OVERVIEW OF BRAZILIAN RESEARCH ON STATISTICS EDUCATION INVOLVING TEACHERS: METHODOLOGICAL PATHS AND TRAINING CONTEXTS

This article aims to analyze Brazilian research on statistics education involving teachers to highlight methodological trends and training contexts mobilized by such research. To this end, a survey was carried out in the Dissertation and Thesis Bank of CAPES, considering the descriptor "Statistical Education” and the 2013-2018 timeframe. A total of ninety-nine studies were found, twenty of which met the proposed objective. This is a documentary and bibliographic study, in which an interpretative approach was adopted using the technique of content analysis. The data analysis verified that nine of those studies did not lead to training processes with teachers. In addition, the analysis of the other eleven studies, which led to training, revealed an intrinsic relationship between the methodological path and the training contexts reported. This demonstrated the expressiveness of training contexts based on epistemology of collaboration, that is, those contexts that both give voice and listen to teachers, and recognize them as producers of knowledge. Conversely, we identified two research studies that shaped the training considering the paradigm of technical rationality, and designed training courses to address certain content/concepts that teachers supposedly do not master. It was evidenced that the conception of teacher training has a direct and explicit relationship with the organization of the training spaces outlined. Finally, we identified one research study based on epistemology of practice, which focuses on the understanding of knowledge mobilized in teaching practice. Abstract: Portuguese O presente artigo tem por objetivo analisar pesquisas brasileiras de Educação Estatística que envolveram professores, com vistas a evidenciar tendências metodológicas e de contextos formativos mobilizados por tais estudos. Para tanto, realizou-se um mapeamento no Banco de Dissertações e Teses da CAPES, considerando o descritor “Educação Estatística” e o período de 2013 a 2018. Foram identificadas 99 pesquisas, dentre as quais 20 dialogam com o objetivo proposto. Trata-se de um estudo documental e bibliográfico, no qual se adotou uma abordagem interpretativa que tem como técnica a análise de conteúdo. A análise dos dados permitiu identificar que nove destes estudos não desencadearam processos formativos com os docentes. Além disso, a análise das demais 11 pesquisas, que desenvolveram processos formativos, revelou uma intrínseca relação entre o percurso metodológico e os contextos formativos relatados. Nesse sentido, evidenciou-se uma expressividade de contextos formativos pautados na epistemologia da colaboração, ou seja, aqueles que dão voz aos professores e se colocam à sua escuta; que os reconhecem como produtores de conhecimento. Em contrapartida, duas pesquisas estruturaram as formações, considerando o paradigma da racionalidade técnica e concebendo cursos de capacitação para abordar determinado conteúdo/conceito que o professor supostamente não domina. Constatou-se que a concepção de formação de professores tem relação direta e explícita com a organização dos espaços de formação delineados. Por fim, identificou-se uma pesquisa alicerçada na epistemologia da prática, que se volta para a compreensão de saberes mobilizados no fazer docente.

“Dangerous modernity!”, or the shadow play of modernity and its characters: instrumental rationality - money - technology (part 1)

The article is an essay on the critical analysis of one of the fundamental issues of social theory of the 19th - 20th centuries - alienation and its manifestations in modern societies. Alienation is interpreted not in one of its special meanings (such as alienation of labor, etc.), but in the broadest way - as the transformation of products of individual and collective activities into an independent force that subjugates a person and transfers him from the position of the subject to the position of the object of social relations. Such a definition makes alienation a universal feature of social life. However, in different societies and in different historical periods, alienation can have variable specific forms. The historically specific manifestations of alienation in modern societies can be explained by referring to the classical theme of their genesis. The originality of their institutional organization is largely associated with the originality of their culture and spiritual life (in particular, with the radical demarcation between human and nature, subject and object in the modern era). The multifaceted phenomenon of scientific and technical rationality, the product of the post-Renaissance Western-European culture, becomes a source of social realities and practices fraught with alienation. The article illustrates it by a number of examples, including the logic and mechanisms of the capitalist money economy. The author refers to the heritage of world philosophy and social thought, which problematized and conceptualized the considered issues in various ways: the Frankfurt School, existentialist philosophers, pillars of theoretical sociology - Karl Marx and Georg Simmel.

Virtuous Engineers

Modern approaches to engineering ethics typically involve the systematic application of universal abstract principles, reflecting the culturally dominant paradigm of technical rationality. By contrast, virtue ethics recognizes that sensitivity to context and practical judgment are indispensable in particular concrete situations, and therefore focuses on the person who acts, rather than the action itself. Moral and intellectual virtues are identified within a specific social practice in accordance with its proper purpose, its societal role and associated responsibilities, and the internal goods that are unique to it. As a result, ethics is recognized as something integral to engineering, rather than supplemental to it. This is necessary and appropriate, since engineers are often the decision-makers in contexts where the potential beneficiaries and harm-bearers are not the same, such that even their routine technical choices have ethical ramifications.

Análise de Trajetórias de Professores que Ensinam Probabilidade e Estatística com Auxílio do Software IRAMUTEQ

ResumoCompreende-se que, para que o ensino da estatística e da probabilidade cumpra sua função de instrumento modificador, a formação continuada assume um papel essencial, sobretudo quando são propostos espaços formativos que superem a lógica da racionalidade técnica. Nesse direcionamento, o presente artigo é fruto de uma pesquisa qualitativa, na perspectiva (auto)biográfica, que tem por objetivo analisar narrativas (auto)biográficas de professores que ensinam probabilidade e estatística na educação básica, tomando como suporte o software IRAMUTEQ. As narrativas que compõem o corpus de análise foram produzidas durante o primeiro módulo de um curso de formação continuada no formato EaD, gratuito, que focaliza diferentes práticas pedagógicas para o ensino da estatística. Participaram dez docentes que ensinam estatística nos anos finais do ensino fundamental e no ensino médio. Como estratégia de análise tomaram-se como base estatísticas textuais clássicas, a nuvem de palavras e a análise de similitude. As análises lexicográficas do corpus textual das narrativas evidenciaram possíveis categorias que emergiram diretamente dos dados, das quais se elegeram “Formação”, “Atuação profissional” e “Anseios e expectativas” como eixos de análise. Os resultados deste estudo possibilitam enfatizar que as narrativas, quando utilizadas em processos de formação continuada de professores que ensinam probabilidade e estatística, podem auxiliar o docente na (re)construção da identidade do educador estatístico. Além disso, permitiram refletir sobre a importância da confrontação do conhecimento estatístico com os contextos sociais, para diferenciar as práticas educativas em matemática e estatística. Palavras-chave: IRAMUTEQ. Formação Professores. Atuação Profissional. Narrativas. Pesquisas (Auto)Biográficas. AbstractIt is believed that, for the teaching of statistics and probability to fulfill its role as a modifying instrument, continuing education plays an essential part, especially when formative spaces that surpass the logic of technical rationality are proposed. In this direction, the present article is the result of a qualitative research project, from an (auto)biographical perspective, which aims to analyze (auto)biographical narratives of teachers who teach probability and statistics in elementary education, using the IRAMUTEQ software as a support. The narratives that make up the corpus of analysis were produced during the first module of a free distance learning training course (EaD), focused on different pedagogical practices for teaching statistics. This continuing education course was attended by 10 teachers who teach statistics in the final years of elementary school and in high school. As an analysis strategy, classical textual statistics, word cloud and similarity analysis were used. The lexicographic analyses of the textual corpus of the narratives showed possible categories that emerged directly from the data, from which we chose “Training”, “Professional performance” and “Wishes and expectations” as axes of analysis. Research results enabled us to emphasize that, when used in continuous education processes for teachers who teach probability and statistics, narratives can assist the teacher in the process of (re)building their identity as statistical educators. In addition, they allowed us to reflect on the importance of confronting statistical knowledge with social contexts, making it possible to differentiate educational practices in mathematics and statistics. Keywords: IRAMUTEQ. Teacher Education. Professional Performance; Narratives, (Auto) Biographical Research.

Beyond the Competencies Agenda in Large-Scale International Assessments: A Confucian Alternative

This article examines a Confucian conception of competence and its corresponding response to the competencies agenda that underpins international large-scale assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). It is argued that standardised transnational assessments is underpinned by technical rationality that emphasises proficiency in discrete skills for their instrumental worth at the expense of moral cultivation and personal mastery. Challenging the competencies agenda, this paper draws upon a relational model of competence proposed by Jones and Moore (1995) that views competence as essentially communal, situated within social practices, and manifested through tacit achievement. A Confucian notion of competence is advocated where skills are premised on the virtue of ren (humanity) and demonstrated through appropriate judgement in everyday settings. A Confucian perspective offers an alternative to the behaviourist and generic notions of performance in global assessments by highlighting the social, cultural and ethical dimensions of competence.

Techno-Economic Assessment of Three Modes of Large-Scale Crop Residue Utilization Projects in China

In China, the non-exploitation of bioenergy poses major problems and challenges. To solve bioenergy problems, considerable efforts have been made to expedite the construction of large-scale crop residue utilization projects. In this study, three principal supported modes of large-scale crop residue utilization projects were taken as empirical cases in Hubei province bioenergy planning. In terms of the overall benefit and sustainable development, a third-grade evaluation index system was established. The analysis was carried out using the analytical hierarchy process, principal component projection, and grey relational analysis. The conclusion indicates that according to the evaluation values, the sequence from best to worst was crop residue biogas project, crop residue briquette fuel project, and crop residue gasification project. Nevertheless, there was no remarkable difference in the overall evaluation values. The biogas project had certain advantages in terms of the production cost, soil improvement, and expenditure saving, whereas the gasification project was comparatively insufficient in environmental efficiency, product benefit, by-product disposal, and technical rationality. According to actual evaluation results, the unilateral determination approach of the single weight index can be seen as being overcome through the unified adaptation of the evaluation methods. The research results can serve as a reference for making investment decisions to build large-scale crop residue utilization projects.

Wittgenstein jako filozof kultury

The paper raises the question of the extent to which Wittgenstein’s philosophy can be read as a philosophy of culture. The answer aims at grasping the conceptual bonds between three aspects of Wittgenstein’s thought: first, his taking both language and thinking to be expressions of a ‘form of life’ (or culture); second, his taking philosophical theories to result from some disorders that occur in ‘language games’; and third, his critique and rejection of the scientific and technical civilization. The paper advances the thesis that the task of bringing words back from their metaphysical to their everyday use – recommended by Wittgenstein – can be understood as a critique of scientism and culture dominated by scientific and technical rationality.

The micro-politics of energy efficiency: An investigation of ‘eco-social interventions’ in western Switzerland

Households have a role to play in the so-called ‘energy turn’ in Switzerland, a policy framework that calls for more efficient energy usage. Against this backdrop, this article critically analyses the mechanisms and running of a programme aimed at improving energy usage among low-income households in western Switzerland, bringing together both environmental and social objectives or what was termed an ‘eco-social intervention’. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and informed by a Foucauldian governmentality approach, the power dynamics of this programme are exposed, and its effect on the lived experience and subjectification of both household members and energy ambassadors are discussed. We argue that while presenting the appearance of technical rationality and political neutrality, this type of programme seeks to govern behaviours and leaves the ultimate responsibility for the protection of the environment on individuals, rather than promoting more collective and inclusive actions. Furthermore, we unravel how this programme participates in the reproduction of social differentiation by aiming at a particular social group, low-income households living in subsidised housing. We conclude with a discussion on how initiatives aimed at households could engage with the more complex arrangements of everyday life, rather than solely individual eco-gestures, while accounting for power dynamics.

Formación de profesores de Educación Física en Chile: una mirada histórica (Physical Education teacher training in Chile: a historical view)

El artículo tiene como propósito profundizar en la formación de profesores de Educación Física en Chile, desde una visión histórica, relevando las actuales políticas públicas que refieren a los procesos de Formación Inicial Docente. Desde el punto de vista metodológico es un trabajo de orden cualitativo descriptivo, que tiene como procedimiento la investigación documental y bibliográfica. Los resultados indican que la disciplina ha estado presente desde el inicio de la formación de profesores en Chile, transitando desde una racionalidad técnica a modelos de carácter más bien pedagógicos. Se concluye que la Educación Física actual en Chile se debe orientar al desarrollo humano, integrando adecuadamente los componentes de actividad física, deporte y salud, bajo estándares pedagógicos y disciplinares. Al mismo tiempo, se observa que aún existen aspectos que se deben revisar y estudiar a objeto de perfeccionar los procesos de formación inicial de profesores, en el marco de la apuesta de desarrollo que ha hecho el Estado para la presente década. Summary. The aim of this article is to delve into physical education teacher’s training in Chile, from a historical perspective, highlighting current public policies in the processes of Pre-service Teachers Training. From this methodological point of view, this work is qualitative descriptive based on documentary and bibliographic research. Results show that physical education has been present from the begining of teachers’ training in Chile, moving from a technical rationality to models based on pedagogy. As a conclusion, current Physical Education should be oriented towards human development, integrating components from physical activity, sport and health, under the pedagogical and disciplinary standards. At the same time, there are still aspects that must be revised and studied in order to improve teachers’ pre-service processes, within the framework of development proposed by the State for the present decade.

4. Healing the Ethical Cleft: Phronesis and University Ethical Leadership

<?page nr="69"?>Abstract A misalignment exists between the institutional management of individual student behavior and the stated ethical principles undergirding modern higher education practices in the United States, ultimately creating an ethical failure serving no one. We discuss this misalignment from the site of student affairs, due to its charge to represent both university and student. A technocratic ethical discourse creates the illusion of decision-making autonomy that promises certain outcomes if “common sense” leadership practices are employed. The lens of technical rationality homogenizes and reduces perceived problems to simple either/ors that fail to address the inequitable effects of such ethical logic. We counter “common sense” leadership with a notion of ethical leadership called phronetic leadership, which is informed by an Aristotelian understanding of phronesis (practical wisdom), virtue ethics, and a Foucauldian awareness of governmentality. We argue that phronetic leaders can mend the cleft crippling institutional ethical foundations and practices.