Tendências das pesquisas acadêmicas no Brasil sobre o uso da estratégia da investigação matemática em sala de aula, no ensino fundamental

Abstract

Mathematics is almost always seen by students as a set of rules, algorithms, and unquestionable formulas, reduced to a school subject focused on the memorization of procedures dictated by the teacher. Currently, mathematics trains students who are excellent at executing procedures but are unable to think mathematically. In contrast, Mathematical Investigation (MI) in the classroom emerges as a methodological approach that places the student as the protagonist in the construction of knowledge, developing their mathematical thinking, contrary to the content-focused and rule-based thinking learned in schools. The general objective of this work was to map, describe, and analyze the characteristics and trends of academic research in Brazil on the use of mathematical investigation in Elementary Education (Ensino Fundamental), published in the Catalog of Theses and Dissertations of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) during the period of three CAPES evaluation quadrennials (2013-2024). For this purpose, a bibliographic review was conducted on ten dissertations that applied investigative tasks in the classroom. Data analysis was grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Fiorentini (2009) for research modalities, Skovsmose (2000) for investigation scenarios, and Butts (1997) for types of problems. The results indicate a concentration of research in the 7th and 8th years of Elementary Education and a predominance of algebra content. Finally, it was concluded that the research exclusively adopts exploratory or descriptive modalities and that, although the investigation scenarios are diverse, the problems are always structured as open research problems, problem-situations, or application problems, avoiding traditional algorithmic exercises, in order to seek the best application and utilization of what a mathematical investigation activity can extract from the student.