Clubes de ciências da rede pública estadual de ensino da Bahia – Brasil: práticas educativas de iniciação científica e difusão do conhecimento na educação básica

Abstract

Science Clubs (CC) were created to provide experience with scientific methodology and are informal educational spaces that can contribute to formal education. Given the potential of SCs to promote science education, this study aimed to analyze educational practices in Science Clubs in the Bahia State Public School System (CCB) focused on scientific initiation that promoted the dissemination of knowledge. This study was a pioneer in the national context, being the first to investigate SCs in the Northeast Region of Brazil and filling a conceptual gap by establishing a robust analysis of the relationship between SCs, scientific dissemination, and the diffusion of knowledge. In order to achieve the study's objectives, a qualitative approach was chosen, complemented by quantitative data. The list of research strategies included bibliographic, documentary, and field research, data collection on digital platforms, questionnaires via electronic forms, interviews with teachers, and observations and written, photographic, and audiovisual records of field activities with CCBs. For data processing and analysis, the following were used: Discursive Textual Analysis (DTA), supported by IRaMuTeQ software, anchored in Bernard Charlot's theoretical perspective on the relationship with knowledge; Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Graph Theory, using VOSviewer and Gephi software, for bibliometric analysis and analysis of the co-authorship networks of the social actors in the study. Knowledge Representation Systems (KRS) were used for greater speed and robustness in data analysis. The study found evidence through network analysis that CCBs have established themselves as learning environments that, through educational practices of scientific initiation, have promoted the dissemination of knowledge in basic education. The use of active methodologies and socio-scientific questions (SSQs), mediated by scientific knowledge, promoted scientific dissemination. In the CCBs, teachers took on the role of knowledge mediators, encouraging student authorship and leadership. The dissemination of scientific knowledge was driven by the desire to learn and apply scientific knowledge in research projects. For this reason, the study argued that CCBs became examples of communities of practice, aligning themselves with the ideas of Humanistic Science Education and social practice. The social actors in the study mentioned the need for a specific workload for working in CCBs and the articulation of legal documents with the particularities of school units. The study contributes to filling conceptual and geographical gaps in the scientific literature and demonstrated the effective use of hybrid research strategies, combining software and researcher interpretations, which gave greater robustness and agility to the data analysis.