Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo
Brazilian Journal of Rural Education
ARTIGO/ARTICLE/ARTÍCULO
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e10817
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
v. 6
e10817
10.20873/uft.rbec.e10817
2021
ISSN: 2525-4863
1
Este conteúdo utiliza a Licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Open Access. This content is licensed under a Creative Commons attribution-type BY
Environmental Education and sustainability: case study at
Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School - Elementary
School, Francisco Alves / PR
Edinei Aparecido Mora
1
, Patrícia Pereira Gomes
2
, Norma Barbado
3
1, 2, 3
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Paraná - IFPR. Programa de Mestrado em Sustentabilidade
(PSU). Rodovia PR 323, KM 310 - Parque Industrial. Umuarama - PR. Brasil.
Author for correspondence: edineimora@gmail.com
ABSTRACT. The rural school can be one of the main spaces
for human transformation, when historicity and local knowledge
are taken into account. Therefore, it is essential to have an
adequate structure and to recognize mechanisms for building the
identity of the subject in the field. Thus, it fosters the
development of a sense of belonging that can transform the
location where the school is located. In this context, this work
aimed to characterize the State School of Campo Padre Antônio
Vieira - Elementary School, located in the district of Rio Bonito,
municipality of Francisco Alves, Paraná (PR) regarding aspects
of environmental education and sustainability. Thus this end, the
qualitative aspects were mainly addressed, using documentary
research methodologies, environmental perception and focus
group analysis. The data obtained were categorized according to
the content analysis methodology. From the information
obtained, some sensitive points related to the sustainability
tripod were observed, such as: In the environmental aspect, it
was found the lack of actions aimed at environmental education
and few correct environmental practices; In the social aspect, the
absence of the feeling of belonging to the school community,
devaluation of the teaching-learning process and abandoned
garden; In the economic aspect, the families' financial
difficulties were observed.
Keywords: elementary school, countryside school,
environmental perception, sense of belonging.
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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2021
ISSN: 2525-4863
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Educação Ambiental e sustentabilidade: estudo de caso na
Escola Estadual do Campo Padre Antônio Vieira – Ensino
Fundamental, Francisco Alves/PR
RESUMO. A escola do campo pode ser um dos principais
espaços da transformação humana, quando se leva em
consideração a historicidade e os conhecimentos locais. Para
tanto, torna-se fundamental a existência de estrutura adequada e
o reconhecimento de mecanismos de construção da identidade
do sujeito do campo. Assim, propicia-se o desenvolvimento do
sentido de pertencimento que pode transformar a localidade
onde a escola está inserida. Nesse contexto, este trabalho teve
como objetivo caracterizar a Escola Estadual do Campo Padre
Antônio Vieira – Ensino Fundamental, localizada no distrito de
Rio Bonito, município de Francisco Alves, Paraná (PR), quanto
aos aspectos da educação ambiental e sustentabilidade. Dessa
forma, abordou-se principalmente os aspectos qualitativos, por
meio das metodologias de pesquisa documental, percepção
ambiental e análise de grupo focal. Os dados obtidos foram
categorizados seguindo a metodologia da análise do conteúdo. A
partir das informações obtidas, foram observados alguns pontos
sensíveis ligados ao tripé da sustentabilidade, como: no aspecto
ambiental verificou-se a carência de ações voltadas para
educação ambiental e poucas práticas ambientais corretas; no
aspecto social, a ausência do sentimento de pertencimento da
comunidade escolar, a desvalorização do processo ensino
aprendizagem e horta abandonada; no aspecto econômico
observou-se a dificuldade financeira das famílias.
Palavras-chave: ensino fundamental, escola do campo,
percepção ambiental, sentido de pertencimento.
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
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2021
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Educación Ambiental y sostenibilidad: estudio de caso en
la Escuela Estatal Campo Padre Antônio Vieira - Escuela
primaria, Francisco Alves / PR
RESUMEN. La escuela rural puede ser uno de los principales
espacios para la transformación humana, cuando se tiene en
cuenta la historicidad y el conocimiento local. Por lo tanto, es
esencial tener una estructura adecuada y reconocer mecanismos
para construir la identidad del sujeto en el campo. Por lo tanto,
fomenta el desarrollo de un sentido de pertenencia que puede
transformar la ubicación donde se encuentra la escuela. En este
contexto, este trabajo tuvo como objetivo caracterizar la Escuela
Estatal de Campo Padre Antônio Vieira - Escuela Primaria,
ubicado en el distrito de Rio Bonito, municipio de Francisco
Alves, Paraná (PR) en relación con aspectos de educación
ambiental y sostenibilidad. De esa forma, los aspectos
cualitativos se abordaron principalmente, utilizando
metodologías de investigación documental, percepción
ambiental y análisis de grupos focales. Los datos obtenidos se
clasificaron según la metodología de análisis de contenido,
estudiada por Bardin (2016). A partir de la información
obtenida, se observaron algunos puntos sensibles relacionados
con el trípode de sostenibilidad, tales como: En el aspecto
ambiental, fue encontrado la falta de acciones dirigidas a la
educación ambiental y pocas prácticas ambientales correctas; En
el aspecto social, la ausencia del sentimiento de pertenencia a la
comunidad escolar, la devaluación del proceso de enseñanza-
aprendizaje y el jardín abandonado; En el aspecto económico, se
observaron las dificultades financieras de las familias.
Palabras clave: escuela primaria, escola do campo, percepción
ambiental, sentido de pertenencia.
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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2021
ISSN: 2525-4863
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Introdução
The school can be a fundamental part
in the critical and constructive shaping of
the human being when it allows the
development of the sense of belonging in
the school community. However, Brazilian
society undergoes constant changes in the
educational process. Rural education is
among the teaching modalities in Brazil,
which is practiced in spaces characterized
as rural schools (EC). Its focus on the
teaching-learning process is aimed at a
population linked to the knowledge of the
land.
According to Federal Decree No.
7352 of November 4, 2010, the EC is the
one located in a rural area, or in an urban
area as long as it predominantly serves the
rural population (Brazil, 2010). However,
they go far beyond geographical spatial
location, since they are instruments of
social mobilization, articulating a political
and economic project for local and
sustainable development. This occurs from
the valorization of the knowledge produced
over time, characterized by the relationship
with nature, family production for
sustenance, work on the land,
neighborhood relations and appreciation of
the local culture. Therefore, rural schools
must strive for an education that empowers
students as subjects capable of
understanding their realities for an active
insertion in the world, which is capable of
causing positive social and environmental
transformations (Alves, Melo & Santos,
2017).
This school has a fundamental role in
the social transformation of the place
where it is inserted, since it works directly
with the social worker. The educator Paulo
Freire sees that the peasantry cannot be a
neutral subject in the world, social
impositions, dehumanization or
humanization, in the face of the statics of
what no longer represents the ways of the
human or the change of these paths, but
rather a human being able to change its
history through systematized knowledge
(Freire, 2014).
It is worth mentioning that
environmental changes are detected in all
media and inevitably in the countryside. In
view of this reality, the ECs play a
fundamental role in the training of students
in relation to Environmental Education
(EA) for a healthy and dignified life. In
addition, with social evolution rural people
need constant updating to break the
geographical barriers that often create the
stigma of inferiority in relation to the
people of the city.
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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2021
ISSN: 2525-4863
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Other than the legal requirement,
rural education should have a look at its
geographical location, since “... the people
have the right to be educated in the place
where they live; the people have the right
to an education thought from their place
and with their participation, linked to their
culture and their human and social needs”
(Caldart, 2002, p. 26). It is worth
mentioning that EC is not a different type
of school, it is just an educational
institution that helps to strengthen the
peasantry as a social subject. It is an
important space for the construction of
knowledge, social emancipation and
transformation of people.
Therefore, this institution may be a
place for the appropriation of scientific
knowledge historically constructed by
humanity. Besides, it may be a place for
the production of knowledge, through the
relationships that take place between the
world of science and everyday life. In this
way, aspects of reality can be the starting
point of the pedagogical process, but never
the point of arrival (Paraná, 2010).
Thereby, it is necessary to understand that
rural education needs a contextualized look
so that teaching practices are meaningful
for the person in education.
The development of the rural student
has to run through the knowledge set in
didactic materials, so that he becomes a
critical subject from his historical context.
This idea is reinforced by Paulo Freire
when stating that one of the most important
tasks of critical educational practice is to
provide conditions, so that the subjects of
EC can go through the profound
experience of coming out in their relations
with others and with educators (Freire,
2000). This thought corroborates for the
individual to assume himself as a social
and historical being a thinking,
communicative, transformative, creative
and dream-fulfilling human being, that is,
able to exercise their social rights and
obligations.
In this sense, one of the greatest
challenges for rural schools is to contribute
to re-establishing the sense of belonging of
the people, so that they recognize
themselves as members of a locality and
reconstruct their identity with the place
where they live (Silva, 2015). It is believed
that when the feeling of belonging arises,
the community recognizes itself and starts
to understand the socio-environmental
reality, respecting its potential and limits.
For this, in their pedagogical practices, the
ECs must prioritize actions that prepare
students for insertion in the real world full
of conflicts and social issues to be
considered. The subject must be prepared
for adaptations that make him capable of
deeply understanding his reality, according
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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ISSN: 2525-4863
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to article 2 of Resolution No. 01/2002, of
the National Education Council/CNE -
Basic Education Chamber, which provides:
The identity of the rural school is
defined by its connection to the
issues inherent to its reality, anchored
in the students' temporality and
knowledge, in the collective memory
that signals future, in the network of
science and technology available in
society and in the social movements
in defense of projects that associate
the solutions required by these issues
to the social quality of collective life
in the country (Brazil, 2002).
Therefore, knowledge must be
available to rural school students in a
meaningful way, so that they can
materialize what science has produced
from their basic knowledge of the world.
In this sense, EA in the countryside gives
teaching a permanent character, which
humanizes and qualifies man and his
relations with the environment (Alves et
al., 2017).
Thereby, professionals working in
rural schools must be continuously trained
to apply methodologies aimed at more
meaningful EA. Education that transforms
the student, builds a conception of
sustainable life and, consequently,
emancipate him for critical discussions
aiming at a better quality of life. This
permanent training is fundamental for the
training of people for life in society.
In this sense, the educator is a
fundamental part in the construction of
knowledge, since he is a direct influencer
in passing on the scientific knowledge
accumulated throughout history, as well as
the examples of daily practice. In this
context, Rambo (2018) reports that, in
Paulo Freire's view, the educator is
involved in the training process for the
autonomy of people. In other words, the
educator who is effectively involved in the
construction of the autonomy of people
positively recognizes the absence of
conservative educational practices (aimed
exclusively at adapting to production) and
thus promotes social evolution.
It is noted, therefore, that EC and EA
are supported by public policy instruments
that expand the possibilities of
implementing effective actions to
strengthen them. This makes the
transdisciplinary integration between the
methodologies of these educational
modalities possible. The merger of EC and
EA can contribute to the critical formation
of the subject, making him a political
citizen, aware of his social and
environmental role. Thereby, this work
aimed to characterize the Campo Padre
Antônio Vieira State School - Elementary
School, regarding the aspects of
environmental education and
sustainability.
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
v. 6
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2021
ISSN: 2525-4863
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Development
It is essential to obtain specific
knowledge about the school community
and the structure that makes up the
educational institution to plan educational
actions. Therefore, this work, carried out at
the Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State
School - Elementary School, district of Rio
Bonito, municipality of Francisco Alves -
PR, presents the following sequence of
subjects: physical and historical
characterization of the study area;
document analysis of the profile of the
students; environmental perception and
local diagnosis of social, economic and
environmental aspects.
Methodology
Characterization of the Study Area
This study was carried out at the
Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School (Figure 1), which
works in the afternoon in its own building,
along with the Glória Xavier de Mendonça
Municipal School - Elementary School, for
1st grade to 5th grade students in the
morning period. The space has five
classrooms, a secretariat room, a
boardroom, a warehouse room, a teachers’
room, four bathrooms, a multipurpose
room (computer lab and classroom time for
teachers), a court sports facility, a kitchen
and a cafeteria.
Figure 1 – Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School – Elementary School.
Source: Edinei Aparecido Mora (2019).
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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2021
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The school has no physical space for
a science laboratory and library, and books
are accumulated in the multipurpose room.
The total area of the land is 9,236.25 m²,
with a built-up area of 600.12 m², a 364.00
m² indoor court, a caretaker's house with
60.16 m² and a reserved space of 45 m² for
a school garden.
Located approximately 14 kilometers
away from its host city (Francisco Alves)
and 635 kilometers from Curitiba, capital
of the state, the district of Rio Bonito
(Figure 2), in the northwest of Paraná, has
about 960 inhabitants. There are about 670
residents of the urban area and 290
residents of the rural area among them
(City Hall of Francisco Alves, 2019).
Figure 2 – Localization of Rio Bonito District from the territorial maps of Brazil, Paraná and the municipality of
Francisco Alves.
Source: Mora, Gomes and Barbado (2020).
In the 1950s the first colonizers
opened a small trail in the forest and
started a village when passing through the
dirt road that connected the cities of
Maringá to Guaíra. At the time, there was a
grocery store and a sawmill that was
responsible for the production of the wood
used in the manufacture of houses. The
surplus was transported by the Piquiri
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
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River, which is approximately three
kilometers from the village.
On April 22, 1968, the Padre
Antônio Vieira School Group was created,
the object of study of this research. At the
beginning of the 1982 academic year, this
institution changed its name to Padre
Antônio Vieira State School – Primary
Education. In 2010, through Opinion No.
1,011/2010 CEE /CEB and State
Resolution No. 4,783/2010, meeting the
criteria required by Federal Decree No.
7,352/2010, it was renamed the Campo
Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School (Pedagogical Political
Project of the Campo Padre Antônio Vieira
State School - Elementary School, 2016).
Methodological procedures
For this study, the focus group
consisted of forty-six students duly
enrolled in the 2019 academic year (named
from A1 to A46, 2019 - the letter A
mentions the term student). These
belonged to the age group of 11 to 15
years, distributed in four classes of
elementary school: 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th
grade. The methodology used for the
development of this research was the case
study, due to its exploratory and
descriptive character (Chart 1). Qualitative
data were collected from real events in
order to explain, explore or describe
current situations within the context of the
Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School
- Elementary School. This research
strategy is based on clarifying a decision or
a set of decisions, as well as why they were
made, how they were conducted and what
results were obtained within a specific
situation (Yin, 2005). For that, the
technical procedures adopted for the
qualitative analysis were document
analysis, environmental perception and
content analysis (Chart 1).
Chart 1 - Methodology used to characterize the Padre Antônio Vieira State School - Elementary School.
Methodology
Technical Procedures
Description
Case Study
Documentary Research*
Data Collection:
Pedagogical Political Project; Curricular Pedagogical Proposals;
Reports issued by the School Registration System (SERE); Floor
plans and records in minutes.
Environmental
Perception**
Pre analysis:
Work organization observing the dialogues between the students
who made up the focus group during regular educational activities,
without any form of interference.
Material Exploration:
Categorization according to the sustainability tripod (social,
environmental and economic aspects).
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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Content Analysis***
Treatment of Results:
Interpretation of the data obtained in order to verify the sense of
belonging of the students in the diagnosis and prognosis.
Source: Own authorship, based on studies by *Kripka, Scheller e Bonotto (2015), **Arruda (2018) and ***
Bardin (2016).
Documentary research (Chart 1) is
defended by Kripka, Scheller and Bonotto
(2015) as a challenge to the ability to
select, treat and interpret information of the
researcher, seeking to understand the
interaction with the source of the
information. When this happens, details are
added to the research and the data collected
becomes more significant.
From the environmental perception
(Chart 1) it was possible to analyze the
different conceptions of the environment.
This made it possible to carry out a
diagnosis and prognosis of the view of the
sustainability tripod of the students.
Corroborating this perspective, Arruda
(2018) states that this method is related to
the way people experience their daily life,
with an emphasis on the physical, cultural,
social and historical dimensions. Thereby,
the environmental perception is based on
the understanding that the human daily life
and its interactions with the environment
where it lives are fundamental to its social,
environmental and economic relations.
The results were analyzed according
to the Content Analysis methodology
(Bardin, 2016). It is a set of
communication analysis techniques that
make it possible to obtain, by systematic
and objective mechanisms for describing
the content of messages, indicators
(quantitative or not) that allow the
inference of knowledge related to the
conditions of production / perception, that
is, variables inferred from the data
obtained.
Discussion and analysis
In 2016, the Padre Antônio Vieira
State School - Elementary School, received
the amount of R$ 8,000.00 from the Direct
Money in School Program - Sustainable
Schools (PDDE). This amount, fixed for
small educational institutions, was destined
to Brazilian rural schools that needed
attention regarding the promotion of a
sustainable space, as well as pedagogical
practices focused on this theme. The
selection of institutions was carried out by
the Ministry of Culture and Education
(MEC), which took into account the
prospect of improvements in the quality of
life of the school community. The federal
resource was destined to building
adaptations and/or training of professionals
who worked directly in the school
community developing actions to promote
sustainability.
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
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At the time, a cistern was installed to
collect and store rainwater (Figure 3),
garbage bins for selective collection, in
addition to making adjustments in
gardening.
Figure 3 - Cistern of the Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School - Elementary School.
Source: Edinei Aparecido Mora (2019).
According to the School Registration
System (SERE), in 2019 the institution
served forty-six students enrolled in the
four classes of elementary school (6th, 7th,
8th and 9th grade), a general director, a
pedagogue, an educational agent I, with the
task of cleaning the school space and
preparing food, an educational agent II,
responsible for the secretariat and legal
documentation, and thirteen teachers from
different areas of knowledge (SERE,
unpublished data). It is worth mentioning
that of all the human resources of the
educational institution, only the principal
resides in the district of Rio Bonito. All
teachers, educators and educational agents
move from other nearby cities to work.
According to the Political Pedagogical
Project (PPP), most students live in
families composed of father and mother,
and a minority with their grandparents.
Their families have a low level of
education: approximately 7% of the
population is illiterate, 67% have
completed elementary school, 25% have
completed high school and only 1% have
completed higher education (PPP,
unpublished data).
Between the years 2014 and 2018,
the number of students varied
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
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considerably, considering the reflection in
2012 when the school underwent
adjustments in the age range (minimum
age for enrollment in the 6th grade of
elementary school) and did not have
enrollments for the 6th grade. This
adequacy was reflected in the subsequent
four years, as well as in the number of
approvals and failures (Chart 2).
Chart 2 – Number of enrolled approved and failed students, disregarding transfers during the academic years.
Year
Number of enrollments
Number of approved
students
Number of failed students
2014
43
40
01
2015
41
32
01
2016
47
33
00
2017
63
55
02
2018
57
45
00
Source: SERE – School Records System. Unpublished data.
The data in Chart 2 show that the
educational institution presents an
expressive number of transfers to the
headquarters school of Francisco Alves, or
even to other municipalities, during the
school year. In addition, the failure rate
was significant in 2017, when the number
of students in the school is taken into
account in relation to the structure
provided by the State.
This institution participates only in
some external evaluation processes, due to
its small size (school with a small number
of students). As an example, there is the
Paraná Mais Test, an external evaluation
process by the Paraná State Department of
Education and Sport. This test takes into
account the proficiency of the students in
the Portuguese language and mathematics
subjects. It is used as a tool of statistical
and comparative character, in order to
subsidize decisions of public educational
policies or within the scope of school
management, aiming to improve the
parameters of quality and equity of
education (Paraná, 2019).
In 2019, students from the 9th grade
of elementary school were evaluated,
which achieved the results shown in Chart
3.
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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Chart 3 - Comparison between the averages of the Paraná Mais Test from the Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State
School - Elementary School (Escola do Campo), Umuarama Regional Education Center (NRE) and Paraná State
Department of Education and Sport (SEED).
Assessed factors
Escola do Campo
NRE
SEED
Portuguese language
234,9
247,7
246,9
Mathematics
282,1
256,6
255,9
Proficiency indicator
Basic or elementary
level
Basic or elementary
level
Basic or elementary
level
Source: Own authorship, based on unpublished data from the external evaluation sector of the State Department
of Education and Sport of Paraná.
The school obtained averages in
Portuguese and mathematics that indicate a
standard of average performance. When
compared to data from the Regional
Education Center of Umuarama, it is noted
that the averages were in the same
classification range. This range belongs to
level 02, also called basic or elementary
level, which indicates that the school needs
improvements in the basic contents for the
subjects of the grade of leaving elementary
school (9th grade).
Despite being part of the same
classificatory range, it was noted that in the
Portuguese language discipline the average
of students at the school is approximately
5% lower than the averages of the
Regional Education Center of Umuarama
and the State of Paraná. On the other hand,
in mathematics, the average of the students
in question is about 10% higher than the
others.
These results indicate that the Campo
Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School is in the same
classification ranges as the Regional
Nucleus of Umuarama and the State of
Paraná, which means that it also needs
more attention to the teaching-learning
process of elementary school students.
It is worth mentioning that this
school directs its actions on the principles
of democratic management, contemplated
by the presence of collegiate bodies, with
institutionalized mechanisms for the
participation of the entire school
community: Association of Parents,
Teachers and Employees (APMF), Class
Council and School Council. However, the
absence of a Student Union was noted,
which would actively represent students in
administrative and pedagogical
discussions.
Environmental perception and local
diagnosis
Social aspects
The locality of Rio Bonito, where the
State of Campo Padre Antônio Vieira -
Elementary School is inserted, offers few
conditions for a healthy social life as
observed in the statements of some
students: “People here drink at night and
at the weekend because there's nothing to
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
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do and no money to go out, to go for a
walk” (A7, 2019). Another point
highlighted by the focus group was the
family social composition, which presents
a considerable number of children living in
different family compositions. In the eyes
of this community, this generates certain
social difficulties explicit in the speech of
the interviewee A11 (2019) “I only live
with my father and my sisters. My father
works all day and only arrives at night, on
the weekend we are alone and have to
clean the house. Has nothing to do. I only
play ball with friends”. Another student
(A37, 2019) reports: “I live with my
grandpa and grandma who are retired,
and it is very difficult because everything is
very expensive here. They are sick and
cannot even buy the medicines”.
A relevant factor for the lack of a
sense of belonging is the absence of
teachers residing in the district of Rio
Bonito, since only the principal lives in the
locality, which impedes the empathy of
educators towards students and hinders the
development of this perception. These
social demands demonstrate the need for
investments by the government in the
district. In this way, the people who live
there would be encouraged to remain there,
which, consequently, would facilitate the
development of the sense of belonging, as
a way of reconstructing history for a
transformation of reality. According to
Santos and Sousa (2018), the bond of
belonging to the place where the subject
lives, needs to be reconstructed so that the
awareness of the socio-environmental
reality is strengthened, recognizing its
potentialities and limits.
Still in the social aspect, it is
noticeable the lack of appreciation of the
school community towards the school
space, as evidenced in the statements of the
students: “My mother thinks that the school
charges a lot and gives her a lot of work
because she keeps calling when I don't I do
chores” (A12, 2019); “The school is good,
but my mother said that soon I will have to
stop studying and work to help around the
house” (A23, 2019). Therefore, the need to
promote concrete actions that take the
school community into its physical space is
evident. In this way, it would be possible
to develop the shared responsibility of the
educational process, guaranteeing the
democratic management that in the eyes of
Dalbério (2008) is only real and effective
when it can count on the participation of
the whole community, participating,
reflecting and interfering as an active
subject.
Economic aspects
In general, the school community of
the Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
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School - Elementary School demonstrates
the presence of economic problems that
affect family and school life. They are
heterogeneous problems with different
origins, among them the geographic
location, lack of jobs, monoculture, low
education level of the population and
scarcity of opportunities.
The students verbalized these
problems when they mentioned: “My
father works on the farm and earns little,
he has no money for anything, nor does he
buy clothes for us. We get a lot from
people here” (A28, 2019). Another
relevant factor highlighted is the difficulty
of access to food products with prices that
are adequate to the consumer market, as
mentioned by the interviewee A41 (2019):
“Everything here is very expensive, there
are only a few markets that sell everything
more expensive. People here do not earn
well because they lack jobs”; “I eat well at
school because at home there is almost no
mix and the principal helps me a lot by
giving the clothes she collects at school”;
“The school helps us a lot, even with food
sometimes. They collect clothes and
distribute it to the people who need it”;
“People here earn little. It is very difficult
to pay rent and eat. We went through
difficulties at home”.
Regarding this, the students
demonstrate a perception of the local
economic reality, which is the typical
Brazilian reality, since the population is
salaried and works in clothing factions for
children, in agriculture and as professional
fishermen earning a low salary that
according to reports from deponent A4
(2019) “you can barely survive”. This
finding by the students is in line with the
Brazilian social inequality process, which
is reflected in the educational process.
Thereby, the more accentuated the poverty
of a region, the lower the educational
effectiveness of the subjects that compose
it. In consonance with this fact, studies by
Helene and Mariano (2020) conclude that,
as a rule, in each Brazilian region the
educational development indicators grow
according to the increase in the average
household income per capita of the
municipalities and decrease with the
increase in inequality, accentuating social
sores.
Environmental aspects
As a reflection of the previous
aspects, environmental issues are also
perceived with a negative critical eye by
the focus group, which recognizes the
sensitive points of the community in
relation to environmental issues. This was
observed in the reports of the deponents
A14, A9 and A21 (2019), respectively:
“Here in this place nobody cares where the
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
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garbage is thrown and we don't even know
where the sewer goes”; “At school there
are colored bins, but I don't know how to
use it or where this garbage goes”; “The
garbage business here in Rio Bonito is
difficult, some throw it in an empty lot and
others put it in the truck that they pick up
every now and then”.
Based on the Maslow Pyramid, in
which, according to Massena and Marinho
(2011), the human being needs to meet his
basic physiological needs (basis of the
pyramid) to later conquer the needs of
security, love, esteem and personal
fulfillment (top of the pyramid). There is a
certain difficulty for the student to develop
an environmental awareness if there are
still basic needs to be achieved. The
statements demonstrate difficulties related
to the formal and non-formal EA
processes, which are reflected in the
community's routine. For Reis, Semedo
and Gomes (2012), actions are needed that
go beyond school walls and reach peasant
families as a way of raising awareness in
the surrounding communities, or even
other communities where school students
reside. Therefore, it is possible to promote
a closer relationship between intra and out
of school with the aim of improving
quality of life.
The school contemplates formal EA
in its official documents and the teachers
claim to work on the theme. However, the
reflection of this work has not yet reached
the relatives of students, as reported by
deponent A30 (2019): “The school
principal, teachers and secretary talked
about environmental education, but I don't
know how it is. They never talk about it at
home”. In this context, the integration
between formal and non-formal EA is
essential for the development of a critical
awareness of the entire school community.
This change in attitudes of people occurs
through the transmission of information
and political and socio-cultural training
according to Silva and Pontes (2015).
According to the authors, this occurs with
the purpose of expanding knowledge about
the world in which the subject is inserted
and its social relations, based on the
principles of social justice and equality.
Thereby, it is noted that the EA
worked in this school space is being
insufficient as a tool for social changes and
improvement in the quality of life. This
finding was also presented in the work of
Rosa (2015), carried out in 24
municipalities in the metropolitan region of
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. The author did not
identify the presence of EA practices
related to the context of reality and
environmental problems in which the
analyzed schools are inserted. Therefore,
he concluded that there is a need for a
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
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review of the pedagogical mechanisms
applied and the actions of non-formal EA.
From this analysis in the
environmental aspect, it was realized that
issues related to solid waste, correct use of
water and basic sanitation are not
considered important for the local
population. The school community does
not appropriate the knowledge of EA,
creating the need for actions that promote a
change in local behavior.
In terms of aspects related to the
sustainability tripod, the focus group
reported weaknesses in the three segments.
The school is not seen as an integrating
space and capable of promoting social
changes, thus requiring concrete actions
that promote its approach to the
community. All the weak points listed
converge with the need for educational
training that includes the contents of
formal EA associated with field education
methodologies. To this finality, it is
essential to maintain the continuous
investment in the training of teachers and
the management team in order to
strengthen actions that directly reflect on
the teaching-learning process.
In this way, it would be possible to
go beyond the school walls and carry out
non-formal EA actions, with the purpose of
developing the sense of belonging of the
local population. Only then, would
improvements in the quality of life of the
school community be made possible.
Final considerations
The Campo Padre Antônio Vieira
State School - Elementary School is
attended by subjects from the countryside
who need a special look at the teaching-
learning process, especially in the
perspective that takes into account the
appreciation of local history, related to
environmental education issues.
Through this study, it was found that
this school community has some
weaknesses regarding aspects of the
sustainability tripod, such as: in the
environmental aspect, the lack of actions
aimed at environmental education and few
correct environmental practices; in the
social aspect, the absence of the feeling of
belonging, devaluation of the teaching-
learning process and abandoned garden; in
the economic factor, the financial difficulty
of the families was noted, therefore
requiring concrete actions of
environmental education, associated with
the methodologies of rural education, so
that the students recognize themselves as
an integral part of the struggle for a more
just society.
The fact that a large number of
professionals who work at the school do
not reside in the district affects the
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
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effectiveness of the school space as an
instance of development of the sense of
belonging. In order to soften the
weaknesses pointed out, it is suggested the
constitution of the representativeness of the
students through the student union, a
collegiate body of participation in
educational decisions. In addition, it is
essential that there is continued training for
all professionals working in the school
space, in order to develop the integration
between the contents of EA and the
methodologies of EC, promoting a more
meaningful teaching to the countryside
person.
Given the above, it can be inferred
that a rural community that is imbued with
the feeling of local and social belonging,
gains strength to fight for its ideals and to
break the barriers imposed by the capitalist
means of production, which also does not
take into account environmental issues.
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Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021). Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School -
Elementary School, Francisco Alves / PR...
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Article Information
Received on April 29th, 2020
Accepted on October 10th, 2020
Published on May, 16th, 2021
Author Contributions: Edinei Aparecido Mora:
Application of the research and writing of this article as
part of his Master's thesis in Sustainability. Patrícia Pereira
Gomes (co-supervisor): Participation in the interpretation
of data, writing and proofreading of the text. Norma
Barbado (supervisor): Participation in the proposal writing,
data interpretation, and text revision. All authors approved
the final published version.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Article Peer Review
Double review.
Funding
No funding.
How to cite this article
APA
Mora, E. A., Gomes, P. P., & Barbado, N. (2021).
Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at
Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School - Elementary
School, Francisco Alves / PR. Rev. Bras. Educ. Camp., 6,
e10817. http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e10817
ABNT
MORA, E. A.; GOMES, P. P.; BARBADO, N.
Environmental Education and Sustainability: Case Study at
Campo Padre Antônio Vieira State School - Elementary
School, Francisco Alves / PR. Rev. Bras. Educ. Camp.,
Tocantinópolis, v. 6, e10817, 2021.
http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e10817