SILVA, C. F.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/1482716073255182; SILVA, Cicera Firmina da.
Abstract:
The National Exam of Secondary Education (ENEM) appeared in 1998 only as a way
of analyzing the performance of high school students. As of 2009, it underwent
reformulations in its structure, highlighting itself as a criterion of analysis for admission
to Superior Education, in addition to promoting changes in Secondary School, enabling
the development of skills and abilities on the part of the students. Among its main
characteristics, the exam focuses on contextualized and interdisciplinary issues.
Microbiology and sustainability are examples of themes present in the ENEM that allow
possibilities of contextualization and that need a well elaborated context to favor the
interpretation of the elements dealts. In view of this, the present work aimed to analyze
students' perceptions and perspectives regarding microbiology and the area of Natural
Sciences and their Technologies (CNT), as well as the contextualization related to
sustainability in ENEM issues. For this, initially, a questionnaire was applied to 251
students of Basic Education in three schools located in the municipalities of Jaçanã-
RN and Cuité-PB and then the tests of the 20 years of ENEM (1999-2017) to analyze
the present contextualization in the sustainability theme. It was identified that the
answers attributed among students in the 9th year of Elementary School and 3rd year
of High School were balanced, evidencing that the knowledge about the issues
included in CNT has little progress when students make the transition to High School.
The students demonstrated knowledge about the fact that the exam is formed by
multiple-choice and contextualized questions. However, most are unaware of the fact
that issues with an interdisciplinary approach are a hallmark feature in the exam.
Furthermore, as far as microbiology is concerned, has expectation to find in the
examination questions that involve or the beings objects of their study or the strict
association of the microorganisms with diseases. Therefore, it can be seen that the
structure of the test itself remains poorly understood by the students, as well as the
CNT area, and in relation to the insertion of microbiology in the test, students'
knowledge is still fragmented. Regarding the contextualization of sustainability, the
theme appears with low frequency in the editions of ENEM. Besides that, most issues
present their approach indirectly within a context, generally, coherent. With this, it is
necessary that the ENEM test as well as microbiology is better worked in Basic
Education, enabling students enlarge their knowledge of the positive influences of
microorganisms for life on Earth. In addition, against relevance that sustainability has,
it is imperative that exam questions expand their immersion and contextualization.
