Investigating processes to recall knowledge in Physics through the PerFísica game

Abstract

The interest in playfulness in the classroom and non-formal educational spaces seems to be growing in Science Education. In line with this trend, the main goal of this paper is to investigate how students recall knowledge of Physics while a previously created game, called PerFísica, is being played. It consists of a game board and a set of cards. Each card has some knowledge of Physics and 12 tips about it. The groups of students should try to guess the knowledge of Physics present in the card considering the tips read by the teacher. The PerFísica game and the analysis of research data are based on the historical-cultural approach. Mediating elements that already exist in the related literature were used as categories to analyze the scientific knowledge recalled by the students. PerFísica was carried out in a High School class at a federal educational institution. The audio recordings of the conversations among the groups and the teacher were analyzed. Several mediating elements used by the groups when trying to guess the knowledge present in the card were identified: student-student interaction, teacher-student interaction, names of the subjects studied, physical laws, textbook. A mediating element that has not yet been mapped by the related literature was also observed: the student-game interaction, which refers to the use of the scientific content of PerFísica’s cards to recall themes already studied and identify the knowledge present in the card. It is hoped that this article contributes to the reflection and the academic dialogue on the role of playfulness in Science Education based on the analysis of a concrete experience of using a game in a school context.