New Perspectives in Science Education

The promotion of a school environment where learning is dynamically fostered in a cooperative and integrated manner is essential to ensure a deep and meaningful understanding of the world. The teacher's role should not be dissociated from this need, and, to this end, it is important to instill responsibility in promoting a productive relationship among students regarding the development of skills and knowledge construction [1]. Accordingly, the present research aims to understand interdisciplinarity in the context of Project-Based Learning, which involved a 4th-grade class from the 1st Cycle of Basic Education (CEB), with 24 students, aged between 9 and 10 years. Seven projects were developed, all of which shared a common theme: the Candeeiros Mountain, where the students went camping for five days to conduct fieldwork and collect data for their projects. The study had the following specific purposes: i) to reflect on the process of interdisciplinarity in Project-Based Learning; ii) to identify the presence and relevance of skills from different curricular areas integrated into Project-Based Learning; iii) to describe the importance of field trips for conducting fieldwork in interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning. Given the study’s aims, a qualitative methodology was adopted, supported by the theoretical assumptions of action research in an educational context. Several data collection techniques were employed, such as field notes and Focus Group interviews. The data were then analyzed using content analysis techniques. The results of the study highlight that all groups identified advantages in working with different curricular areas in an integrated manner. Curriculum integration is a practice to be prioritized when done with meaning and intentionality, as it is characterized as a "means" of work, rather than an "end."