CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND PLASTIC WASTE IN DUQUE DE CAXIAS

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Abstract

This article describes a study grounded in Critical Environmental Education, conducted with 9th-grade students at a public school in Duque de Caxias (RJ), a territory marked by social inequalities and socio-environmental conflicts. The proposal was based on the problematization of plastic waste and its production and disposal chain, articulating social, economic, and environmental dimensions of the local context. The interdisciplinary practices sought to promote students’ critical reflection on the environmental impacts of the plastic production chain, particularly in Guanabara Bay and in the area surrounding the school. In this context, the activities highlighted the biodiversity of mangrove ecosystems, the work of local fishers, and recyclable waste pickers from the former Gramacho landfill. Thus, the project aimed to strengthen students’ connection with their territory. The results indicated the development of a more systemic and territorially grounded understanding of the socio-environmental impacts of plastic, as well as increased student engagement with local socio-environmental issues. It was therefore possible to conclude that Science teaching, guided by Critical Environmental Education, holds significant potential for fostering more autonomous, critical, and participatory subjects in addressing local socio-environmental challenges.

Author Biographies

Mariane Rodrigues dos Santos, Afya Universidade Unigranrio

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). Earned a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering (PEAMB-UERJ), with a research focus on wastewater treatment, and a Master’s degree in Science and Mathematics Education from the Graduate Program in Science and Health Education at Afya Universidade Unigranrio, where the research addressed plastic waste within the framework of Critical Environmental Education.

Has been a teacher in the municipal public school system of Duque de Caxias since 2016. In 2015, was a CNPq scholarship holder as a Local Innovation Agent (ALI), providing specialized consulting services to micro and small enterprises through SEBRAE. Received a CNPq International Undergraduate Sandwich Scholarship, completing two semesters in the Oceanography program at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPG), Spain.

Completed a one-year internship at the Echinodermata Laboratory at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), under the supervision of Dr. Lúcia Campos, gaining experience in zoological collection curation and in the sorting and identification of marine invertebrates. Served as a volunteer intern in the Coral-Sol Project, trained by the Marine Biodiversity Institute (UERJ), and in the Ilhas do Rio Project, trained by the Mar Adentro Institute.

For two years, was a PIBID scholarship holder at UNIRIO and worked as a mediator at the CECIERJ Foundation in the science outreach project Caravana da Ciência.

Giseli Capaci Rodrigues, UNIGRANRIO

Docente do Programa de Pós-graduação em Ensino de Ciências e Saúde (PPGECS)  da Afya - Universidade Unigranrio

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Published

2025-12-11

How to Cite

Rodrigues dos Santos, M., & Rodrigues, G. C. (2025). CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND PLASTIC WASTE IN DUQUE DE CAXIAS. Revista De Educação, Ciências E Matemática, 15(1). Retrieved from https://publicacoes.unigranrio.edu.br/recm/article/view/9730

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2025): Publicação Contínua - Revista de Educação, Ciências e Matemática

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Artigos

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