Explanatory causal relationships in science education and its contribution to critical thinking

Abstract

The term causality is used in different disciplines of the sciences from Physics to Biology; where routine use is made of these concepts to infer causal relationships. It is clear that the sciences are the best place to go to understand causality, but in each one it has been approached differently. Therefore, we intend to reflect on the following question: What does it mean to use this term (causal relationships) in science education? And how do they contribute to critical thinking? To do this, epistemological approaches on causality from philosophy, psychology and natural sciences are presented; then its implications for science education are described and finally we present the notions of causal relationships and their contribution to critical thinking.