The concept of protein and its synthesis is important in order to understand biotechnology processes, such as the production of new drugs, an area in great progress. Thus, this study aimed to verify, among high school students, what kinds of ideas these students have about protein and protein synthesis, and what kind of influence contributed to the formulation of such concepts, through a diagnostic questionnaire with open questions, that was administered to 133 students from a public school and a private school. The results analyzed were based on the categorization of responses. We conclude that although the students having already studied the issues related to proteins, they still carried traces of alternative conceptions, which provided valuable information about possible failures in the learning process. Thus, to have a "reinterpretation" of these concepts, it is necessary that the discussions of this topic are expanded, linking them to related content which has previously been researched.
Protein; Biology teaching; High school; Teaching-learning
