O tema da poluição sonora como objeto da investigação científica-cultural para a promoção da cidadania

Abstract

Physics teaching in Brazilian basic education faces a severe crisis, characterized by a traditional approach that prioritizes the memorization of formulas to the detriment of conceptual understanding and its application in everyday life. This model, in which knowledge remains isolated from the student's reality, fails to promote the scientific literacy necessary for the full exercise of citizenship. This work aims to develop, implement, and analyze an educational intervention on noise pollution, based on the articulation between the Science, Technology, and Society (STS) approach and the scientific-cultural investigation framework, to evaluate its influence on students' perceptions of their attitudes toward Science and their citizenship practices. The scientific-cultural investigation framework is structured into three integrated contexts: conceptual investigation, aimed at the development of theoretical thinking; scientific practice, which immersed students in the procedures and values of investigative activity; and cultural investigation, which mediated the connection between school knowledge and the political and social dynamics of the community. The research, characterized as a mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) case study, was conducted with volunteer students from the 2nd year of high school at a state school in Minas Gerais. The didactic sequence, structured in nine lessons, involved various strategies such as the analysis of wave phenomena using slinky springs, acoustic insulation tests, the construction of decibel meters with the Arduino platform for data collection on noise in the school and the community, the spatialization of these data in noise maps, and the study of municipal legislation, culminating in the presentation of a manifesto at the City Council. Data collection occurred through two Likert scale questionnaires (pre- and post-intervention) and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative analysis (paired t-test) indicated that attitudes toward Science did not show a statistically significant change (p = 0.1138). In contrast, a statistically significant increase (p < 0.01) was observed in the students' perception of their citizenship practices. The thematic analysis of the interviews revealed greater interest and engagement in the Physics subject, which came to be perceived as an instrument for reading reality, and also showed a valorization of citizenship practices aimed at social intervention, such as monitoring, reporting, and an ethical stance, aiming at the well-being of the community. It is concluded that the proposed theoretical articulation can contribute to overcoming school encapsulation by promoting a model of participatory citizenship, demonstrating to students the importance of exercising their social rights and duties based on scientific knowledge. As an inseparable result of the investigative process, this work presents the Educational Product entitled "Som, Cidade e Cidadania", configuring a replicable pedagogical proposal for Physics teaching aimed at sociopolitical action.