Socioenvironmental perception, territoriality, and school cultures in Brazil: an integrative review (2006–2026)

Abstract

This article aims to analyze how students construct socio-environmental perception and a sense of territorial belonging through experiences in rural and urban contexts, discussing the implications of these relationships for critical environmental education. The study is grounded in the problem of understanding how territorial experiences influence students’ socio-environmental formation and their relationships with lived spaces. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on integrative literature review and content analysis. The bibliographic survey was conducted through Google Scholar, SciELO, and CAPES Journals, using DeCS/MeSH descriptors articulated through Boolean operators, considering publications between 2006 and 2026 and inclusion and exclusion criteria defined according to the PRISMA protocol. The guiding question was developed based on the PIco strategy. At the end of the process, 11 studies focused on the Brazilian context were selected. The findings reveal that students’ socio-environmental perception and territorial belonging are constructed through everyday experiences, memories, cultural practices, and relationships established with the territory. The studies also demonstrate that schools, by recognizing local knowledge and acting as territorial mediators, strengthen students’ identity bonds, expand socio-environmental awareness, and foster contextualized educational practices. It is concluded that an education committed to territorial and environmental justice must recognize students as territorial subjects and their living spaces as formative contexts, promoting critical, contextualized, and socially grounded educational experiences.