A percepção e a educação ambiental de estudantes do ensino médio do distrito de Nova Pinheirópolis, Porto Nacional - TO

Abstract

Environmental problems have intensified with the transformation in human life and the need for greater access to natural resources. The consumerist model adopted by society is unviable in the long term. Environmental problems have become increasingly common worldwide and have become normalized due to the need for exploitation. Not all people understand the damage caused to the environment and its impact on society. Environmental Education has emerged as a possibility for changing the relationship between human beings and the environment, so that citizens realize their responsibility for environmental problems and seek ways to mitigate the damage caused. It is essential that Environmental Education addresses the relationship between human beings and the environment, so that students and citizens understand their interrelationship and dependence on nature, so that changes can be made that achieve the structuring of a truly sustainable society. The general objective of this study was to understand the environmental perception of high school students at the Alfredo Nasser State School, located in the district of Nova Pinheirópolis in Porto Nacional-TO, through mental maps. The interpretation of the mental maps was based on the methodology developed by Salete Kozel (2009), which involves decoding the signs used in the representation. The concept of environmental perception was used, as advocated by Timothy Ingold (2000), in which he seeks to eliminate the historically constructed separation between human beings and the environment, in such a way that the human being is not something external to the environment but rather part of it. The students identified several environmental problems in the district of Nova Pinheirópolis through the representations in the mental maps, including deforestation, fires and garbage. It was possible to identify that the students have discernment regarding the environmental problems present, but the lack of representation of human elements in the representations was observed, raising other questions regarding the students' understanding of environmental problems and the responsibility of human beings. The activities suggested to be developed at the Alfredo Nasser State School aim to use the reality experienced by the students as an aid to teaching, so that the students' prior knowledge is taken into account and the relationship between human beings and the environment is absorbed by them.