Science representations in writing compositions by mexican high school students

Abstract

This report describes the notions (representations) of science as expressed in texts written by high school students from three different sociocultural backgrounds. To build their representations of science, students use a wide variety of discursive elements which are related with different epistemological categories such as reality, observation, scientific method, among others. Trends in the expression of these discursive and epistemological elements are identified, and their possible interpretations are suggested. The study of the representations about science becomes highly relevant when the values and beliefs related to science and its development influence the performances of the social actors in contexts such as school, where science is dealt with daily.