Fake news e o ensino de ciências: uma análise da produção acadêmica e dos desafios ao pensamento crítico

Abstract

The present study analyzes the implications of fake news in Science Education, considering the growth of misinformation in the digital age and its impacts on students’ critical development. It is justified by the urgent need to understand how false information, especially regarding scientific topics, interferes with learning, the development of critical thinking, and the credibility of science within the school environment. The central objective was to analyze academic production related to fake news in Science Education between 2020 and 2025, investigating conceptual understandings and impacts on educational practices. The qualitative research employed bibliographic and descriptive procedures, examining 22 studies selected from databases such as Google Scholar, CAPES, and SciELO. The content analysis, conducted according to Bardin (2004), allowed the studies to be organized into three categories, referred to as dimensions: epistemological, sociocultural, and formativeinvestigative. Within the epistemological dimension, the results show that fake news undermines students’ ability to distinguish scientific evidence from opinions, weakens their understanding of the nature of science, and fosters pseudoscientific beliefs. In the sociocultural dimension, it was observed that the accelerated circulation of false information on digital networks increases polarization and encourages distorted interpretations of science, health, and the environment. In the formative-investigative dimension, the studies highlight the need to strengthen scientific and media literacy, promoting teaching practices that develop critical analysis, argumentation, and source evaluation. The study concludes that addressing fake news in Science Education requires not only curricular revision but also the strengthening of scientific education as a tool for intellectual emancipation, fostering a more critical and informed formation aligned with the demands of contemporary society.