Percepção ambiental e mapas mentais: um diagnóstico dos alunos acerca do ecossistema manguezal

Abstract

The objective of the present work is to analyze the importance of mental maps in the environmental perception of students of the 6th year of Science Teaching, regarding the mangrove ecosystem. To do so, the students were asked to represent the mangrove through drawings (mental maps), in order to evaluate the level of environmental perception and how the mangrove ecosystem is seen by these students. The analysis was made through thematic categorization, allowing the systematization and interpretation of the information contained in the essays on the topics most cited by the students. In the mental maps and essays it was observed that the landscape affects the individual and vice versa, through diversities of positive and negative interpretations, with some distorted and derogatory visions regarding the mangrove ecosystem. The results reveal the need to take a more integrative and systemic approach to the subjects discussed in the classroom, revealing the urgency to review the methods and practices used during the teaching process.