Students as Initial Researchers

Research carried out in High schools by eleventh graders goes beyond being considered as just a degree requirement. It offers an opportunity to change the student¿s role as knowledge repeater to one of an agent of transformation of his/her academic or local context. Therefore, this interpretative study attempted to uncover students¿ perceptions about how they depict themselves as initial researchers through self initiated mini-projects based on PBL (Project Based Learning). The pedagogical implementation included teachers¿ cooperative work during the school year, the planning phase, documents and participants' roles specifications. The findings indicated that initial researchers developed a research awareness that allowed them to comprehend the importance of research, to have their curiosity and interest in inquiry stimulated. Finally, it strengthened their sense of community membership and offered them new ways to conceive the world and to build social knowledge.