Dinâmica das concepções sobre a natureza da ciência de estudantes de graduação em Física

Abstract

We investigated the concepts on the nature of science on the part of Physics undergraduate students taking their course at Santa Maria Federal University, learners who were taking teaching management and those who would obtain a BS degree. To achieve our goal, we developed activities throughout a subject centered on Science History, mainly with the introduction of historical narratives done by science historians as well as using some other original sources. Concerning research tools, the questionnaire developed by Moreira, Massoni and Ostermann (2007) was applied at the beginning and end of the subject. Each student also elaborated three conceptual maps which helped to clarify students attempts in their search for concepts presented by learners. Results showed that some students changed their conceptions throughout the subject, showing evidences of development of conceptions considered more suitable about the nature of science, some others changed their ideas agreeing with views considered warped about the scientific work, and others kept the same. The conceptual maps had an important role on the research, because helped one notice that the behavior of concepts is not stable, but it varies throughout the semester, something that points out the importance of the planning of activities and constant follow up of the whole process during an intervention in History and Philosophy of Science.