Literature as motivation in Science classes: an analysis based on Leontiev's motive category

Abstract

Studies in the area of Science Education argue for the inclusion of literary texts in science classes due to motivation that they would supposedly provoke in students. In this theoretical-empirical article, we aim to defend that the category of motive should prevail because it includes concerns about motivation highlighted by research in Science Education that deal with the relationship between science and literature. To do that, we first present a systematic bibliographic review of historical-dialectical materialism and historical-cultural psychology to explain that motivation is a complex psychopedagogical process, and that such complexity is not taken into account by some studies in the area. We argue that the category of motive works better by incorporating this notion of motivation. We argue that, in addition to motivating the student with books, as proposed by the research area, it is necessary to create motives to migrate from this object in order to get to know the scientific contents.

Keywords
Science teaching; Motivation for learning; Science and literature; Dialectical historical materialism; Cultural historical psychology