Análise do design thinking como metodologia de ensino: aderência aos modelos pedagógicos educacionais brasileiros e às concepções ideológicas de estudantes de Ciências Biológicas em uma instituição privada de educação superior em Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

This thesis investigates Design Thinking (DT) as an innovative educational methodology focused on the field of Biological Sciences, proposing an alternative for teaching and learning. The analysis concentrates on examining how its principles of human centrality, empathy, autonomy, collaboration, real problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking align with the prevailing educational pedagogical models in Brazil, as well as the ideological conceptions of higher education students at a private university in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The guiding research question of the present study is: To which prevailing educational pedagogical trends in Brazil do the principles of Design Thinking align, and what are the ideological conceptions of Biological Sciences students at a private higher education institution? The overall objective of this study is to understand the principles and ideological foundations of Design Thinking as a teaching methodology and to analyze the perceptions of higher education students in the field of Biological Sciences regarding these principles. The specific objectives delineated are: (i) To present a content analysis of the discourse conducted through interviews with students from a private higher education institution's Biological Sciences program; (ii) To understand how the principles of DT adhere to the prevailing educational pedagogical models in Brazil; and (iii) To explore the ideological conceptions of higher education students in relation to an active and creative methodology. This is an applied research study of the intervention research type, featuring a qualitative and participatory approach, characterized as exploratory and descriptive in nature, developed during the academic year of 2023 within a higher education institution (IES) in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The primary theoretical framework adopted was John Dewey's Theory of Experience, while the methodological framework was based on the DT approach developed in this thesis. The chosen technique for obtaining qualitative data was participant observation, utilizing the information and materials produced during the stages of DT, as well as a socioeconomic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews conducted at the conclusion of the final stage. The corpus encompassing both the students' learning experiences and the alignment with educational pedagogical models was analyzed based on Content Analysis according to Bardin, employing Atlas.ti software. The results indicate that the principles of the DT method align with the ideological foundations of a blend of educational pedagogical models reflecting renewed progressive liberal and non-directive trends, promoted by the discourses surrounding active methodologies, interdisciplinarity, student protagonism, and inclusive education. Regarding the ideological conceptions of the students, the discussion centered on the process of ideological naturalization, through the adherence to principles of autonomy, collaboration, critical reflection, and meaningful learning. These aspects facilitated the acceptance of the DT method as an effective methodology, as well as the promotion of an educational culture more aligned with the contemporary needs and expectations of the students. Therefore, the thesis supports the assertion that the Design Thinking method, as an active and creative teaching methodology, is ideological.