Protótipo de um jogo educacional digital para iniciação à aprendizagem de algoritmos e lógica de programação

Abstract

The teaching of algorithms constitutes one of the main challenges faced in the area of Computing, being frequently associated with high rates of failure and dropout, as indicated by data from the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC, 2019). The difficulties stem, in large part, from the abstraction required to understand basic concepts, such as programming logic, flowcharts, and data structures. In this context, it becomes essential to seek innovative pedagogical strategies that make the learning process more accessible, motivating, and effective, aligning with the guidelines of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), which encourages the development of computational thinking and the use of games and digital technologies as pedagogical resources. This work proposes the development of a 2D digital educational game, in the Role-Playing Game (RPG) style, named Juquinha and All Go Ritmos, aimed at the initiation of the study of algorithms. The game is grounded in Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning, which considers the student's prior knowledge as the basis for the assimilation of new content. Thus, it seeks to offer a playful and interactive experience capable of favoring the gradual understanding of fundamental concepts, such as variables, operators, flowcharts, and pseudocode. For the development of the proposal, the tools RPG Maker MV, responsible for the implementation of scenarios, characters, and functionalities, and Astah UML, applied to requirements modeling through use case, sequence, and activity diagrams, were used. From a methodological point of view, the research is characterized as applied, with a qualitative and descriptive-exploratory approach. Initial results suggest that the use of digital games can constitute an effective strategy to support teachers and students, making the learning of algorithms more attractive and meaningful.