Educação científica para formação humana e desenvolvimento da ciência: perspectivas e percepções de pesquisadores

Abstract

Among the fundamental aspects for the progress of a country, the formation of the scientific spirit and the cultivation of letters and the arts stand out. José Leite Lopes, Brazilian physicist, expressed science as one of the noblest activities of the human spirit and emphasizes its moral character in the pursuit of productions that distance itself from personal interests. Scientific knowledge refers to constructions on social and historical reality. These productions, susceptible to transformation, however, can refer to judgments and obtain a life-or-death decision. Thus, access to concepts and languages relevant to the scientific field and its construction processes represent human rights. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to science. A dissemination and incorporation of science as a cultural entity can contribute to the construction of new technologies and knowledge,permeating these rights. However, it is pointed out that it incorporates concerns to the approach of such aspects in science education, which impact human formation and the development of science in the country. At this juncture, Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica defend different scientific education processes, based on principles different from those that are driving the teaching standardization movement. They defend the valorization of the individual, his right to self-determination and his potential for a full life, including his civic responsibility and respect for others. Within the scope of these notes, the objective of this research is to discuss assumptions and implications of scientific education with an emphasis on curiosity and creativity for cultural and scientific formation in the country. As specific objectives, the following stand out: to outline aspects of science education with an emphasis on curiosity and creativity and to relate to the formation ofsubjects and researchers and to scientific development; to analyze the perspectives and perceptions of researchers about science education and its formative implications and for the development of science in the country. For this, a phenomenological research was carried out, with the constitution of the data associated with semi-structured interviews with four researchers. The constituted data were submitted to Phenomenological Analysis procedures, contemplating the dimensions: ideographic and nomothetic. Regarding the results, perceptions about the interrelationship between science and culture and the correlations between the construction of scientific knowledge and economic, social, cultural, and human development are evident. Regarding perceptions about science education, the students’ particularities, curiosity, and creativity are highlighted.