ENTOMOLOGICAL PERCEPTION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES COURSE AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF MATO GROSSO DO SUL, BRAZIL

Abstract

The objective of this work was to highlight and compare the level of perception of undergraduate students of the Biological Sciences course at the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), from the university units of Dourados and Mundo Novo, in relation to insects. The data was collected by completing an online questionnaire by students during the months of April and August 2023. The hypothesis tested was that Biological Sciences students with Bachelor's and Bachelor's degrees in the last semesters of the course would have a higher rate of correct answers and a higher level of knowledge, as these students have already studied subjects where the group of insects is studied; in addition to highlighting Costa Neto's entomoprojective ambivalence hypothesis. The students who participated in the research are aware of the benefits brought by insects, with ecological importance being the most cited benefit. Therefore, despite some mistakes in the classification of some living beings as insects, based on the Linnaean classification, which highlights the importance of a more real and scientific view of these organisms, the participating undergraduates, in general, were aware of the importance of these organisms in the ecosystem.