Uma investigação sobre a utilização de realidade aumentada no processo de ensino aprendizagem do eletromagnetismo

Abstract

This study investigated transformations in the epistemological profile of technical high school students following a didactic intervention in electromagnetism mediated by augmented reality. The research is justified by the persistent difficulties students face in learning abstract physics concepts and by the need to critically examine the cognitive and cultural implications of digital technologies in education. The theoretical framework articulates two main references: Gaston Bachelard’s epistemological perspective, used to analyze levels of scientific rationality and epistemological obstacles, and the Cognitive Mediation Network Theory Bruno Campelo de Souza, employed to understand how digital artifacts reorganize mental processes through hypercultural drivers. The main objective was to analyze the extent to which augmented reality simulations, combined with intentional teacher mediation, foster epistemological restructuring and changes in students’ explanatory patterns. The study involved 70 third-year students enrolled in integrated technical programs in Agroecology and Informatics at a Brazilian federal public institution. A mixed-methods design was adopted, including pre- and post-tests composed of five open-ended questions classified according to a five-level epistemological matrix, as well as the Report Aloud protocol to identify technology-mediated cognitive processes. Data were analyzed through content analysis and nonparametric statistical tests. The results indicated a significant reduction in explanations based on immediate experience and an increase in responses that mobilized more abstract and conceptually structured reasoning, suggesting a shift toward more sophisticated epistemological levels. It is concluded that augmented reality, when integrated into intentional pedagogical planning and qualified teacher mediation, can contribute to meaningful epistemological reconfigurations, provided it is understood as a cognitive mediation instrument rather than merely a visual enhancement tool.