Impacts, limits, and potential of scientific initiation in basic education: systematic review of the literature

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the impacts of Scientific Initiation (SI) in Basic Education through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) using a qualitative approach, with interpretive synthesis of the data. The research sought to answer the following question: what are the impacts of Scientific Initiation on students in the final years of elementary school and high school? To this end, theses and dissertations published between 2019 and 2024 were selected from the Thesis and Dissertation Catalog of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria and peer methodological validation, a final corpus of 12 studies was compiled and analyzed in its entirety. The results indicate that CS contributes to the development of autonomy, critical thinking, scientific literacy, and investigative skills, favoring the reframing of pedagogical practices and the constitution of students as active subjects in the learning process. The synthesis of the findings allowed for the organization of thematic axes that reveal both convergences and challenges, such as the need for continuing teacher training, better structural conditions, and public policies that democratize access to CI. It was also possible to identify a research gap in the evolution of the concept, by placing CI as a tool for school retention. It can be concluded that Scientific Initiation is a powerful and transformative pedagogical practice, although it requires greater institutional investment and theoretical and methodological deepening for its consolidation in Basic Education.