Children's drawing as a diagnostic tool, environmental perception, and evaluation of environmental education actions

Abstract

We have reached a critical point in relation to the use of natural resources, where air, water and land pollution have caused degradation of air quality, water scarcity, soil infertility and social injustices. In view of this scenario, environmental management, environmental perception and environmental education actions stand out to remedy this context. This article presents the results of a qualitative research carried out based on the development of environmental education actions in a community at risk and in socio-environmental vulnerability. The diagnosis of how children participating in a project perceive nature, before and after the environmental education actions implemented, was carried out in an attempt to understand the changes that occurred in their relationships with their space and nature. In view of the public composed of children from 6 to 8 years old, drawings were used, which were then interpreted through content analysis. As a result of the intervention, it was identified that the students began to perceive themselves as part of nature and the agents that act in their spaces and that the relationship and the environmental perception of the students changed, going from an environmental perception outside of context with reality, to a contextualized and participative environmental management perception.