A química dos agrotóxicos e inseticidas naturais para o ensino médio

Abstract

Pesticides are substances used to control pests in agriculture. With the increase in agricultural production, Brazil has become one of its biggest consumers in the world. Promoting knowledge of these substances, their properties, risks and benefits is essential, as it will serve as a basis for decision-making regarding their use, thus avoiding damage to ecosystems. These facts show the need to explore this theme in teaching. The main objective of this work was to investigate which pesticides are used in the local community and to select some concepts in organic chemistry in high school and to assess qualitatively and quantitatively how the theme “pesticides in chemistry education” has been addressed in classrooms in Brazil. It was found that the theme is still little explored, with greater incidence in the last year of regular high school and occurring mainly in rural schools or urban schools with a public predominantly from rural areas. The research confirms the importance of exploring themes in the student's daily life, so that he/she realizes the presence of chemistry in his/her life.