BETWEEN NATURE AND INCLUSION: EXPERIENCES, CURRICULAR ACCESSIBILITY, AND AGENCY OF STUDENTS TARGETED BY SPECIAL EDUCATION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

Abstract

This article analyzes how early-years teachers’ perceptions of nature and experiences mobilized in Science classes are articulated with curricular accessibility conditions for students targeted by Special Education. The qualitative research was conducted as a case study in a public municipal school in João Pessoa, Brazil, and combined document analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with nine classroom teachers and one teacher from Specialized Educational Assistance. Interview transcripts were examined through Discursive Textual Analysis. The findings reveal meanings of nature associated with life, sensory experience, memory, care, and socio-environmental responsibility, as well as limitations related to the lack of green areas. Images, sounds, objects, oral communication, drawing, extended time, and language reorganization constituted access pathways when connected to learning objectives. The study concludes that nature-related experiences can foster curricular accessibility when they are organized according to students’ forms of perception, communication, and agency, while preserving their relationship with shared scientific knowledge.