Contributions of pedagogical resources on skin cancer for science literacy in elementary school

• Main Authors: Patricia Marega, Marcelo Leite da Veiga, Maria Rosa Chitolina
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná 2019-12-01
• Series: ACTIO: Docência em Ciências
• Subjects: alfabetização científica; ensino fundamental; ferramentas pedagógicas; câncer de pele.
• Online Access: https://periodicos.utfpr.edu.br/actio/article/view/10504

According to the National Cancer Institute (INCA, 2018), children are exposed to the sun three times more than adults annually. Research indicates that childhood is a particularly vulnerable phase to the sun's harmful effects. Cumulative and excessive exposure to it during the first 10 to 20 years of life greatly increases the risk of skin cancer in adulthood or old age. Therefore, this study evaluated assessed the contributions of the use of ludic-interactive pedagogical resources comprising the skin cancer issue for the promotion of Scientific Literacy of students from the 3rd to the 9th of Elementary School from two rural public schools. The research applied a qualitative multiple cases study methodology. A workshop was conducted, in which the students received a paradidactic booklet, a folder and a flyer approaching the skin cancer issue. The students interacted with the material and could take it home. The field notes, the questionnaires and a text written by the students about the discussed issue were used as the data collection instrument. The methodology employed for processing the data was based on descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results evidenced that the pedagogical resources allowed the organization, appropriation and apprehension of scientific concepts towards the causes, prevention and identification of skin cancer. It was also possible to highlight several indicators of scientific literacy, as well as the construction of sense and meaning, enabling the student to act and choose with autonomy, based on scientific knowledge. Thus, it is expected that students become critical agents and autonomous citizens, able to connect school learning and daily life, intervening in the environment in which they are inserted.