Notions about research and the characteristics of ongoing projects by Master's students in Science Teaching and/or Mathematics Education

Abstract

The concept of scientific research, although diverse, indicates that it is a rigorous and systematic  process whose effort results in finding answers to a predetermined research problem. The aim of this  study was to describe the understanding that a group of master's students in Education have of scientific  research and the characteristics of the research into Science Education and/or Mathematics Education  that they intend to develop during the course. This research is descriptive and exploratory, with a  qualitative approach, and was carried out during the first semester of 2023. The research involved 13  master's students from Research Line 3 of the Academic Master's in Teaching (IFMT/UNIC), who  attended the discipline Trends and Approaches to Research in Science and Mathematics. To collect  data, an electronic questionnaire was used, consisting of 10 open questions, whose purpose was to  ascertain their understanding of the subject and to survey the following characteristics of their intended  research: delimited themes, basic theorists, definition of the field and the method to be used. The study  also made it possible to ascertain the trends and approaches of research in Science and/or Mathematics  Teaching by looking at other programs in the same area. In summary, this study describes their  understanding of what scientific research is, the most recurrent trends and approaches in the area and  the characteristics of the alleged research of this group.