Abstract

LIMA, Mikeas Silva de  and  WEBER, Karen Cacilda. Determination of scientific literacy levels from investigative cases involving socio-scientific issues. Educ. quím [online]. 2019, vol.30, n.1, pp.69-79.  Epub Oct 14, 2019. ISSN 0187-893X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fq.18708404e.2019.1.63305.

Scientific Literacy is the ability to get involved with the issues related to science and the science itself, as a reflective citizen. There is a concern about scientific literacy levels of students and the general population, and the literature displays difficulties and shortage of studies that perform this type of approach. This study aimed to present the scientific literacy levels of a high school graduating class from the reading, writing and argumentation used in solving investigative cases. Thus, two investigative cases were created with the issues Diabetes Mellitus and Repellents, and applied in two classes of a Brazilian high school, for 60 students. For the analysis of the results, five scientific literacy indicators (perception of science and technology in daily life, working with scientific information, problem solving, scientific language and argumentation) were defined and four levels of scientific literacy were attributed to each of them. From the analysis of the oral presentation and texts produced by the students in solving the cases, we concluded that the majority of students analyzed are ending high school with inadequate levels of scientific literacy, besides having great difficulties in decision making, arguing and perceiving science in their daily lives.

Keywords : scientific literacy; investigative cases; science education; argumentation.

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