Possible conceptions about the Nature of Science of undergraduate students in Physics, in the context of a Brazilian public university

Abstract

This article presents and discusses the production conditions of ideals intended by university professors, based on the theoretical frameworks adopted in the Philosophy of Science discipline, in the context of physics teachers’ initial training at a Brazilian pub-lic university. Despite of the existence of several researches on conceptions about the Nature of Science, deformed and reduc-tionist representations of it are still widely present in society. In view of that Basic Education is a favorable environment for learning Science, the concern is directed to the image that future teachers may have of Science, hoping that, when discussing it, there will be a greater contribution to Science Education. After analyzing the theoretical references of the subject in question, it was possible to verify that the formation of the Nature of Science conceptions occurs in a contextualized way, where it starts from an internal conception of Science, towards an external one. However, even though several authors present different con-ceptions of Science, there is a necessity to expand this discussion through other references, in order to develop reflective and questioning attitudes, which promote changes in society.