Values have been considered an important teaching subject mainly when it deals with certain themes like the environment. A qualitative analysis of three sets of Natural Sciences textbooks utilized in the last series of Brazilian Primary Schools has been realized aiming to identify how the values dimension of environmental themes has been focused. The dominance of anthropocentric views was shown, where nature was valued according to its utility for human beings. Additionally, other problematic aspects identified were: the prevalence of a scientific knowledge over alternative ways of knowing, the individual human action in contrast to the collective and the simplified demonstration of environmental laws. One of the analyzed sets, however, values the collective work of the students, as well emphasizes the esthetic dimension, implying a less utilitarian world view, pointing out a more appropriate treatment of the value content in the environmental themes.
Environmental education; Values education; Science textbooks; Primary School