Modeling in Biology Education: What do the ENEBIO proceedings reveal?

Abstract

Modeling is an important didactic-pedagogical strategy in science education that favors active student participation and their role as protagonists in the learning process. Through model-building, students develop explanations of how and why systems function, make discoveries, and attribute meaning to reality. Given modeling's relevance, this study examined the scope and use of modeling in biology teaching for high school classes in the proceedings of the National Meeting on Biology Teaching (ENEBIO). A systematic literature review was carried out to this end, identifying and analyzing thirteen works distributed across nine editions of the event. The results revealed that although modeling is recognized as a promising teaching strategy in biology, its implementation remains limited, often being restricted to illustrative or reproductive uses. Few studies explore modeling as an epistemic practice centered on students' active construction of knowledge. Weaknesses in the theoretical depth and pedagogical intent of the proposals were also observed, which compromises their formative potential. Therefore, the importance of strengthening initial and continuing teacher training is emphasized to promote a more critical and comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of scientific modeling.