The Nature of Science and Initial Teacher Education: The State of Knoledge Based on the ENPEC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Abstract

This article presents the state of knowledge of research on the Nature of Science (NOS) in the initial education of teachers who teach Chemistry, Physics, and Biology, based on a review of the proceedings of the National Meeting of Research in Science Education (ENPEC). It is a qualitative study, of the bibliographic type, also referred to as state-of-knowledge research. The focus was on full papers published in 14 editions of ENPEC, held between 1997 and 2023, which addressed NOS within the context of preservice teacher education. The research corpus consisted of 32 papers. Data analysis was carried out through Bardin’s Content Analysis, and the results indicate that many teacher education programs still lack a more effective integration of reflections on NOS, which may create difficulties for future educators in promoting critical science education. In other words, this is still a topic that does not receive the necessary attention in teacher education programs for specific disciplines, particularly in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology degrees. It is worth noting, however, that most of the programs analyzed in the research disseminated at ENPEC include at least one course in their curricula related to the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science, although greater integration of this topic into teacher education has not yet been achieved.