Perceptions and interest in applied educational neuroscience: a diagnostic study of Brazilian teachers

The integration of educational neuroscience into teacher professional development may support evidence-informed practice, but little is known about Brazilian educators' perceptions of their own knowledge, interests, and their preferred training formats. In this cross-sectional exploratory study, 204 active educators recruited through professional networks and social media completed an online survey. The instrument assessed self-perceived knowledge and interest across ten neuroscience-related topics and preferences for six training formats. Differences in self-perceived knowledge were observed across gender and teaching level; female educators reported greater interest in learning about the Child's brain, and educators in higher levels reported knowing more than educators in other levels regarding Scientific Literacy and Critical Thinking, as well as Neurodevelopment and Brain Plasticity. Training-format preferences also varied across groups. Building on previous work from our group that tested neuroscience knowledge and neuromyth endorsement in over 2,700 Brazilian participants, these new findings describe perceived competence and learning preferences in a group of educators from different areas that may inform the development of targeted training materials.