Contribuições de um curso de formação, na perspectiva do Ensino por Investigação, para (re)significação da prática de professores de Ciências dos anos finais do Ensino Fundamental do município da Serra/ES

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the contributions of a training course, from the perspective of inquiry-based teaching, for the (re)signification of the practice of science teachers in the final grades of elementary school in Serra, a city in Espírito Santo. The research was carried out with 18 teachers who participated in a training course on inquiry-based teaching, which happened through a partnership between the Municipal Education Department of Serra/ES and the Science Education Laboratory (known in Portuguese as LABEC) of the Federal University of Espírito Santo. Qualitative research was carried out and the data were obtained through experience reports produced in the context of the training course as well as through an online questionnaire applied later to teachers who participated in the course. During the data analysis, we used the perspectives of activity theory, which enabled a greater understanding of the phenomenon under study. In the results, we identified that the (re)signification of the teachers' practice was challenged by tensions and contradictions, some of them related to difficulties in understanding the investigative approach, while others, to the working conditions of teachers. Some teachers developed, in science classes, practices close to the theory that was studied in the course. Some others, even not having developed investigative activities in their classes, were influenced by the course in relation to the need to rethink the organization of their classes, in order to allow a more active participation of students. Based on the results and reflections provided by this study, we identified some important elements to be considered in training proposals on inquiry-based teaching: to contribute to the reflection on the reasons why teachers carry out the teaching activity; to identify teachers' conceptions of science; to dialogue about practices and norms of scientific culture; to discuss the conditions experienced by teachers in their work; to study the theoretical and methodological foundations of inquiry-based teaching, focusing on the problematization stage.