Teacher Education and the development of Critical Thinking in the face of Fake Science SCIENCE

Abstract

Starting from the contemporary scenario marked by the circulation of false information with a scientific appearance, here referred to as Fake Science, it is argued that teacher education should prioritize the development of critical thinking and of analytical, argumentative, and reflective competencies capable of sustaining scientific discernment. This article aimed to analyze how formative processes, mediated by the examination of information that presents an appearance of scientific legitimacy, contribute to the development of critical thinking among teachers in Science Education. This field study was conducted with 22 teachers from the municipal school system of Toledo, Paraná, Brazil, through a formative intervention consisting of six meetings. The findings indicate that the phenomenon of Fake Science goes beyond a merely informational dimension, assuming a discursive and social character, as it challenges not only teaching and teacher education but also the very ways of understanding and legitimizing scientific knowledge. In this context, critical thinking emerges as a dialogical and reflective process of meaning-making, grounded in rational analysis, argumentative judgment, and the articulation between information, context, and discursive intentionality. In Latin American contexts, addressing this challenge becomes even more complex due to structural inequalities, institutional constraints, and the political and ideological tensions that permeate educational systems.