Uso de Serious Games no processo educativo de estudantes do segundo ciclo do ensino fundamental

Abstract

This dissertation is linked to the line of research Training and action of the teaching profession and educational practices of the Post-Graduation Program in Education of the University Oeste Paulista in Presidente Prudente. The objective was to analyze how Serious Games can be used to learn Mathematics and Biology concepts by students of the final series of Elementary School. Based on studies on the relationship of games and education developed by Huizinga (1996, 1999); Prensky (2012); Mattar (2010) and Cisikszentmihalyi (1990); a descriptive-interpretive qualitative investigation was carried out from the application of Serious Games, involving Mathematics and Biology, in a school of the state public network in São Paulo in Presidente Prudente city,. Two teachers and fifty-four students of the sixth grade participated in the study. For the data collection, a questionnaire was used for the teachers, aiming to know the initial opinion of the games and their possibility of use in the teaching process, and observing the application of the game and focus group with the students, in order to understand the influence of the game in the process of teaching and learning. The results were analyzed based on categories that emerged from the data collected, namely: 1. teachers' expectations regarding the use of Serious Games; 2. students' engagement and developed skills related to Flow Theory, which shows the motivation and flow state during activities, establishing the correlation between challenges and abilities, the player's level of anxiety and the prevalence of entertainment as a motivating factor for engagement, and 3. students’ perspectives regarding the use of Serious Games in the educational process. The results revealed that the participating teachers positively evaluated the use of Serious Games during the students' training process, since the game promoted concentration and enabled engagement and learning satisfaction. Students say it is more interesting to study and have fun at the same time, making the school environment more dynamic and productive. The present research strengthened the partnership between the school and the university so that the human beings had a wider and beneficial vision of the students and teachers, in a collaborative way.