STUDENT PROTAGONISM AND CRITICAL AWARENESS: THE CAESIUM-137 CASE THROUGH THE STSE LENS

Abstract

This work is the result of a pedagogical intervention with a qualitative approach that aimed to operationalize the didactic transposition of Modern and Contemporary Physics (MCP) concepts. Its central objective was the development of a Didactic Sequence (DS), which was applied in a state public high school with a 12th-grade afternoon class, involving the active participation of 33 students organized into five working groups. From an STSE (Science, Technology, Society, and Environment) perspective, the Didactic Sequence focused on the miniseries Emergência Radioativa, which recounts the history of the Caesium-137 radiological accident that occurred in Goiânia in 1987. Conducted through a dialogic approach in alignment with Paulo Freire’s liberatory pedagogy, the intervention sought to emphasize content contextualization, active student participation, collaborative work, and critical reflection on the nature of science. The results indicate that the intervention promoted high levels of engagement and the development of students' critical awareness regarding socio-scientific issues, although difficulties were identified in the appropriation of more abstract physical concepts. It is concluded that the use of contextualized audiovisual narratives fosters scientific literacy, humanizing Physics education and bridging the gap between the discipline and social reality.