ACTION RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGICAL TRIANGULATION IN THE INVESTIGATION OF PERCEPTIONS OF A GROUP OF STUDENTS OF BASIC EDUCATION ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

ABSTRACT:

Action research has been used to address various issues in school and offers possibilities for teacher-researcher to better understand their school reality and improve his/her praxis. This study was conducted in a municipal school in Rio de Janeiro using the action research approach to address a cross-cutting theme in science education - environmental education (EE). The work was motivated by the following reflections: Are students interested in discussing EE?; Are students encouraged by the school to think about environmental issues? We collected perceptions of a group of elementary students about the environment. They participated in the following activities: photographic record of the school neighborhood, and focus groups. Our goal was to get a picture of how students perceived their relationship with the environment. The methodological triangulation allowed us to explore results in more detail and gave insight into the interest of students in discussing EE and related issues at school.

Keywords:
Action research; Environmental education; Science education; Focus group; Methodological triangulation