Chemistry teaching in different social contexts

Abstract

This article presents the development of a research program on the teaching of chemistry guided by a theoretical framework of the Sociology of Education, and discusses its main results. Under a comparative analysis perspective, the pedagogical practices of teachers of chemistry teachers who teach in schools of different social contexts were been characterized by a set of indicators related to the rules of pedagogical discourse and were associated to the macrossocial issues of power and control, according to the theory by Basil Bernstein. The article presents the most relevant results obtained, highlighting the characteristics less favorable to the acquisition of scientific knowledge and skills, and which often constitute the practices observed in the schools where study the most needy students of the social spectrum. On the other hand, some results also show that, by altering some of these characteristics, teachers can increase student’s performance. These results have implications for the education of chemistry teachers and for public policies. The final part discusses the further unfolding and new directions for future research related to this program.

Keywords

• ensino de química
• contexto social
• discurso pedagógico