Scientific Practices in Science Education Publications: An Analysis of Research Contexts

Abstract

Scientific Practices play a central role in the Next Generation Science Standards, influencing the standards of more than 70% of students in the United States. Therefore, a view of what has been studied about Scientific Practices in Science Education, globally in the last decade is relevant. Thus, 44 articles from international journals in Science Education in the last decade (2010-2019) were analyzed. This review focuses on the specific research contexts of these articles. The research objectives were: I) To identify in which contexts the authors carried out research involving Scientific Practices and II) To critically discuss the research contexts of Scientific Practices and find research gaps. For this, a systematic literature review was conducted, guided by Bardin's Content Analysis (2011) and the guide to a systematic review by Okoli (2015). Regarding the contexts, six categories were identified: Scientific Practices and teaching proposals (C1); Scientific Practices and distinct theoretical frameworks (C2); Scientific Practices and students (C3); Scientific Practices and assessments (C4); Scientific Practices and teachers (C5); and Scientific Practices and the curriculum (C6). There was a predominant trend to relate Scientific Practices and teaching proposals (38.6%) and Scientific Practices and different theoretical frameworks (22.7%), totaling more than 61% of the analyzed articles. Research gaps have been identified, such as the need for further research on the relationship between Scientific Practices and students (learning) and Scientific Practices and teachers (teaching). Research in this regard can help to clarify: How have students engaged in Scientific Practices? How can teaching be organized to promote Scientific Practices? And what are the relationships between Scientific Practices, school subjects and specific content? The findings of the study revealed that a greater diversity of research contexts is necessary to fully understand the connections between Scientific Practices and the many dimensions involved in Science Education. It was found that there is a need for more research that addresses Scientific Practices as its main focus, considering the importance the concept is given in guiding documents.