The effects of ultraviolet radiation on human health: purposes for a STS education
ultraviolet radiation; photoprotection; following teaching; STS
For several reasons the Sun is extremely important for the maintenance of life on Earth, however, excessive exposure to the radiation emitted by it can cause problems to human health. The need for greater care for the skin and eyes through photoprotection equipment is evident, but it is very common to notice that such care is not taken properly. A greater understanding of the benefits and harms of solar radiation to our health and the factors that hinder the use of protection products, become important issues to be studied. From this perspective, this research seeks to investigate the contribution of a didactic sequence that discusses the main effects generated by ultraviolet radiation on human health and photoprotection measures for an education in Science, Technology and Society (STS). Understanding the CTS perspective as privileged for approaching the theme, we propose a didactic sequence, organized from the 3 Pedagogical Moments, on the effects of ultraviolet radiation on human life and the importance of photoprotection measures. For the construction of qualitative research data, the techniques used will be: participant observation with the elaboration of a field diary by the researcher; applied questionnaires, before and after the development of the teaching sequence, and; the students' productions carried out during the proposed activities. Data will be analyzed from the parameters and purposes of STS Education (STRIEDER; KAWAMURA, 2017). It is hoped that this didactic proposal will be able to contribute to the construction of critical thinking, a position before society, an action in problem solving and decision-making based on scientific knowledge.