Consciência metacognitiva no contexto da aprendizagem com jogos digitais no ensino superior

Abstract

The study analyzes the use of digital games in higher education and aims to examine whether the use of digital games mobilizes metacognitive awareness, resulting in greater learning gains, and whether it is mobilized differently among students of different genders and ages in higher education. The central question of the research is: "How does the mobilization of metacognitive awareness through the use of digital games relate to learning gains among students of different genders and ages in higher education?" Metacognitive awareness refers to the ability of students to reflect on their own learning processes, understanding and adapting their cognitive strategies to achieve better results. Digital games provide a favorable environment for the development of this ability, as they require decision-making, critical thinking and self-regulation from players. The study was conducted with a sample of 23 university students from two health courses, at a local college in Maceió. For data collection, questionnaires were applied to assess the level of metacognitive awareness of the participants, in addition to assessments before (pre-test) and after the intervention with digital games (post-test). The experimental group was randomly formed among the Nursing and Physiotherapy courses, which used the serious game EducaAnatomia3D. For data analysis, the statistical program Jamovi, version 2.3.21, was used, allowing the application of appropriate statistical tests to compare the results of the interventions. The textual analysis software IRAMUTEQ, version 0.7 alpha2, was also used to compile the experiences of the students during the research process. The main focus was to identify whether students who used digital games presented a greater development of metacognitive awareness in different genders and age groups, resulting in a superior learning gain. The research results indicate that university students with previous experience in digital games did not present superior learning gains compared to those without such experience. However, the data confirm that there is a mobilization of metacognitive awareness in students of different age groups and genders, highlighting the importance of diversity in the teaching-learning process mediated by digital games.