The Presence and Characteristics of Astronomy in the Initial Formation of Pedagogues: An Analysis of Pedagogical Projects of Courses in Brazil

Abstract

Astronomy is still little studied in undergraduate courses, especially in the Pedagogy course, although teaching this content is recommended from the early years of Elementary School. In order to understand how this relationship between Astronomy and the initial formation of pedagogues takes place, this research aims to investigate the presence and characteristics of Astronomy in the Pedagogical Projects of Pedagogy Courses (PPC) present in the federal universities of the capitals of the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District. The results point to the existence of Astronomy elements in only six disciplines, which are analyzed according to specific criteria of Bardin’s categorical content analysis. It is considered that this insufficiency in the training of pedagogues can lead to a deficiency in the scientific training of Elementary School students. Therefore, there is a need to revise the Pedagogy curriculum, in order to contemplate an Education in Astronomy indicated for teaching in Basic Education.