Geoethics: Master's Students Knowledge and Perception of Its Importance

• Tipo: Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional
• Data: 2015

Autores

Almeida, A (Autor) Outra; Clara Vasconcelos (Autor) FCUP

Revista

Título: Research in Science Education

Vol. 45

Páginas: 889-906

ISSN: 0157-244X

Editora: Springer Nature

Indexação

ISI Web of Knowledge - 7 Citações

Scopus - 14 Citações

Classificação Científica

CORDIS: Ciências Sociais

FOS: Ciências sociais

Outras Informações

ID Authenticus: P-00G-0WQ

DOI: 10.1007/s11165-014-9449-3

Abstract (EN): In the 1990s, the field of geoethics started its development, associated with a set of ethical principles that regulate the profession of geologists in their relationship with society and with nature. Given the importance of this field, but also its youth, 36 higher education students attending a Master's of Geology course were surveyed (20 were from an educational branch and 16 were from a scientific branch). The questionnaire applied to them aimed to achieve the following goals: (a) to identify the knowledge of the respondents about this new field and to verify their position about the inclusion of geoethics in the curriculum, (b) to understand how they consider the importance of geological knowledge in political decisions and (c) to investigate possible differences in the thinking of the respondents, given the specificities of their educational branches. The study concluded that the field of geoethics is unknown to the majority of the respondents. However, the recognition of its importance was also verified, after getting familiar with the definition of the concept, as well as the need for its inclusion in formal education. The respondents also considered relevant the creation of a deontological code that could provide geologists with ethical guidance. They also considered that geology should influence political decisions, but they did not consistently recognise the limits of its influence, which seems to reveal the need of a deeper understanding of the specific nature of geological knowledge when compared with other sciences. Almost all the results were similar in both groups, but the students from the educational branch offered more elaborate answers about the issues present in the questionnaire.

Idioma: Inglês

Tipo (Avaliação Docente): Científica

Notas: Referência: RISE-D-14-00012R3

Nº de páginas: 18