Jogo Digital como material potencialmente significativo ao ensino sobre vírus e bactérias

Abstract

With the spread of digital technologies, traditional teaching environments are being modified, as students are digital natives, therefore, they master technology with access to the Internet, with countless information and interactions. However, considering the traditional teaching process, still very common in most Brazilian public schools, problems arise arising from the traditional, teacher-centered teaching method. Considering the nature of Technical Education Integrated into High School, as well as conceptual aspects of Professional and Technological Education, the work sought a reference and a methodological path that could contribute to the learning of concepts on topics of social and human interest, so fundamental in the scope of Biology – microorganisms, especially viruses and bacteria. In this context, the research used the perspective of the Meaningful Learning Theory (TAS), by David Ausubel, which is based on the premise that the individual learns significantly from the relationship established between the knowledge presented and the knowledge already present in their cognitive structure. In this way, prior knowledge constitutes the most important variable for teaching, as it will serve as cognitive bridges for the assimilation of new information. To this end, this research aimed to develop a game, as potentially significant material for teaching about viruses and bacteria, with students from Technical Education Integrated into High School at the Federal Institute of Mato Grosso do Sul (IFMS), Campus Corumbá. The theoretical-methodological approach was qualitative, intervention-type, from the perspective of TAS. To investigate the students' learning process, initially, a preliminary questionnaire (QP) was applied and, later, a digital game, specifically created for this research. A post-educational product questionnaire (QPPE) was administered, both in printed format. After individual analyzes of the participants' responses in the previous questionnaire, the subsumers were categorized as adequate, partially adequate or non-existent to anchor the instruction and assimilation of new information. The results obtained for the classification of subsumers, from the 53 previous questionnaires analyzed, demonstrate the difficulties encountered by students due to questions or concepts. The greatest difficulty encountered by students was in relation to the structural format between viruses and bacteria, in addition to the question of whether the virus is alive or not. However, students demonstrated efficient prior knowledge about the definition of microorganisms. There was a good conceptual evolution of the students, especially regarding general knowledge about microorganisms and the characteristics of living beings, and less evolution regarding the structural formats between viruses and bacteria. Considering all the topics established for the data analysis presented in this research, in general, it is inferred that the educational product Vírusbacter influenced concepts about the biology of viruses and bacteria, with a view to meaningful learning.