A percepção sobre a questão do lixo de alunos do ensino fundamental de uma escola do município de Niterói, Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The research about the environmental perception is capable of acting as an important diagnose of the situation that the individuals are related to their surroundings, basing on educational environmental projects. The objective of this study is to avaliate the environmental perception through activities associated with environmental education. The proposed activities were performed within school grounds,with 26 students of the nineth year basic education of a public school located in Niterói, integrated with the metropolitan region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The theoretical-methodology references used were the participant observations, a open interview and two questionnaires (initiatory and final) manufactured by the researcher and applied to the subjects of the research: the students. The content of the registers produced by the subjects was submitted to a content analysis. The work was accomplished from march to july 2017, with the application of the inicial questionnarie, activities followed by debates, a lecture about rubbish and their implications done by a expert on the field and a final diagnostic questionnarie, to the study and analysis of the knowledges raised about the themed topics. The debates post activities were audio recorded, under the authorization of the subjects responsibles ,annotated and transcribed. The results were analyzed and discussed. From the activities, it was concluded that the practices along with the debates related to environmental education could contribute to a change of perception by the students about the garbage, which can be observed through the final questionnarie, the questionings made during the lecture and the pronounced debates through the performed activities, despite shortages being detected in relation to some especific topics. It was noticed that the students had learned about the right concepts, as compost and selective collect and that the subjects showed concern with the environment to which they belong when they care about residues found in their spaces. It also were observed that they expanded ther knowlodge about consuming, reusing and recycling, through the activities made and the pronounced lecture. The questionnaire revealed to be an effective method to analyze and comparing prior and post-practical knowledge. The lecture was an environmental educational tool ,because provided discussions and reflections that enable to be noticed in some students answer. It was concluded that the environmental perception is fundamental to comprehend the relation of the subjects with its environment, it can be used as a instrument when planning the environmental education and the presente study can be a tool to contribuite with other academic research of this or other schools located in the same neighborhood, being able to use improved debates so that the students increase their participation and suggest activites that acctually can modify the local reality.