Competências digitais de futuros professores: o papel de intervenções pedagógicas para a alfabetização científica e tecnológica

Abstract

The present investigation is situated within the context of the need to prepare undergraduate students in initial teacher education as future educators for the early years of basic education or for youth, adult, and elderly education (EJAI). This preparation aims to equip them to address the demands of contemporary education, which require both the use of digital technologies and mastery of scientific and technological concepts. Beyond improving the use of technologies, this preparation should also foster critical thinking and citizenship education. Thus, the objective of this dissertation was to analyze how pedagogical interventions can promote the development of digital competencies among future teachers in an integrated manner with scientific and technological literacy. The research methodology involved a pedagogical intervention carried out in the first semester of 2023 during a teaching practicum with first-year students of the Integrated Teacher Education Program in Science, Mathematics, and Languages at the Federal University of Pará. This intervention was conducted within the scope of the course “Pedagogical Technological Resources I,” a mandatory curricular component of the program. The intervention comprised three stages: 1. Diagnostic Assessment: identified students’ socioeconomic profiles and their habits regarding digital technologies. 2. Self Assessment: allowed students to reflect on their levels of proficiency in digital competencies based on an adapted framework of the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu). 3. Activity with the educational product "Science in Question" (Guedes, 2021), a card game designed to foster discussions on the relationship between science, technology, and society. Among the main findings, it was observed that the class consisted of students from diverse age groups, with low household income and limited access to digital technologies. The most commonly used device was the smartphone, primarily for entertainment and communication rather than academic purposes. However, there was an expressed interest in developing digital competencies for educational purposes, such as creating presentations, writing scientific papers, and using digital tools in the classroom. The pedagogical intervention contributed to the development of indicators for students’ scientific and technological literacy, based on the integration of the game’s thematic axes with the structural axes of scientific literacy. Furthermore, the primary outcome of the study is the proposal of an integration matrix linking proficiency levels in digital competencies with indicators of scientific and technological literacy. This matrix is intended to assist educators in designing theoretical practical activities when planning pedagogical interventions. The research highlights the importance of considering students’ socioeconomic contexts in the planning of pedagogical interventions and emphasizes that developing digital competencies, integrated with scientific and technological literacy, is essential for the training of future teachers. The dissertation follows a multi-paper format (or multiple-article format), comprising four scientific articles, each focusing on a specific objective of the investigation.