The school-neighborhood relationship in the perception of students: a study in Guarapes, Natal-RN
School and community; Students; Environmental perception
Currently the approach between the school and the local context in which it operates is discussed, based on the terminology 'school-community relationship.' Advocating the importance of considering the physical and social aspects of the school and the space where it is located, this dissertation explores the environmental perception to understanding the relationship between both, which involves the appreciation of the person's experience that explores the environment, involving information about the place and its representation. The participants were students of the 9th grade of elementary school to a public school located in the Guarapes, Natal-RN. Methodologically research used a multimethod strategy through development of diaries and interviews. The diaries asked participants to draw maps and to write about information for someone who does not know the location; spaces frequented during the weekend; spaces frequented in one day a week. Participated in the first stage, 23 students, aged between 13 and 18 years. Among them, 16 students accepted the continued participation as effort to understanding about the daily lives of the respondents, through interviews during walks around the environment. Finally, the text analyses the information collected from 13 participants. The result has exposed attractive elements, located in the so-called "center". The perception of the participants also showed that while public policy in the field of education indicate the importance of school-community relationship, students do not seem to recognize commonalities integration between them. It discusses the importance of urban planning bodies; and the role of schools in construction of understanding about the relationship investigated.