Do desinteresse ao protagonismo: práticas de construção de aprendizagens significativas no ensino de História

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the causes of students’ lack of interest in the History subject at the Unidade Integrada Firmino Oliveira, in Apicum-Açu/MA, and proposes pedagogical strategies to increase student engagement and protagonism. The general objective was to understand internal and external factors influencing demotivation and, based on this diagnosis, to develop innovative, contextualized teaching practices connected to students’ sociocultural realities. The study articulates key concepts such as Ausubel’s Theory of Meaningful Learning (Moreira, 1997; 2006; 2011; 2012), which values the relationship between prior knowledge and new content; Didactic Mediation (Lopes, 1997), which regards the teacher as an active mediator in the construction of knowledge; the Psychological Basis of Interest (Dewey, 1979), which emphasizes motivation as a central force in engagement; and the Didactics of History and Historical Consciousness (Rüsen, 2007; 2016), which link historical learning to identity formation and orientation in time. It also engages with the concept of curriculum as a social construct (Goodson, 2007), advocating for the integration of school knowledge with life experiences. The methodology adopts a qualitative approach, of bibliographic, historical-documentary, and descriptive character, grounded in action research, combining pedagogical intervention with critical reflection on teaching practice. The sources analyzed include the school’s Pedagogical Political Project, data from the Sistema Estadual de Avaliação do Maranhão (SEAMA) and the SAEB, as well as BNCC guidelines. The proposal falls within the research line “Historical knowledge in the school space,” with the research participants being 8th-grade students at Unidade Integrada Firmino Oliveira who began activities in 2024 and, in 2025, continued them in the 9th grade, culminating in the final product. The didactic-pedagogical product developed was the exhibition Historical Sources: Changes and Continuities in Fishing Activity in Apicum-Açu/MA, conceived as the final action of a formative process. For its creation, the lapbook was used as a methodological resource, serving as a means to systematize, organize, and visually represent the researched historical content. The target audience was lower secondary school students at Escola Firmino Oliveira, but the material and methodology were designed to be adaptable for History teachers in other school contexts. The results showed that the use of the lapbook as a preparatory stage for the exhibition Historical Sources: Changes and Continuities in Fishing Activity in Apicum-Açu/MA fostered the collective construction of knowledge, stimulating active participation, autonomy, and students’ ability to relate historical content to the local reality. Furthermore, the exhibition strengthened the bond between school and community, mobilizing families and expanding the social meaning of learning.