Beyond disaster: fire as a Context to Promote Ecological Understanding within the Nature of STEM Framework

Abstract

This study analyzes a didactic proposal on fire ecology implemented in a secondary school in Tandil (Argentina), designed from the Nature of STEM (NoSTEM) perspective. The proposal aimed to foster an integrated understanding of ecological processes associated with fire and to promote critical reflection on environmental management. Twenty-four students aged 17–18, organized in six working groups, participated in the activity. Based on an informational text about the Yellowstone fire, students wrote answers to three guiding questions and later engaged in a group debate. Written and oral productions were analyzed using a phenomenographic approach to identify different levels of conceptual understanding. Results show that although reductionist conceptions of fire’s role in ecosystems persist, there are clear signs of conceptual reorganization toward more integrated and functional views, particularly regarding ecological succession and the regulatory role of fire. Educational implications are discussed, highlighting the potential of fire as a context for interdisciplinary learning and critical scientific literacy, as well as the relevance of the NoSTEM framework for connecting school science with contemporary socio-environmental issues.