CHEMISTRY PRESENT IN THE FINAL YEARS OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND DIFFICULTIES POINTED OUT BY TEACHERS

Abstract

This research sought to understand some of the difficulties of Science teachers in the process of teaching and learning Chemistry, specifically in the Final Years of Elementary School. From a qualitative perspective, data were collected through documents, questionnaires and interviews. Initially, a document analysis on the subject was carried out, in order to better understand it and support the analyses. Then, a questionnaire was applied to know the profile of the teachers. Finally, interviews were carried out that made it possible to point out the main challenges in teaching Chemistry content. With the data, we were able to conclude that the difficulties pointed out are, in some way, related to the teacher, student, curriculum and infrastructure categories. In the teacher category, aspects related to initial training stood out, which is in Biological Sciences, not in Chemistry. As for the student category, the notes are related to the difficulty of abstracting the contents and using mathematics as a tool for the Sciences. With regard to the infrastructure category, the data point to available or necessary resources and the conditions for their use. Regarding the curriculum category, the teachers pointed out their own difficulty in specific contents of Chemistry. In addition, the implications of the curricular organization of contents in official documents were highlighted.