De que social estamos falando?: sentidos de ciências como prática social em pesquisas da área de ensino

Science teaching as a social practice is grounded in diverse theoretical perspectives that address the social aspect of science. In this article, we analyze the multiple meanings of "social" in science education research and discuss how these translate into analyses and proposals for the field. To this end, we conducted a literature review of Portuguese-language journals (Brazil) published in science education and with a Qualis A rating for teaching (CAPES classification 2017–2020), searching for the words "social" and "socials" in the titles and abstracts of articles published in the last five years. Among the works found, we selected those that address the modes of scientific knowledge production. These articles were analyzed according to the five meanings of "social" proposed by Helen Longino. The results indicate that the term "social" has been understood in diverse ways, with a predominance of meanings that minimize the centrality of social interactions in the construction of scientific knowledge. This understanding is reflected in the analyses and proposals developed for science education. As implications for teaching, we argue that student participation in the classroom is effective through practices, especially those that involve critical interaction.