Research groups in environmental education in Brazil: temporal evolution and connections with the scientific field

Abstract

The central objective of this study was to analyze the temporal evolution trends of research groups in environmental education (EE) in Brazil, considering the historical milestones of the EE scientific field. To this end, an exploratory and descriptive research method, of a qualitative-quantitative nature, was adopted, consulting the Directory of Research Groups in Brazil (DGPB) of CNPq, which allowed us to understand the evolution of these groups over time. Summing all the censuses carried out by the DGPB, 1497 research groups in EE have been created to date, including active and inactive groups. In the 2023 Census, out of a total of 42,852 active research groups, 596 (1.39%) met the condition established in this work, which allowed them to be identified as research groups in environmental education: 93 registered with the term environmental education in their name and 503 groups with the term linked to the research line. The results indicated that the period of greatest growth in the formation of research groups in environmental education in Brazil was between 2000 and 2010 (49.83% of the total). The majority of groups are between 0 and 15 years old (78.02%), showing that the longer the lifespan, the smaller the number of still-active groups. Therefore, this discussion proposes a theoretical and empirical dialogue about the definition, constitution, and consolidation of scientific fields, allowing us to explore the characteristics that make Environmental Education a consolidated field, even though it is in constant dispute and transformation, and to identify the role that research groups play in its structuring and development. By situating the findings of this study within broader debates about scientific fields, this work contributes to deepening the understanding of the dynamics that sustain and shape research in EE in Brazil.