A concepção de natureza na Geografia escolar: uma análise das representações sociais de estudantes do ensino fundamental

• Autor(a) principal: Martins, Cheles Batista
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UERJ
• Texto Completo: http://www.bdtd.uerj.br/handle/1/13479
• topic: Representation; Nature; Geography; Geography Teaching; Representação; Natureza; Geografia; Ensino de Geografia; CNPQ::CIENCIAS HUMANAS::GEOGRAFIA

Sociospacial transformations have provoked major worries concerning environmental problems. In this context, Geography has an essential role as one of its key concepts is nature. However, this concept has multiple meanings which vary according to time and space. In Geography, the concept of nature has been through a number of transformations which have influenced the ways of dealing with science and of teaching Geography contents. This has consequences in elaborating the idea of nature by students. Concerning the geography renovation movement at schools during the last decades, in which attention is focused to its transforming role, it is possible to question the conception of nature which has been constructed during Geography classes. This is a major concern as the concept of Geography shall influence students understanding concerning environmental questions. From this perspective, the present work aims at analyzing the conception of nature constructed by students at elementary school from the school content presented by Geography. The specific objectives include understanding the concept of nature in the field of geographic science from the XIX century on and its approach concerning teaching; investigating students social representations about nature; analyzing these social representations discussing its proximities and distancings in relation to the concepts of nature present in geographic science romantic, anthropocentric and geosystemic conceptions. The methodology starts from the qualitative research approach regarding the following actions: 1) literature review about the concept of nature in Geography in three moments which have marked its systematization and epistemological transformation; the holistic, the positivist and the ecologic paradigms (Moreira, 2008); 2) collecting data concerning social representations of nature form students from the sixth grade at elementary school based on the theory of social representation (Moscovici,1978); 3) conducting questionnaires with teacher in order to characterize the participating group and obtain complementary information; 4) analyzing collected data. The conception of the nature of students in geography classes is plural and multifaceted, because it is not a vision influenced by particular philosophical current geographical thought, but of ideas that express either an idyllic and contemplative nature, and now a nature use-feature. Most students understand nature from a romantic and naturalistic perspective, presenting it as a part of space that has not been altered by man. Another significant part of students understands nature from a utilitarian and anthropocentric perspective, placing it as an indispensable resource. Therefore, the mind maps and speeches present an idea of nature external to man and that can be contemplated and / or dominated by him. The teachers of Geography share the vision of nature of their students, characterizing it as external to man, but re-signified by him in the context of his social practices. They affirm the relevance, the methodological difficulties and the necessary changes in the teaching of nature. This work notes the importance of school geography in the construction of the social representation of nature, and points out a new methodological and theoretical possibility through the application of social representation theories in this research field.