Os jovens, a ciência e a biodiversidade: um estudo dos interesses de estudantes a partir de um recorte de um município do interior de SP

Abstract

The aim of this final course project was to collect data on the interests of students from a city in the interior of the state of São Paulo in relation to biodiversity education. This study is an excerpt from a larger and more comprehensive project entitled “BIOTA-FAPESP Program in basic education: possibilities for curricular integration”, which aimed to develop teaching actions about Brazil's biological heritage. As part of an ongoing effort to characterize young students' perceptions of science and technology, the project identified data indicating a low level of interest in local biodiversity among students in southeastern Brazil. This data is consistent with other research findings that also indicate a low level of knowledge on this topic among this group of students. In this sense, trying to understand the interests of these students in order to support future educational actions would be an alternative to overcome this indifference to the topic. In this way, a quantitative questionnaire, known as the Brazil Barometer, was used to assess young people's attitudes towards science and technology. The survey was conducted in the second semester of 2022 at three different schools, with 138 students aged 15 participating. The results suggest that there is a high interest in human biology content, such as the study of diseases and medicinal herbs, as well as a high willingness to learn about plant, animal and microscopic diversity through the lens of danger and curiosity. Given these data, it is necessary to reflect on pedagogical alternatives that make the teaching of biodiversity more interesting for students and allow them to obtain enough information to develop an effective attitude towards the protection and conservation of the local environment.