Ricardo Gama

Principal Researcher:
Maria Paula Carvalho
Duration: 2020 – 2022

Cised team members
Isabel Brás
Ricardo Gama

Funding
CGD; PV

The importance of science education is widely highlighted in the literature. There are national and international mechanisms that evaluate education systems and the scientific competences of students(1,2,3). The purpose of the Science Olympiads is to identify intrinsic problems in the teaching-learning process and to promote science education(4,5). In this competition the pupils perform 2 tests: theoretical and experimental. The experimental exam allows operational skills (know-how) that are not evaluated, e.g. in the PISA and TIMSS studies, to be assessed.

This project is motivated by a study(5) that shows that Portuguese students present a deficit in experimental skills at the International Olympiads at the end of secondary education. Although they undergo an intensive training in the months preceding the international competitions, these students cannot develop some of the skills required. It is necessary to promote science skills from the first years of schooling. Therefore, we designed a pilot study to implement the Experimental Mini-Olympics of Science within the scope of the subject of Estudo do Meio in primary school. The objectives of the study are: to evaluate the feasibility of the Mini-Olympics in the 4th year of primary school; to determine teachers’ needs to implement science activities; to investigate the potential for the Mini-Olympics so as to evaluate the theoretical and experimental science competences of pupils at the end of primary school; to investigate the potential of the Mini-Olympics to stimulate pupils’ autonomous learning and critical thinking; to motivate teachers for new scientific challenges and to increase pupils interest in science. This research will be carried out in the 5 School Groups in the municipality of Viseu, during the 2020/21 school year and will involve principals, teachers and pupils in the 4th year of schooling. Initially an inventory of each school’s resources available for science activities will be performed. The Olympic competitions will be developed and implemented and the results will be published after the data are analysed. Recommendations will be stated in order to improve science education in primary school.

Com as conclusões serão apresentadas sugestões para o ensino das ciências no 1ºCEB.
O estudo será realizado em cooperação com a Ciência Viva, as Sociedades Portuguesas da Física, da Química e da Geologia, a Ordem dos Biólogos, a Association of Polar Early Career Scientists e a International Association for Geoethics.

To sum up, the project is unique because there are no Experimental Science Mini-Olympiads in Portugal at the end of the primary school. The IPV will be a pioneer in implementing this competition, which it intends to expand soon to a national level.

1 http://www.oecd.org/pisa/
2 http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2019/frameworks/
3 http://www.ige.min-edu.pt/upload/Relatorios/GC_EEC_2016_RELATORIO.pdf
4 https://www.dge.mec.pt/olimpiada-da-ciencia-da-uniao-europeia-euso
5 https://estudogeral.uc.pt/handle/10316/43058