On the ways Cultural-Historical Theory is used in Science Education Research by members of CNPq research groups

[This is an English translation of a peer-reviewed article originally published in Portuguese]. There has been a noticeable growth in Science Education research that adopts CulturalHistorical Theory as its theoretical framework. Although some reflection on this area has been developed in recent years, several questions remain open. In this context, the presentstudy aims to engage with the intersection of theoretical and methodological perspectives inorder to reflect on the characteristics, organization, and trends of Science Education researchin its appropriation of Cultural-Historical Theory. Our research question is: what are the characteristics of the appropriation of Vygotsky and Leontiev by Science Education researchers who are members of CNPq Research Groups focused on Cultural-Historical Theory? To this end, we investigated the academic production of 174 scholars affiliated with 97 CNPq Research Groups that formally indicate Cultural-Historical Theory as a guidingframework for their work. Our findings reveal that Vygotsky and Leontiev are seldom addressed together. Approximately half of our sample consists of papers that cite Vygotsky only superficially. This finding helps clarify how the field of Science Education appropriates this theoretical framework. Furthermore, Vygotsky’s work is more dominant than Leontiev’s – an expected result in the broader field of Education, and one that is also observed within Science Education.