Agrochemicals, Chemical Solutions and Sustainability: a Teaching Experience Towards Socio-Scientific Activism

Abstract

Herein, we report a teaching experience of applying a didactic sequence on chemical solutions, having the theme of agrochemicals as a socio-scientific controversy and contextualization for the socio-scientific activism of students. It is a study on the teaching of Chemistry under the Science, Technology and Society (STS) approach and aims to describe the results of factual, conceptual, procedural and attitudinal knowledge learning, relating them to the socio-scientific activism of high school students. The research is qualitative and exploratory-descriptive, constituting data through questionnaires, written activities and student experiment reports. As for sociopolitical learning, the work presented by students in the classroom and in a Science Fair at the school constituted the data sources. It was possible to identify that most students understand different factors that constitute the problem of agrochemicals and their STS relationships, and that the learning of knowledge about chemical solutions was significant. It is concluded that the promotion of sociopolitical action can be an important tool for learning in Chemistry and for disseminating the concepts of sustainability, that are strongly related to several goals of the UM Sustainable Development Goals such as quality education, safe food, sustainable agriculture and a better environment.