THE NEEDS ON THE TRAINING OF SCIENCE TEACHERS IN COUNTRYSIDE SCHOOLS: AN INVESTIGATION IN THE SEMI-ARID OF PIAUÍ, BRAZIL

ABSTRACT: The study of needs on the training of science teachers is essential for diagnosis, planning and decision-making in the field of education. These needs can be defined as concerns, desires, necessities and problems sensed and detected in the teaching process, typical of values emerged in a given context. The purpose of this article is to examine the results of a research that intended to identify the training needs of science teachers in countryside schools of a township located in the semi-arid region of Piauí, Brazil, between 2017 and 2018. For this, data were collected through the use of forms, questionnaires, interviews and documents. The subjects who collaborated on the research were Science teachers and principals of rural schools, teachers and students from a Rural Education Program with a focus on Natural Sciences. The analysis revealed that science teachers in countryside schools were in need of better working conditions, implementation of unconventional teaching methodologies and specific knowledge in the field of natural sciences. The results also remark the unaware need of developing a contextual teaching and knowledge about rural education.