Educação ambiental nas escolas da região de Ribeirão Preto (SP): concepções orientadoras da prática docente e reflexões sobre a formação inicial de professores de química Environmental education in secondary schools in the region of Ribeirão Preto (SP, Brazil): how teachers' views of the environment determine their teaching and some reflections on chemistry teachers' higher education

• Published in: Química nova Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 688 - 693
• Main Authors: Daniela Gonçalves de Abreu, Maria Lúcia A. M. Campos, Márcia B. R. Aguilar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Química 01.01.2008
• Subjects: environment; recycling programs; waste disposal
• ISSN: 0100-4042; 1678-7064
• DOI: 10.1590/S0100-40422008000300037

During short courses, 95 secondary school teachers from 49 state schools and 421 students from the Ribeirão Preto region (in Sao Paulo state, Brazil, with a population of 530,000) were asked to fill in different questionnaires. The points raised in the teacher's questionnaire were used as a guide to establish a continuous dialogue during the short courses. Most of the schools claimed to have some kind of environmental education (EE). Based on the questionnaires and dialogues we analyzed how the teachers' perceptions on EE reflect on the views secondary students hold about their own responsibility for preserving the environment. The role of universities in the preparation of chemistry teachers capable of effectively approaching EE is also discussed.