OH! JOGO DA VELHA: THE USE OF PLAYFUL ACTIVITIES AS A STRATEGY FOR TEACHING THE ALCOHOL FUNCTIONAL GROUP IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Abstract

The alcohol functional group, characterized by the presence of the hydroxyl group (–OH) bonded to a carbon chain, has wide applicability in Organic Chemistry. However, the concepts related to this group are not always fully understood by students, especially when addressed through traditional teaching methodologies. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the contribution of a playful educational resource, OH! Tic-Tac-Toe, to the understanding of concepts related to alcohols. The methodology adopted was qualitative in nature and involved 15 undergraduate students enrolled in the Organic Chemistry I course of the Science Teaching Degree (Biology and Chemistry) at the Institute of Health and Biotechnology of the Federal University of Amazonas, located in Coari, Amazonas, Brazil. The pedagogical intervention consisted of the following stages: theoretical explanation of the content, development and application of the game, and evaluation of the activity. The game was carried out in three rounds with contextualized questions, promoting active student participation. The results showed that 73.3% of the participants rated their understanding of the content as “good” or “very good” after the activity, and 60% reported better comprehension through the game compared to traditional classes. An improvement in the correct identification of the hydroxyl group characteristic of alcohols was also observed. It is concluded that the proposed didactic game proved to be an effective pedagogical tool for making the teaching of Organic Chemistry more dynamic and interactive.