Classroom ethnographies and studies in science education: contributions and challenges for research on teaching and learning in elementary education

Abstract

In this article, we intend to discuss the potential of ethnography in education to broaden conceptualizations of science learning and scientific knowledge. We address discussions around using ethnography in educational research, and how it has been adopted in the field of Science Education, identifying tensions. We present results of an exploratory analyzis of discursive interactions in an elementary education classroom. The results illustrate: i) the importance of acknowledging that multiple contexts are present in an event (e.g., school institution, age characteristics, gender issues); ii) how more complex perspectives on science learning can emerge from ethnographic studies.

Keywords

• classroom ethnography
• science teaching and learning
• scientific literacy
• qualitative research
• elementary education