Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (ENEM) e radioatividade: análise das questões de química no período de 2012 a 2022

Abstract

Basic education in Brazil throughout its historical history has been updated with new programs, projects and guidelines ensured by laws and normative documents that seek to guarantee the citizenship formation of students. The National High School Examination (ENEM) is an example of this advancement, and consists of an assessment that covers the areas of knowledge (Natural Sciences - Biology, Physics and Chemistry, Human Sciences, Languages and Mathematics, writing) carried out by students who are finishing high school and wish to pursue higher education. Among the contents of the Chemistry curricular component, the topic of radioactivity is one of the greatest challenges for educators, as it presents a harmful conception for society and is abstract and complex according to students, which can compromise their citizen training. Faced with this problem, we took the following question as a basis: In the period from 2012 to 2022, has the theme of Radioactivity been included in ENEM exam questions in the curricular component - Chemistry? If so, how has it been addressed? Thus, the objective of this research was to carry out a survey of ENEM tests from 2012 to 2022 and analyze how questions on the topic of radioactivity are addressed in the Chemistry curricular component. We carried out qualitative exploratory research on the website of the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (INEP) and after collecting and organizing questions related to the topic of radioactivity, we processed the data according to the content analysis method. Regarding the results, we identified six questions in the years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2022 that address content from the Chemistry curricular component, which make up the three types of categories: radioisotope, radioactive and radioactive. We verified from our data analysis and the percentages referring to the keywords researched that there are few relationships between chemistry teaching proposals and the cognitive axes of the new ENEM. Therefore, the structuring of ENEM needs to be modified, based on what is charged in the matrix and provide greater insight into content that is undercharged. We ensure that the questions addressed reflect a view that radioactivity is something bad, and it is up to teachers to illustrate the great technologies in the area of radiation, providing opportunities for exams, diagnoses, and treatments in the area of medicine. Finally, we conclude that it is extremely necessary to reformulate and demystify the content on radioactivity to which the chemistry content relates, not just the vast majority of the curricular component of the physics subject.