Understanding of Hight School student about discovery: Discussions around the episode of radioactivity discovery in a Teaching-Learning Sequence

Abstract

From the perspective of scientific literacy, enabling the understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS) has been a purpose assumed in the research community, mobilizing a recurrent discussion on efficient curricula in order to provide students with the perception of relevant aspects of the construction and legitimation process of scientific conceptions. In this sense, the Contextual Approach is perceived as a promising proposal. Following this trend, this article presents an analysis on the discussions carried out by students at the Hight School, together with the teacher, about the discovery of radioactivity, during the development of a Teaching-Learning Sequence (TLS) structured according to Approach Contextual. The analysis seeks to highlight the different conceptions of students about the discovery in Science, which emerge throughout the interactions. The TLS was composed of nine classes, which were worked during six meetings. The discussion presented in this paper takes place on class 05, developed at the third meeting of the TLS. The video data were mapped creating the episodes, which were defined and transcribed according to the methodology presented by Mortimer, Massicame, Tiberghien and Buty. The observation of the episodes becomes possible to select those most representative of the evolution of students' ideas and submit them to the Discursive Textual Analysis (DTA). The analysis reveals three main categories related to the discovery concept: Visualization of the phenomenon, conceptual elaboration and collective construction. The commitment of the students with a linear and empiricist conception of science is verified. However, it is possible to perceive, throughout the class, the evolution of the conception of discovery, behind to the distancing of stereotypes about the Nature of Science. The discussion of student conceptions was developed with reference in Kuhn, Alfonso-Goldfarb, Mathews, Cobern, Loving and Niaz.