O ensino de ciências e a educação especial na perspectiva inclusiva: compreensão de professores(as) da rede municipal de Camaçari na Bahia

Abstract

Schools must be welcoming and inclusive environments for all people. Understanding disabilities, knowledge related to inclusion, the sense of responsibility regarding its promotion—in short, the importance given to this topic by the actors within the school community—is linked to how educational institutions position themselves on this issue, including or excluding students from the educational process. Therefore, this research seeks to answer the following research question: How do science teachers in the final years of elementary school at two schools in Camaçari, Bahia, understand pedagogical strategies for the inclusive education of special education students and relate them to the foundations of Lev Vygotsky's Historical-Cultural Theory (HCT)? Vygotsky's relevance to this investigation lies in the fact that, in Historical-Cultural Theory, human beings are viewed as historical-social beings. Consequently, their formation and development are intrinsically linked and strongly influenced by social interactions, which directly connects with inclusive education strategies. Therefore, the overall objective of this research is to: Investigate the understanding of elementary school science teachers (final years), working at two schools in Camaçari, Bahia, regarding pedagogical strategies that promote inclusive teaching for special education students, and how this understanding articulates with the precepts of Lev Vygotsky's Historical-Cultural Theory (HT). The research was conducted in two schools in Camaçari, Bahia, both located in the municipality. A sample of nine science teachers participated. The research is based on Lev Vygotsky's Historical-Cultural Theory and adopts a qualitative approach. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire organized into five thematic blocks. At a certain stage, teachers were presented with statements about the use of inclusive pedagogical strategies related to THC, so that after analyzing the responses, it would be possible to identify their understanding of the subject. Descriptive statistical analysis was used for data analysis. At the end of the study, it was possible to observe evidence of little teacher engagement on the topic; however, it was observed that they have a reasonable understanding of inclusion and demonstrate that, when teaching science in their classrooms with students with disabilities, they are concerned about including them in the teaching-learning process.