Environmental education and digital resources as tools to raise awareness about radioactivity

The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge and awareness of students from the Liceu de Artes e Oficios localized in Recife-Pernambuco, about the theme radioactivity and environment in an interdisciplinary perspective. Thirty first-year high school students participated in this activity. Initially a questionnaire was applied to assess the students' prior knowledge on the topic. Following this stage, a lecture about radioactivity and its multiple uses for the benefit of society was presented to the students, together with a video about the story of radioactivity. A guided visit to the Museum of Radioactivity at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE, Brazil was also promoted. After these activities the questionnaire was reapplied to evaluate the development of students' knowledge. Research in textbooks and in the Internet was also carried out to evaluate the teaching resources used worldwide to study the nuclear issue. From this information a booklet, indicating the benefits of radioactivity was prepared by the students and later distributed to the community. After the activities there was evolution of knowledge on the subject radioactivity. Sixty seven percent of the students were able to make the calculations of half-life, 81% correctly explicated the definition of and αand β particles and γ radiation. Finally, 93% discussed about the contributions of Pierre and Marie Curie and Becquerel as well as their importance on the history of radioactivity. Dynamic activities should be encouraged so that students can learn to build knowledge with autonomy and, in turn, influence the construction of a new society. (author)