History and Philosophy of Science in the teaching of Cell Biology

Abstract:

The use of historical and philosophical approaches has become a valued tool in the pursuit of improvements in Science teaching and learning processes. However, attention must be paid to how they are used since distorted understandings of the nature of science can be expressed to students as truths. The aim of this paper is to investigate the elements related to the History and Philosophy of Science that have been inserted in chapters that introduce the study of the cell in 20 High School Biology textbooks between 1965 and 2015. The evaluation categories have been established: theoretical content, illustrations, exercises, activities and projects, and, the existence of additional resources. Content analysis indicates that, throughout the years, the presence of insertions could lead to a superficial, linear, cumulative, infallible, individualistic and anachronistic view of science. The results showed trends, needs, and especially possibilities regarding the use of these elements in Cell Biology Teaching.

Keywords:
Biology teaching; Secondary school; Textbook; History of science; Philosophy of science