represent essential element in the scientific culture formation of the population with which it interacts