Participatory action research and the development of the concept of science

Abstract

The supervised practice as a graduation process acknowledges the learning context originated from the collaborative work and the participatory action research (PAP) is able to enhance the teaching, learning, and scientific literacy. The research aims to attend two main goals, the application of the practical internship project in schools and, concurrently, the teaching of classes in the basic education system. Its purpose is to identify the common reasons provided by the students in relation to what is science, who does it, and where is it produced and to verify how can the subject go beyond the description of phenomena by elaboration process of scientific concepts and the development of social knowledge. PAP gathered 144 seventh grade students of Elementary School. The scientific literacy was developed in three steps: 1.introduction of PAP's body of teachers and counselors in practice and the observation of students; 2.incitement of the students regarding the topic; 3.conceptual discussion, debates, and ideas shared. Guided by four open questions, the written work was analyzed and interpreted in order to contextualize and comprehend the answers collected. Therefore, it became clear that the conceptual experiences were redeemed from meanings originated in a social context of common view. The science classes should overcome the contemplative actions and bring reflection as a strategy, allowing the class to think about the world in a scientific matter.