STS Education and sustainability: the problem of water contaminated with arsenic

Abstract

This work focuses on highlighting the importance of STS education for the training of students as responsible and committed citizens in the sustainability of its environment. The results obtained in the application of the project The Relevance of Science Education-Second (ROSES) regarding student interest in sustainability in Argentina are shown.ROSES is an international comparative research project aimed at research factors of importance, interest and motivation for teaching and learning of Science and Technology in secondary school from the direct voice of the students. The target population is secondary education students, over 15 years of age. With respect to Environmental Education, the questionnaire includes a section where the points of view of the students in relation to environmental challenges are explored. All students consider that environmental problems are an issue that interests them and they take on the role of personally influencing what happens to the environment. One of the items of greatest interest and concern is the development of low-cost technologies to remove the contaminant. As an example, an important environmental problem such as arsenic in water is presented. The consumption of water contaminated with arsenic is currently a global health problem, affecting more than 200 million people, Argentina is one of the affected countries. Social technologies for the removal of Arsenic in water and its educational implication are presented.