Decisions And Justifications Between Natural And Unnatural Consumption Of A Food Product By 14-15 Year Old Students

One of the areas of daily life in which there are significant controversies is in the area of food and, within it, in the choice between the consumption of natural/non-natural products. The fact that belief in the superiority of natural foods is so ingrained in consumers and students makes it a relevant issue to be addressed in compulsory secondary education. Thus, as part of a broader investigation, which aims to address this controversy in science classes, this study presents a study conducted with 30 students to analyse their consumption decisions and their justifications for two food products, one natural and other not, and the changes of the same during the school year. At the beginning of it, more than half of the students prefer natural food and to justify their decisions they provide reasons about the origin, composition, health or sanitary control of the food. As a result of regular teaching, at the end of the course, these students are not able to make, to the desired extent, informed decisions about the consumption of food products, natural or not, even when the scientific knowledge that is involved in these decisions is have taught at different times in the teaching and learning process. Finally, the need to elaborate didactic proposals focused explicitly on this controversy is argued, and important aspects are presented that, in light of the results obtained, should be part of them.