School activities outside the classroom in the Quarta Colônia Geopark, RS, Brasil

implications and teacher’s interest

Abstract

Education, tourism and environmental conservation are pillars of the geoparks’ objectives. In this way, combining tourism with education is fundamental to the effectiveness of geoparks. This research aims to identify the interest of the teachers in the Quarta Colonia Geopark (QCG) in classes supported by pedagogical tourism (PT). The study derives from a questionnaire applied during a pedagogical workshop aimed at teachers working at the QCG. In order to identify the teacher’s profiles, Bardin’s Content Analysis was used, and Implicative Statistical Analysis were used to understand the teacher’s propensities for PT activity. The results indicated that teachers with mor time in the classroom were less inclined to PT than those with less time. The proximity of the school to the PT site and personal identities were substantial factors. In this sense, it is necessary to identify teachers’ interest, as well as the personal and professional issues implicit in their choices.