O ensino das Leis de Newton por meio da utilização de aplicativos educacionais móveis criados no App Inventor 2

Abstract

Digital technologies are present in society and the search for methods of using them in education has been the focus of many researchers. Among these technologies, the smartphone has been presented as a versatile device in its functionalities and almost certain presence in the classroom. Positive results, methods and ways of including the use of this artifact are shown in many works today. In this research, we sought to investigate the use of applications for smartphones to teach the content of Newton’s Laws, in the subject of Physics, being directed by the guiding question: “Will the use of mobile educational applications developed in App Inventor 2 contribute to meaningful learning of Newton’s Laws?”. Three applications were developed by the researcher himself, using the App Inventor 2 programming software, which contained content related to the concept of force and Newton’s Laws. In order to validate the acquisition of new knowledge acquired by students, the Theory of Meaningful Learning was used as a theoretical framework, in Moreira’s view and as a methodological framework the Potentially Meaningful Teaching Unit proposed by the same author. The research presents a qualitative approach, in which the researcher’s perception during the presence with the investigated subjects becomes a source of data to be analyzed. The environment chosen for the research was a 2nd grade High School class in the evening period with 37 students regularly enrolled in a public school in the city of Curitiba. As instruments for obtaining data, questionnaires, records written by the researcher, informal conversations with students and the elaboration of a conceptual map were applied. From the initial questionnaire, the knowledge already brought by the students before using the applications was analyzed and, after using each application, new questionnaires were applied to have the perception of the responses of the research subjects, regarding the meanings obtained regarding the physical matters dealt with. The receptivity of students when using the smartphone was noticed in many moments, in addition to curiosity about the development of applications. The analysis of the data constituted in the research showed signs of acquiring new meanings to the concepts already present in the students ‘cognitive structure, considering then that the use of the applications contributed to the students’ meaningful learning.