Genios con botas: diseño de una estrategia didáctica con enfoque STEM para la sensibilización ambiental y el cuidado del suelo en estudiantes de básica primaria de Carmen de Carupa, Cundinamarca

Abstract

This research aimed to design a STEM-based teaching strategy focused on strengthening environmental awareness and soil care among elementary school students in the municipality of Carmen de Carupa, Cundinamarca. The study emerged from the need to enhance environmental understanding processes related to soil transformations and the environmental issues associated with mining activities within the rural context of the municipality. The research was conducted under a qualitative approach through a descriptive-propositional design and an applied research framework. Initially, a diagnostic phase was carried out to identify prior knowledge, socio-environmental representations, and environmental perceptions constructed by second-grade elementary students regarding soil and territorial transformations. Techniques such as pedagogical observation, diagnostic workshops, graphic representation activities, and field journals were used. The findings revealed that students construct environmental interpretations through emotional and territorial categories associated with soil well-being, fertility, and environmental degradation. Likewise, a partial understanding of the environmental impacts caused by mining activities was identified, influenced by sociocultural and family dynamics characteristic of the rural context. Based on these findings, the STEM-based teaching strategy “Pequeñas Manitos” (“Little Hands”) was designed through seven interdisciplinary activities related to scientific observation, modeling, environmental exploration, and contextualized analysis of environmental issues. The proposal was subsequently validated through expert judgment, where specialists highlighted its pedagogical relevance, territorial contextualization, and potential to strengthen meaningful learning and environmental awareness processes. Due to limitations associated with the academic calendar and the time available for the development of the project, it was not possible to carry out a complete longitudinal implementation of the strategy. Nevertheless, the research succeeded in consolidating a contextualized and methodologically grounded pedagogical proposal, projecting future possibilities for implementation and evaluation in rural educational settings.