Uma investigação sobre a temática bioma Pampa no curso de Ciências da Natureza da Universidade Federal do Pampa, em Uruguaiana, RS

Abstract

The Pampa biome is the only one of the six Brazilian biomes restricted to a single state, Rio Grande do Sul, where it occupies more than half of the territory. This ecosystem has a considerable wealth of biodiversity and is extremely important for the population that inhabits it, with the economy and culture of the state closely linked to the biome. However, urban expansion and extensive agricultural activities put this fragile environment at constant risk, with Pampa being considered a neglected ecosystem according to the literature. The lack of knowledge about this environment is one of the greatest threats to its preservation and education and scientific dissemination are possible ways to reverse this scenario. The school and the university represent favorable environments for the construction of knowledge that enables the development of environmental and conservationist awareness of individuals in training. However, the role of the teacher in this process is of extreme importance, since it is the teacher who is responsible for mediating the construction of this knowledge. In this context, the Federal University of Pampa, located within the territory of the Pampa biome, is responsible for the initial training of teachers. Among the 10 campuses that make up the institution, the Uruguaiana campus has a degree course in Natural Sciences, training professional teachers who will work in basic education in the áreas of natural sciences, chemistry, physics and biology. Thus, the present study sought to investigate the approach of the Pampa biome theme in the course of Natural Sciences at UNIPAMPA Uruguaiana through the documentary analysis of the Pedagogical Project of the Course and the students' perceptions about the Pampa biome. Classes of freshmen and finalists enrolled in the academic year of 2019 were investigated through the application of a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed through content analysis, word cloud technique and percentages. The documental analysis of the pedagogical project of the course revealed that the Pampa biome is approached in an unsatisfactory and decontextualized way, being restricted to two curricular components of the course, not providing subsidies for the development of the theme. As for academics, the results point to inadequate and fragmented perceptions about the Pampa biome, indicating a decontextualized and insignificant teaching. The data found corroborate the data demonstrated for students of basic education in similar studies for the west of Rio Grande do Sul, allowing to infer that the lack of knowledge constitutes a gap that permeates all instances of education. Thus, this study points to the need to reformulate the pedagogical project of the course in order to adapt it to the environmental reality of the region focused on the Pampa biome and for a more in-depth investigation with academics and the faculty of Natural Sciences to understand the difficulty in approaching the theme in the context of science education aiming to fill the gaps in knowledge and contribute to reverse the neglect scenario that the Pampa biome suffers.