Percepcion of students and teachers from São Paulo on subjetcs related to science and technology

The importance of science education can be justified by means of economic, cultural and/or political reasons, and it has been stimulated by Brazilian government's actions, as well as many international programs, for example, the Educational Goals 2021 (OEI, 2010). Neverthe- less, the performance of Brazilian students in science is far from satisfactory levels, as evidenced by the results of PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). Data from public understanding of science and technology (S&T) survey performed with Ibero-Amer- ican high school students (OEI, 2011) suggest that the lack of encouragement of young people towards science is in large part due to the way science is taught and discussed in class. This paper compares some original data on the scientific culture of high school teachers of the city of São Paulo (Brazil) with the results achieved by students in the prior study, in order to point out the relationship among teacher ́s scientific culture, pedagogical practices and understanding of young students about science and scientific careers.