Assessing the educational game 'The Wall Chemistry Game' potential for kinetics chemistry teaching

The content of chemical kinetics is part of Diretrizes Curriculares Estaduais do Paraná, and is often considered abstract due to the absence of auxiliary didactic materials in the classrooms. One of the main problems with this content is the students’ difficulty in understanding the factors that affect the rate of a reaction. To contribute to the solution of this problem, the purpose of this study is the construction and execution of “The Wall Chemistry Game”, an adaptation of the game “The Wall”. In light of this problem and thinking that learning cannot be monotonous, the adaptation of an entertainment model is presented, which consists of an interactive dynamic between four people and can provide a moment of socialization in the classroom to better understand the concepts about the chemical kinetics content. The work development took place in some courses in the Chemistry Degree at a Public University in the South of Brazil. The adaptation consists in the elaboration of materials similar to the television game, which is based on a small wall in which the players throw balls that determine the reward to be added or subtracted from the prize, according to the answer to the question. Questions about the factors that contribute to the speed of chemical transformations, namely: concentration, pressure, contact surface, temperature and catalysts, which were organized in twelve randomly selected cards. For some questions, the players had the chance to perform experiments, which provided a good comprehension about the established reaction. These experiments were inside a “secret box” next to the practical script. Thus, the investigative character in the manipulation of the necessary materials to perform the experiment and understand the concepts of a chemical transformation is emphasized. The didactic game was played by four people during a course of the public university, which made it possible to observe the importance of playful activities related to the chemistry learning process, as well as to evaluate the scope and the limitations of the game. The game also made it possible for players to point out potentialities regarding the interactivity of the product, in addition to a better understanding about the chemical kinetics concepts. In relation to the limitations, it is observed the high demand for time to play the game and also the reduced number of players per match, which is a problem when considering the public schools reality, which have many students in the classroom. It is also noticed that the game meet the current educational demand, in order to attract students through collective and active work so they can better understand some chemistry concepts.