On Graph Theory in the thematic areas of Scielo research: in search of dialogues with the teaching of mathematics

Abstract

Graph theory studies the existing relationships between objects of a given set, and can be considered as one of the branches of teaching and research in mathematics. This paper aims to think about the interlocutions with the teaching of mathematics present in the academic and scientific production on graph theory in the different thematic areas contained in Scielo. The non-inclusion of this theory as a discipline in teacher education in mathematics at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte - Brazil is problematized, and it is proposed that this theory goes beyond content that is part of the Applied Mathematics discipline, since it is fundamental for understanding the relationships that occur between elements of a given set and has wide application in research in different areas of scientific knowledge. Quali-quantitative procedures are adopted as a methodology, with a locus on the internet, having Scielo as a source, and it is characterized as a state of knowledge it identifies, register and categorize the search results with the descriptor “theory of graphs” at the portal. The results show 25 papers from 1993 to 2022, distributed in 6 thematic areas. It is concluded that none of them establishes a direct dialogue with the teaching of mathematics, and it is suggested that graph theory should be inserted in teacher education in mathematics so that it can be taught from the high school level in Brazil.