The term scientific literacy arises due to the need of the scientific community to see that the population validated its scientific and technological production. The construct Scientific literacy has been subject to diverse conceptual considerations over the years, arising from the scientific, technological, social and political changes that marked contemporary society characteristics. In this study, we sought to assess the evolution of the scientific literacy construct over the first decade of the twenty-first century, through qualitative research, using a bibliographic study. Forthe operationalization of this analysis, different dimensions for scientific literacy were defined. The results suggest that scientific literacy embodies a construct that is deictic in nature, shaped by the social, political, cultural and scientific contexts prevailing in the society it belongs to. The conclusion is that all of this conceptual matrix suggests a change in the relatively passive form in which science is appreciated of and the way this operates in society towards a commitment to personal involvement with science and towards the valuation of the importance of scientific knowledge throughout life.

Environmental education has been seen as a basic tool to contribute to the change of conceptions, values and attitudes. Textbook analysis is a major element in the evaluation of how the educational goals (at the legislative level of national programmes) are implemented at the school level. The aim of the present study was to analyse the progression of the topic Pollution along the 12 years of Portuguese primary and secondary schools, since the first year (5/6 years old) up to the 12th school year (16/17 years old), giving special attention to the ‘Impact on humankind’, ‘Economic consequences’, ‘Social risks’, ‘Aesthetic values’ and ‘Ethical, moral and cultural motivations’. Results showed that: (1) the planet is seen as a resource for humankind instead of a resource shared with other living beings; (2) it is given a stronger reliance on technologies in sustainable development rather than to changes of individual and social behaviour; and (3) it is conferred unlimited trust in science and technology solutions instead of using the principle of precaution. This study shows that a change of textbooks is recommended in order to give more emphasis to the human role in solving the pollution problems and contributing to improve pupils'; citizenship.

Current serious environmental issues, such as deforestation, compel compulsory school education on the need for reflection on pedagogical practices to promote education for environmental sustainability. The educational process about the “tree as living being” requires that content and attitudinal dimensions be deeply integrated. Therefore, meaningful learning of biological similarity—between tree and animal—needs to be prioritised. It will promote the development of tree protection attitudes. Under this approach, an action research was developed to contribute to a future primary teacher education model. A didactic-pedagogical intervention was designed. It was implemented to assess the educational potential of infrared thermography in the development of ecocentric education. A group of students attending the 3rd year of primary education participated in this qualitative case study. The results revealed that ecocentric conceptions were constructed bringing these children closer to scientific knowledge. It resulted in the development of conservation/protection tree attitudinal learning. It is also worth mentioning the contribution of this study to (re)think (re)construction of the formative process of future primary teachers in order to: direct the teaching–learning process to environment real problems; and to promote the necessary debate on the contribution of technology to achieve innovation of pedagogical practices.

Trees are essential natural resources for ecosystem balance, regional development, and urban greening. Preserving trees has become a crucial challenge for society. It is common for the use of invasive or even destructive techniques for health diagnosis of these living structures, and interventions after visual inspection. Therefore, the dissemination and implementation of increasingly less aggressive techniques for inspection, analysis and monitoring techniques are essential. The latest high-definition thermal cameras record thermal images of high resolution and sensitivity. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a promising technique for the inspection of trees because the tissue of the sap is practically on the surface of the living structure. The thermograms allow the identification of deteriorated tissues and to differentiate them from healthy tissues, and make an observation of the tree as a functional whole body. The aim of this study is to present, based on differences in the temperatures field given by the thermal images, a qualitative analysis of the status of two different arboreal species, Quercus pyrenaica Willd and Olea europaea L. The results show the IRT as an expeditious, non-invasive and promising technique for tree inspection, providing results that are not possible to reach by other methods and much less by a visual inspection. The work represents a contribution to make IRT a tree decision-making tool on the health status of trees.

Deforestation is a global issue. Education has a fundamental role to play in this context. In this regard, the direction and effectiveness of educational practices should focus on the empowerment of students in ecocentric environmental attitudes. A key point in education for environmental sustainability is pedagogical approaches focused on the development of critical and reflective thinking. In this context, objectified research was developed in the (re)conceptualization of the “living being”, with thermogram didacticization, as a way to develop egalitarian feelings of the need for similar attitudes among living beings. The study was developed in an action-research context. The pedagogical-didactic intervention was within the scope of the “Natural Sciences” curricular unit of the “Basic Education” degree at a Portuguese Institution. After a pedagogical-didactic intervention, the reconceptualization of “living being” was observed in these students, presenting, now, a reflexive argument concerning the ecocentric environmental attitudes regarding the “living being” – the tree vs. animal, highlighting the importance that the thermographic images had in the (re)significance of their “new look” regarding the tree.