EVALUATION OF BIOLOGY KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM THE PROFESSOR FRANCISCO DAS CHAGAS SOUZA DE ALBUQUERQUE STATE SCHOOL IN FORMAL AND NON-FORMAL EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS IN THE CITY OF MANAUS, AMAZONAS, BRAZIL

Abstract

Biology teaching is often restricted to the formal classroom environment, limiting students' learning opportunities. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the Biology knowledge acquired by 3rd-year high school students in formal and non-formal educational settings in the city of Manaus, Amazonas. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test was used, involving 180 students divided into an intervention group (n=90), which participated in an expository class and a visit to the Bosque da Ciência/INPA, and a control group (n=90), subjected only to the expository class. The results showed that both groups evolved significantly (p < 0.001), but the intervention group obtained a much higher gain (+2.97 points) compared to the control group (+1.46). The intergroup difference was highly significant (p < 0.001), with a medium-large effect size (d = 0.76). It is concluded that non-formal spaces enhance meaningful learning in Biology, recommending the systematic insertion of visits to non-formal scientific spaces in the public school curriculum, especially in the Amazon.