In this article, we discuss the role of theoretical and pedagogical analysis in academic research projects on the design of educational materials for science and health education. Our aim was: (a) to identify theoretical conceptions of education that are present in five masters theses and one doctoral dissertation selected by the Research Program on Distance Education (PAPED), on the development of computer-based material for instruction in those areas; (b) to observe the relationship between these conceptions and the description of the materials; (c) to compare these relationships with respect to the coherence between the proposed design and the theoretical view presented in the research. Using content analysis, we have identified different conceptions of teacher, student, and the teaching-learning process, as well as relationships between these conceptions and the features of the materials described. We observe some contradictions not only in those authors' theoretical conceptions but also in the transposition of the theoretical frameworks onto the materials described.
Computer-based materials; Science and health education; Conceptions of education
