Conforto térmico e trabalho docente no ensino fundamental nas escolas da zona leste da cidade de Manaus/AM

Abstract

This research sought to understand the interrelationship between thermal comfort and teacher well-being in two municipal schools located in the East Zone of Manaus. The theoretical framework drew upon key authors in Geography and Education, addressing themes such as climatic conditions, thermal comfort, health, and the precariousness of teaching work, which serve as the basis for the systematization and achievement of the dissertation's objectives. The theoretical contribution of the investigation was structured around four main axes: Geographic Climatology, Geography of Health, Geography of Work, and Geography of Education. Complementarily, a systematic literature review was conducted in databases such as Google Scholar and the CAPES Periodicals Portal, focusing on research on thermal comfort in equatorial and tropical climates. Among the most relevant national studies, the Urban Climate System, proposed by Monteiro (1976), stands out. The methodology adopted qualitative and quantitative approaches, integrating different data collection and analysis procedures. Climatic information—temperature and relative humidity—was obtained from INMET, covering a period of thirty years. This historical series allowed for the characterization of climatic seasonality and the evaluation of external thermal comfort conditions in Manaus. The data were statistically processed (average, maximum, and minimum) and analyzed by decade, enabling the identification of variations in thermo-hygrometric conditions, indicators of thermal comfort and discomfort. To estimate the thermal discomfort index, the methods of Thom (1959), Funari (2006), and IBUTG (2018) were applied. However, despite being widely used in climatology research in Brazil, these indices showed limitations in explaining the thermal conditions of Manaus, as they were not formulated for an equatorial climate. The monitoring and recording of climatic variables in the school environment was carried out using a Minipa thermo-hygrometer, installed in classrooms characterized by tilting windows and closed doors. Measurements were taken over a week during the dry season, corresponding to the months with the highest temperatures, which frequently constitute alert and emergency situations. In the qualitative stage, discourse analysis was used to interpret the interviews with teachers, as it allowed for an understanding of the articulation between language, ideology, and social context. The analysis was also supplemented with newspaper headlines and news published on electronic portals, relating to the air conditioning of schools in Manaus and the precariousness of teaching work, broadening the understanding of comfort and well-being conditions in the school environment.