Conceptions by students of elementary school II about some scientists

Abstract

Science Teaching is important to avoid existing distortions in students' scientific vision, regarding the establishment of concepts based on previous knowledge. Analyzing students about their relationship with some of the great personalities is important for contextualizing new scientific discoveries. In this research, questionnaires and interviews were administered to 184 elementary school II students. Some names were easily recognized by the students, however, there are still researchers with little visibility. It was possible to verify that even though Santos Dumont is remembered as a Brazilian scientist, there are students who did not recognize his portrait. In this context, a great influence of digital media on students' prior knowledge about scientific personalities was identified, and a lesser relationship with textbooks and the contents described in the classroom. The work demonstrated that a greater focus on teaching History and Philosophy of Science and Scientific Dissemination is necessary, relating these methodologies in the school environment so that scientists and philosophers can be better described by their contributions to scientific development. The use of the STEAM methodology presented itself as an efficient tool to promote scientific dissemination to the students who participated in the project.