Os princípios da Química verde como norteadores no ensino de Química: uma análise das contribuições e desafios no ensino médio

Abstract

In recent years, growing concerns about sustainability and environmental challenges have given the teaching of Chemistry a fundamental role in shaping more conscious and critical citizens. In this context, at the high school level, educational practice in Chemistry guided by the principles of Green Chemistry (GC) emerges as an approach aimed at developing chemical knowledge in alignment with environmental concerns, thereby promoting a more contextualized and meaningful education. Thus, this study aimed to survey the literature on chemistry education from the past five years and reflect on the contributions of the twelve principles of Green Chemistry as guiding elements in the chemistry teaching-learning process. To achieve this, an integrative literature review was conducted, analyzing scientific papers published from 2019 to 2024 in the American Chemical Society, Science Direct, and Scientific Electronic Library Online databases, using the descriptors: “Chemistry,” “Green Chemistry,” “teaching,” “interdisciplinary approach,” and “High School” in both English and Portuguese. Inclusion criteria for the searches were: full-text articles available for analysis, published in Portuguese and English, with a focus on high school education. Exclusion criteria were studies from other research fields not related to teaching. The data collection resulted in 7 papers. Overall, the analyses revealed that despite the challenges, the principles of Green Chemistry offer contributions to a more integrated, holistic, and conscious education, making learning more relevant and motivating by contextualizing chemical content with environmental demands. Furthermore, the data from the analyzed articles showed that promoting critical reflection on environmental impact in chemistry education can help develop socio-environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. However, practical application faces limitations such as institutional and cultural barriers, academic resistance, methodological differences, and lack of interdisciplinary training.