Environmental Education Practice: perception of elementary school teachers in municipal public schools in Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)

Abstract

Environmental Education (EE) results from the concern with the negative impacts of human actions on the environment and the need to form more environmentally conscious citizens. The study aimed to know the perception of science and geography teachers in relation to EE and how it has been worked with students of final years of elementary school in public schools in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). An invitation was sent by email to teachers for survey participation, which contained the interview’s objectives detail and the Informed Consent Form (ICF). The virtual questionnaire was released upon ICF acceptance confirmation and it was replied by 10 teachers from eight schools. It was found that EE is worked in a superficial and disciplinary way, not complying with the National Environmental Education Policy. Teachers lack of an adequate training to practice in EE, as they do not have a clear concept of its meaning. The actions taken are isolated without focus on the local reality. Besides, they are insufficient to promote changes in students’ habits. In the EE concept, actions that promote changes are necessary for the effectiveness of its practice.