Código químico: sala de fuga digital para o ensino de química

Abstract

This dissertation aims to present the development, analysis and validation of the educational product Chemical Code: Escape from the Laboratory as a teaching resource for chemistry in upper secondary education. The study is based on the assumptions of Deus (2019), who conceives of the educational game as the result of a balance between educational and recreational functions, mediated by the teacher’s role. The research is characterised as qualitative, of the collaborative action research type, involving the design, implementation and analysis of the game for 25 first-year secondary school pupils, aged between 15 and 17. The intervention consisted of using a virtual escape room-style game, structured around puzzles related to fundamental concepts in chemistry. Data were collected through direct observation, records of students’ interactions during the activity, the administration of questionnaires and a discussion session at the end of the intervention. The data were organised into units of record and context and subjected to the content analysis proposed by Bardin (2016). The results revealed manifestations of the five functions of educational games described by Deus (2019): evaluative education, formative education, immersive play, moral play, and the teacher’s balancing function. The game, developed as an educational product linked to this dissertation, proved capable of assessing prior knowledge, promoting conceptual discussion, encouraging collaboration and maintaining a high level of participant engagement. It was also observed that teacher mediation played an essential role in maintaining a balance between playfulness and pedagogical intent, particularly during the moments of greatest difficulty faced by the participants. Although low participation and limited interaction among some students restricted the scope of the results, evidence was identified indicating the game’s contributions to the learning of chemical concepts and to student motivation. It is concluded that ‘Chemical Code: Escape from the Laboratory’ has the potential to serve as a teaching resource for chemistry, although its validation requires further applications in different educational contexts and complementary research to strengthen the consistency of the evidence produced.