Resumo No que tange às potencialidades do uso de questões sociocientíficas (QSC) no ensino de ciências, destaca-se a sua contribuição para o desenvolvimento moral dos educandos, o qual compreende, dentre outros elementos, a sensibilidade moral. Mediante a sua relevância para a formação de cidadãos engajados socialmente, o objetivo deste trabalho consiste em identificar, no âmbito da formação inicial de professores de química, a extensão da sensibilidade moral que licenciandos exibem. Os resultados indicam que as atividades realizadas, pautadas no uso de QSC extraída de uma história em quadrinhos, foram adequadas para o desenvolvimento da sensibilidade, contudo, a sua extensão foi limitada. Essa observação sugere a necessidade da inserção de práticas semelhantes em cursos de licenciatura, tendo em vista a formação de professores que irão atuar em favor do desenvolvimento moral dos estudantes da educação básica.

Abstract Among the potentialities of using socio-scientific issues (SSI) in science education, its contribution to students’ moral development can be mentioned, which, among other components, comprises moral sensitivity. Due to its relevance to the formation of socially engaged citizens, the study aims to identify the extent of the moral sensitivity of undergraduate chemistry students enrolled in an initial teacher training course. The results showed that the activities developed, based on the use of a comic strip, were adequate for developming this sensitivity. However, its extension was limited, suggesting the need to carry out activities of this nature in undergraduate courses, with a view to traininger teachers who will work in favor of the moral development of elementary and secondary school students.

THE APPLICATION OF A COMIC STRIP, TRINITY, IN CHEMISTRY EDUCATION. Faced with obstacles encountered in lessons and the search for actions that meet current educational needs, some attention has been paid to the role of comics as instructional tool. This article focuses on the use of a comic strip, Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb, to develop knowledge and promote science learning. Three case studies were extracted from the comic and implemented to a group of pre-service chemistry teachers. A questionnaire was utilized to assess their perceptions about the usefulness of comics for their learning. One hundred percent of students indicated that comics helped improve their understanding of the nature of science. On the basis of the data, comic strips may be utilized as an acceptable educational tool in science education.