Science, Technology and Society (STS) and Critical Thinking Orientations in Science Education: Comprehensions Based on the Mapping of Brazilian Studies

Abstract

This paper describes the results of a bibliographic research that explores master’s and doctoral studies that articulate STS orientation to the assumptions of critical thinking (CT) in science education, published in two Brazilian repositories: the National Library of Theses and Dissertations and the database of the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), until June 2022. The search was guided by the question: “What characteristics arise from national research that relate STS to CT?”, and resulted in a total of five papers organized into axes based on the reflective analysis carried out. We concluded that the scientific production in this articulation is still embryonic, although we also verified the use of different instruments for the constitution of empirical material, as well as applications involving different contexts: high school classes, technical courses, initial and continuing teacher training. Moreover, there was evidence in the works of the need for the development of CT both in the pedagogical performance and in the elaboration of materials.