BIODIVERSIDADE OCEÂNICA E EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL EM LIVROS DIDÁTICOS DE UMA COLEÇÃO DE CIÊNCIAS DA NATUREZA

Abstract

Environmental Education (EE) is essential for the formation of critical and conscious individuals, especially in the face of contemporary socio-environmental challenges. In the context of Marine and Coastal Environmental Education (MCEE), its importance is amplified by promoting an ethical, scientific, and critical understanding of ocean conservation. In this sense, this dissertation aimed to analyze how marine biodiversity and EE are addressed in a collection of High School Natural Sciences textbooks, distributed by the National Textbook and Didactic Material Program (PNLD) 2021–2024, adopted in state public schools in São Luís – MA. The research is qualitative in nature, with documentary and content analysis, centered on the collection composed of six volumes. Four a posteriori thematics categories were defined: Marine Conservation, Oceanic Ecosystems, Marine Pollution, and Marine Ecosystem Services. A total of 47 excerpts were found in the collection that directly or indirectly addressed oceanic biodiversity and environmental education. The results show that, although the themes are present, a superficiality and fragility are perceived throughout the collection. The predominant type of environmental education was of a pragmatic nature, focused on problem-solving with a technical and instrumental focus, as well as the presence of a conservationist character. The structural causes of the environmental crisis, such as unsustainable production and consumption patterns, were little problematized. Elements of Critical and emancipatory EE appear sporadically, but insufficiently to promote deeper reflections or transformative actions. Furthermore, a fragile articulation with the sustainable development goals (SDG), such as SDG 14, and with the principles of the Ocean Decade is observed, which limits the formative potential of the material. Thus, the need to strengthen and qualify the presence of marine biodiversity and environmental education in textbooks is evident, encouraging pedagogical practices that stimulate critical thinking, engagement, and the protagonism of students in the face of the environmental crisis that drastically affects the oceans, marine and coastal ecosystems, society and environment.