Perceptions of fourth-year chemistry students about sustainability

Abstract

Since the Industrial Revolutions, environmental problems have begun to emerge globally, and with them has come a concern for the preservation of nature, environmental sustainability, especially in the school environment, addressed by students through Environmental Education. In this educational context, the aim of this study was to present and discuss the perceptions of fourth-year students on the Chemistry Technical course at the State Professional Education Center (CEEP) in the city of Cianorte, Paraná, on issues involving sustainability. To this end, we carried out a qualitative study in which the students answered a questionnaire on sustainability. Data was collected through a workshop on the relationship between selective collection and recycling. The data was processed using the content analysis methodology, with pre-analysis, exploration of the material and treatment of the results. Among the results found, it was possible to see the students' concern about wasting water and the use of chemistry in a positive way for the development of the environment. However, we also found a gap in their learning regarding the concept of reverse logistics, as 96% of them did not know what the subject was.