SCIENTIFIC LITERACY IN THE CURRICULAR DOCUMENTS OF BRAZIL AND PAKISTAN: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN BIOLOGY TEACHING

Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of how Scientific Literacy is addressed in the curricular documents that guide the teaching of Biology in Brazil and Pakistan. The study is based on a qualitative research approach, with a descriptive and exploratory design, conducted through documentary analysis. The research corpus consisted of the National Common Curricular Base, in the Brazilian context, and the Single National Curriculum, in the Pakistani context, considering the guidelines related to the teaching of Biology. The analysis focused on identifying conceptions of teaching, educational purposes, pedagogical orientations, and elements associated with the promotion of Scientific Literacy. The results reveal significant differences between the analyzed documents. In Brazil, the curricular guidelines show greater alignment with an expanded conception of Scientific Literacy, emphasizing scientific investigation, contextualization of scientific knowledge, and student protagonism. In Pakistan, a more restricted approach prevails, centered on curricular standardization, content transmission, and memorization, which is closer to a perspective of Scientific Literacy understood as basic conceptual acquisition. It is concluded that the curricular conceptions expressed in the analyzed documents reflect distinct sociocultural contexts and directly influence the possibilities for promoting Scientific Literacy in Biology teaching.