Percepção de estudantes do ensino fundamental em zona urbana e rural em Santarém (PA) sobre aquecimento global e sua relação com a Amazônia

Abstract

We had investigated the students' perception about global warming (GW) in two municipal elementary schools in Santarém (Pará State, Brazil).We asked them about GW concepts, relationships between GW and Amazonia, how schools have dealt with this subject, and what the media they have access to get information about it. Opened and closed questionnaires were applied to 249 students (148 from the urban zone and 101 from the countryside) in the 8th and 9th grades of each school. Opened questionnaires were analyzed by the Discourse of the Collective Subject (DCS) technique. Meanwhile, closed questionnaires were quantitatively analyzed by tables and graphs. We identified seven central ideas (CI) in each class from the urban zone, related to 14 discourses about GW concept and the relationship between GW and Amazonia. On the other hand, countryside school data showed 15 CI corresponding to seven DCS from the 8th grade and eight DCS from the 9th grade. All interviewed students' groups presented discourses and GW concepts focused on environmental pollution caused by human beings. GW concepts did not differ between urban zone and countryside. Relationships between GW and Amazonia were focused on the degradation caused by humans through deforestation, forest fires and pollution. Schools' staff has discussed with students about GW by exercises and reading, especially in Geography. However, National Curricular Parameters and Municipal Teaching Program have not been followed accordingly enough. According to the students' answers, debate on GW has been disseminated by television, internet (urban zone) and textbooks (countryside). Using the media information might be an important debate tool at schools by encouraging students, but scientific base is necessary to enrich the discussion by using scientific papers and other resources on this field.