A educação ambiental como objeto de estudos nos programas stricto sensu mestrado profissional em engenharia sanitária no Brasil (período 1999-2014)

Abstract

Studies on the state-of-the-art Environmental Education – EE in the field of sanitary engineering are important and necessary to indicate trends and gaps in the production of this knowledge. This research seeks to describe state-of-the-art EE as an object of study in dissertations of Graduate Programs Stricto Sensu Master Professional in the Field of Sanitary Engineering in Brazil, from 1999 to 2014. A search was carried out on the site of the eight Professional Master's Programs, totaling 474 dissertations. Using the tool open reader research in open documents in PDF format, they identified six dissertations presented EE as an object of study. In these papers the exact expression environmental education and/or EE was used in the main text structures: keywords, objectives, theoretical framework, methodology, discussions/findings, conclusions/recommendations and references. It was found that the production is concentrated at the two universities in the Southeast (Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro and Instituto Federal Fluminense) and the themes in EE presented in these dissertations were environmental management, solid waste and water resources. It has been concluded that there are few studies on the subject in other regions of Brazil and the importance of developing studies directed to other EE themes treated by the Sanitary Engineering has been pointed out. Such themes are: sanitary and industrial effluents, energy efficiency, groundwater, use and occupation of land, public health, air pollution, sewage, biodiversity, people training, among others. The investigation has pointed out that the trend of current produced studies converge for Environmental Non-Formal Education, aimed at specific groups and / or communities. It is recommended that Professional Masters Programs include EE as a research line, specific discipline or as an integrating theme, as provided by the legislation.