THE LEVEL OF PROFESSIONAL SKILLS OF PEDAGOGUES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC THINKING

Abstract

Scientific thinking is essential for equipping students to tackle the complexities of the modern world, and teachers play an important role in nurturing this skill. To gain insights into the competencies utilized and developed by pedagogues in applying scientific knowledge to everyday problem-solving, we conducted an expansive survey to glean their perspectives. Presented herein are the synthesized and meticulously selected directions derived from the respondents’ responses. The predominant focus of pedagogues lies in practical activities that intersect with daily life, encompassing both socially useful and cultural activities. This emphasizes the significant impact of culture on scientific education as a whole, and particularly on the development of scientific thinking. Our analysis of responses obtained through a comprehensive questionnaire administered to 511 educators revealed a discernible imperative for educators to elevate their proficiency in scientific thinking. Teachers require specific knowledge and skills to effectively professionalize in pedagogy related to the development and enhancement of scientific thinking. Foremost among these is an imperative foundation in comprehending scientific thinking as both a cognitive process and a human faculty, encompassing facets of critical, systematic, and reasoned analysis. While teachers adeptly employ abstract language, problematization methods, and acknowledge the significance of experiments a notable gap exists in their professional preparatory endeavors.