Integrating cashew culture into Chemistry teaching: an approach based on the Social Representations Theory

Abstract

This investigation focuses on the appropriation of sociocultural elements related to cashew cultivation as a facilitating tool for teaching Chemistry. Using the Social Representations Theory (SRT), a didactic sequence (DS) was developed with the aim of connecting common sense knowledge to scientific knowledge, through a theoretical-practical approach to cashew by-products. The DS involved theoretical, sensorial and experimental aspects, being applied to 24 students in the sixth semester of the Chemistry Degree course at the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusofonia (UNILAB), located in the Maciço de Baturité region/CE. The results obtained demonstrated that the students took ownership of the theme by sharing their previous conceptions through the TRS, relating them to the technical aspects evaluated. Therefore, DS demonstrated to be effective in the Chemistry teaching and learning process, transforming the classroom into a democratic, motivating, representative place and provider of debates and reflections.