ABS263 - Analyzing different ways of thinking on substance that emerge when different activities are proposed in Chemistry classes

In this paper, we intend to analyze relationships between activities proposed in Chemistry classes and the emergence of different ways of thinking about the concept of substance, which can be associated with different contexts. Different ways of thinking have been considered from the theory of conceptual profile (Mortimer; El Hani, 2014; Silva; Amaral, 2011), and activities proposed in science classroom were organized and analyzed taking into account the activity theory, such as proposed by Engeström (2001). This research adopted a qualitative methodological approach, involving 13 students, 14-15 years old, from Secondary School, 9th grade, in a private school, in Recife, Brazil. The results point out that during the 03 classes, with major or minor frequencies, different ways of thinking emerged in the classroom discussions. The proposed activities and contexts constituted into the classes favor the emergence of particular ways of thinking for substance, and the students were challenged to manage different ideas to make meaning for scientific concepts. They were invited to increase their repertoire of arguments towards an understanding of the scientific view for substance, placing it among other different ways of thinking.