THE SCIENCE TEXTBOOK OF THE STATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ITABUNA-BA: AN ANALYSIS GUIDED ON SEXUALITY AND HUMAN REPRODUCTION FROM THE CTS PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Reproduction is a biological phenomenon of great importance for living beings, as it is responsible for the perpetuation of species on the planet. However, in the human species, individuals also relate sexually to obtain pleasure and not just for reproduction. Human sexuality is therefore considered complex, as it involves various social, cultural, economic, psychological, ethical and religious factors. Thus, when working with this content, it is necessary to include social themes in order to contribute to the critical and responsible education of students. To do this, science teachers can use the CTS curriculum perspective, which aims, among other things, to teach science in a more humanized way that encourages the development of critical and socially just thinking. In this way, it is possible to develop protagonism and decision-making by stimulating debate on socio-controversial issues in the classroom, which makes learning this content more advantageous for life in society by bringing it closer to the students' daily lives. This research sought to analyze how the contents of human reproduction and sexuality are approached from a Science, Technology and Society (STS) perspective in the science textbooks of 14 (fourteen) state public elementary schools in the city of Itabuna, Bahia, in order to promote the formation of citizenship. The research is descriptive and analytical in nature and takes a qualitative approach. The methodological technique adopted to produce the data and information was documentary research, and the analysis was based on Textual Discourse Analysis. The results show that the contents of the textbooks encourage the students in responsible personal and social actions; that in relation to human reproduction and sexuality from a CTS curricular perspective, they promote the inclusion of problems from the Brazilian social context of official government data, such as teenage pregnancy and preventive campaigns to combat sexually transmitted diseases, which stimulates critical reflection by the students on these issues, which ends up promoting the development of autonomy of thought by bringing such problems closer to their reality; and that the content is presented in a way that is articulated with social issues, which enables the teachers, through debates, to problematize the socio-controversial issues in the classroom, thus enabling the students to learn in a meaningful way, since the closeness to their reality provides greater engagement in the discussions, enriching the science lessons even more.