Abstract:

The research methodologies promote a systematized way to answer significant questions as what, how, and why of a phenomenon. In the scope of a research in Historical Education, about the reflection that can be made on the nature of historical knowledge that students bring (here identified as formal knowledge) associated with the informal knowledge they have, it was intended to understand what is its relevance for the co-construction of meaningful and usable knowledge. The final production of this research was the co-building a virtual museum to enhance and disseminate the cultural historical heritage of the fishing community to which the students belong. The use of mixed qualitative methodologies, such as Critical Ethnography (CE) and Design based Research (DbR) was fundamental to access the students' historical knowledge through the intergenerational stories that students have access.

In a context of participatory-critical observation, observation phases were outlined, in which some data collection instruments, such as field notes with different forms of representations (writing, drawing, photography, films), narrative text, questionnaire, narrative inquiry, open and semi-structured interviews were chosen. These instruments proved to be fundamental to access students' previous ideas about concepts that are worked on, in this case, identified here as formal knowledge, to informal knowledge, from the life stories of students and their families, central in studies on education and historical awareness. However, the intention of how and by whom these instruments should be worked made the difference, especially when the students were researcher of their own practices.
Despite the outline of the actions planned for the completion of the study, the unpredictability in the face of strategy changes-over, adaptations, and methodological complements, could be lived and accepted supported in the alignment achieved by the CE and DbR relation here proposed.

The basis of an ethnographic research considered in the process the social, cultural, historical, collective, and individual contexts. The collaborative work was essential for transformative research tooks place. The study was designed in order to access behaviors, languages, and patterns of interaction between the groups that the students of the fishing community showed, as well as the researcher himself. The use of diversified research instruments made it possible to validate the data collected through their analysis, showing some aspect of student’s behavior, included cultural validation. It was essential that the actions and techniques applied in the research were understandable and redefined to all participants. The co-construction of the virtual museum reflected a critical position from the students.

Keywords:

Historical Education, Critical Ethnography, Design-based Research, Co-construction, Virtual Museum.