| Popis: |
This article presents the characterization of mental models on the environment for indigenous students of the Nasa ethnic group, in a middle school in the northeast of the department of Cauca. The research followed a qualitative-inductive approach and the information was collected using various techniques that invited to develop graphic representations, the presentation of images, the explanation of problem situations and a modified Likert questionnaire. As a result, four mental models are presented: the environment as a state of natural things, the environment as a state of natural relations, the environment as a human being-nature relationship and the environment as a planetary whole at the service of human beings. These models presented common characteristics in terms of their conception of the environment from a naturalistic point of view. However, their differences lay in the consideration of their components, the relationships between them and the influence of human beings on environmental dynamics. It is concluded that mental model 2 was the most frequent among the chosen sample with a representation of 62.5%. The natural, cultural and educational context had an influential role in the representations and propositions of the students. The characterization of mental models about the environment is essential for the intervention of the teaching-learning processes that allow the expansion of the perspectives and the way students act towards the environment. |
