**3. Methodology**

In order to understand the SSC approach using the project teaching method, I observed the planning of some of these projects in real teaching situations, thereby delineating their limits and possibilities in this area.

The SSC approach used in combination with integrated projects was observed in a private school that provides both Secondary and Technical Vocational education and is located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Data were collected by administering questionnaires containing open‐ended questions to the 42 teachers with the objective of obtaining information on the conception that these teachers had of SSC, and of their constraints and potentials for teaching. This questionnaire was also designed to provide an understanding of teachers' concepts with regard to organization and application of projects conducted in the school and the constraints and potentials for using them in teaching. Fourteen teachers completed the questionnaires.

After collecting the teachers' responses to the questionnaire, it was necessary to conduct unstructured interviews [34] with the objective of probing in greater depth the research participants' thoughts with relation to use of SSC and the way the projects are organized at the school.

of teachers, researchers, and mediators, leaving aside their roles as transmitters of knowledge to become mediators of learning, encouraging the formation of autonomous students, capable of acting and interacting in the world in which they live. The project teaching methodology, with activities conducted within the project, leads to considerable changes in students' behav-

One of the potentials of using integrated projects is the students' involvement in the process of construction of knowledge and of seeking solutions to problematic situations, in addition to positive changes in relation to day‐to‐day attitudes and greater motivation and involve-

Although it is difficult for teachers to achieve a good balance between the elements of the triad "subject matter," "activities," and "assessment" in the classroom, students are able to demonstrate and re‐elaborate earlier concepts, which I consider to be of great importance in

Beane [33] sees curricular integration as a concept that is concerned with the possibilities for personal and social integration through a curriculum that is organized around significant problems and questions, identified in a collaborative manner by the teachers and students,

However, difficulties are encountered, especially with relation to the issue of bringing the humanities closer to the sciences. In the majority of cases, integration between these different groups of subjects proves to be a practical problem that is difficult to solve. The difficulty lies

In view of the above, the SSC approach can be considered an ideal way to achieve curricular integration in teaching, since all of the different subject areas will get the opportunity to con-

In order to understand the SSC approach using the project teaching method, I observed the planning of some of these projects in real teaching situations, thereby delineating their limits

The SSC approach used in combination with integrated projects was observed in a private school that provides both Secondary and Technical Vocational education and is located in the

Data were collected by administering questionnaires containing open‐ended questions to the 42 teachers with the objective of obtaining information on the conception that these teachers had of SSC, and of their constraints and potentials for teaching. This questionnaire was also designed to provide an understanding of teachers' concepts with regard to organization and application of projects conducted in the school and the constraints and potentials for using

ior, interest, and motivation with relation to learning the subject.

irrespective of the demarcations that separate subjects.

tribute a great deal of subject matter to the discussion.

in establishing a set of common repertoires that will enable dialogue.

them in teaching. Fourteen teachers completed the questionnaires.

ment in the learning process.

86 Science Education - Research and New Technologies

the construction of knowledge.

**3. Methodology**

and possibilities in this area.

state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

These interviews were conducted with the school's Principal, the Vice‐principal responsible for teaching and three teachers, one from each subject area (languages, humanities, and sciences), selected using the criterion of longest time teaching at the school.

The data collected were analyzed using Discursive Text Analysis [35]. This analytical resource was used to systematize information from the questionnaires and to construct an interpretation of the subject in question from the point of view of the research participants. This analysis, which is coherent with the qualitative approach chosen, facilitates comprehension of the phenomenon investigated with no intention of generalizing or explaining it.

During this analysis, the questionnaires were read and organized into units and assigned to a system of categories that provide the basis for construction of descriptive texts (metatexts) that would be used to interpret the phenomenon studied.

In order to organize these units, a labeling system was adopted in which units from questionnaires were marked with a "Q" and those from teachers with a "T." The units were numbered from 1 to 14 to represent the respondents, with no relationship between the number and the respondent. Finally, units were also labeled with the number of the questionnaire item, separated from the number of the respondent by an underscore character (\_).

Next, the interviews were transcribed but were not categorized, rather they were used as a basis for in‐depth discussion of the constraints and potentials identified in the data from the questionnaires. Data from the questionnaires and the interviews were combined to construct a metatext. To identify the teachers interviewed, I used the same numbers as for the questionnaires, adding the letter "I" to indicate interview data. The Principal is identified with the label "Prin," and the Vice‐principal responsible for teaching is identified with the label "VPT."
