Banca de DEFESA: DANIELI FREITAS DA SILVA

THE USE OF EXPERIMENTATION AS AN ACTIVE METHODOLOGY IN TEACHING ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

 WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES APPROACH ON WASTE COOKING OIL

Chemistry; Experimentation; Active methodologies; Teaching and learning.

The subject of chemistry plays a fundamental role in understanding science, however, over the years, it has often been seen as difficult and tiring due to the predominant use of traditional teaching methods. To overcome this perception, many educators are exploring active methodologies as alternatives. This study aimed to evaluate two specific active methodologies "flipped classroom" and "peer instruction" together with experimental classes and investigate their effectiveness on student learning. It was conducted at Colegio Tiradentes da Police Militar VI, located in Ji-Parana/RO, involving third-year high school students. The research adopted a qualitative and quantitative approach, using action research methods. The students were divided into two groups: a control group and a test group. Before starting the study, the project was presented to the management team and students, followed by the application of an initial questionnaire with conceptual chemistry questions, administered only to the test group. Then, active flipped classroom and peer instruction methodologies were implemented for the test group. For the control group, a quiz was carried out using the Kahoot application, based on the knowledge acquired through the traditional teaching method in the classroom. After applying the active methodologies, the test group carried out a practical soap production experiment. The results and conclusions of this experiment were shared with students in the sixth year of elementary school and the first year of high school. At the end of the study, two more questionnaires were administered to the students: one to evaluate learning based on classes taught throughout the research and another to specifically evaluate the impact of active methodologies. The data were analyzed using the independent t test to compare the number of correct answers between the control group and the test group, verifying the normality of the data (W = 0.903; pvalue = 0.174) and the homogeneity of variances (pvalue = 0.687). Although the average number of correct answers was numerically higher in the test group, the independent t test did not indicate significant differences (pvalue = 0.237). To compare active methodologies within the test group, the Wilcoxon test was used, revealing a significant difference (pvalue = 0.034) between the flipped classroom and peer instruction. The experimental soap making class was highlighted as highly beneficial for student learning, facilitating understanding of the content by connecting it with real-life experiences. Furthermore, students demonstrated great interest and engagement in chemistry classes, showing themselves to be reflective in relation to the environmental issues addressed. The results of this study suggest that more dynamic and participatory educational approaches, such as practical experiments and active methodologies, can make chemistry teaching more interesting and attractive for students.