CULTURA DA PAZ NO ENSINO RELIGIOSO: PRÁTICAS PEDAGÓGICAS NO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL DAS ESCOLAS MUNICIPAIS DE VILA VELHA (ES)

Abstract

This research examines the potential of the Religious Education curriculum as a promoter of a culture of peace in municipal schools in Vila Velha (ES). The general objective was to critically analyze teachers' perceptions of school violence and identify the potential of Religious Education in transforming relational dynamics. The research question asked: to what extent can Religious Education act as an agent promoting a culture of peace in schools and contribute to improving student behavior in the literacy cycle? The hypothesis was that this Curricular Component, grounded in phenomenological and anthropological approaches to religious experience, constitutes a privileged space for developing humanizing values. Philosophically, it is justified by the need to transcend merely punitive perspectives, seeking transformative educational interventions. Methodologically, field research was conducted through questionnaire application in municipal schools located in areas of socioeconomic vulnerability in Vila Velha (ES). The results showed significant recognition of the pacifying potential of Religious Education by teachers, confirming the initial hypothesis. The research concluded that principles such as respect, empathy, solidarity, and dialogue, fundamental to a culture of peace, find fertile ground in the pedagogical practices of this Curricular Component, which can act as a transversal axis in confronting school violence through multidimensional approaches articulated to the specific sociocultural context of educational institutions.