Peer-reviewed article
Perceptions and interest in applied educational neuroscience: a diagnostic study of Brazilian teachers.
Siqueira MP, Arévalo A, Lepski G ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study surveyed 204 Brazilian teachers about their knowledge of and interest in educational neuroscience topics. The researchers found differences in self-perceived knowledge by gender and teaching level, with female teachers more interested in child brain development and higher-level teachers reporting more knowledge about scientific literacy and brain plasticity. The study also examined teachers' preferences for different training formats to inform future professional development programs.
Key points
- Female educators reported greater interest in learning about the child's brain compared to male educators
- Educators at higher teaching levels reported knowing more about scientific literacy, critical thinking, neurodevelopment, and brain plasticity
- Training format preferences varied across different groups of educators
- The study was based on 204 teachers recruited through professional networks and social media
- Findings are intended to inform development of targeted neuroscience training materials for Brazilian educators
Limitations
This is a diagnostic survey of teacher perceptions and preferences, not an evaluation of educational outcomes or child well-being. The study does not measure the actual impact of neuroscience training on teaching quality or children's learning and development.
Abstract
The integration of educational neuroscience into teacher professional development may support evidence-informed practice, but little is known about Brazilian educators' perceptions of their own knowledge, interests, and their preferred training formats. In this cross-sectional exploratory study, 204 active educators recruited through professional networks and social media completed an online survey. The instrument assessed self-perceived knowledge and interest across ten neuroscience-related topics and preferences for six training formats. Differences in self-perceived knowledge were observed across gender and teaching level; female educators reported greater interest in learning about the Child's brain, and educators in higher levels reported knowing more than educators in other levels regarding Scientific Literacy and Critical Thinking, as well as Neurodevelopment and Brain Plasticity. Training-format preferences also varied across groups. Building on previous work from our group that tested neuroscience knowledge and neuromyth endorsement in over 2,700 Brazilian participants, these new findings describe perceived competence and learning preferences in a group of educators from different areas that may inform the development of targeted training materials.