Sequência didática investigativa sobre tatuagens: possibilidade para alfabetização científica no ensino de Química

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the possibilities of inquiry-based teaching to promote students' scientific literacy in high school chemistry classes. This teaching is defined as a didactic approach that aims at the active participation of students, so that they can learn to think, speak, read and write about science in the classroom. The research is qualitative in terms of the approach to data analysis. The methodological procedures involved: the elaboration of an investigative didactic sequence, its development in chemistry classes, and the analysis of data based on analytical categories, which refer to scientific literacy indicators. The theme of the sequence focused on the discussion about the problem of tattoos associated with chemical knowledge, its consequences in the current social context, and as a theme that allows young people and adolescents to be engaged in classes. The sequence included four moments. In the first one, a problem-situation on the topic of tattoos was presented, with the aim of students developing hypotheses to solve it. In the second, there was a debate through the exhibition of two videos and reading of two texts. The first video dealt with basic techniques on applying tattoos, and the second brought information about the chemical constitution of tattoos. Then, the students read the texts that address the same topic as the second video. In the third moment, a dialogic expository class was held to discuss the chemical functional groups present in chemical substances used in the pigmentation of tattoos. Soon after, there was an investigative experiment to introduce the concepts of density and polarity of substances. Finally, at the last moment, the contributions of the students were presented through seminars, and the resumption of the resolution of the problem situation. The results show that ten scientific literacy indicators emerged from the analysis of data from the students' productions, at each moment of the sequence. In summary, it is concluded that teaching by investigation contributed to evidence of scientific literacy of students, the presence of more elaborate chemical concepts in the response to the problem situation about tattoos, when compared to the initial response, and the opportunity to read, speak and write about chemistry. This study collaborates with research in the area of science education, which investigates teaching by inquiry as a possibility to promote scientific literacy in chemistry classes.