‘EscaPolvo’: Análise da Carga Cognitiva e Autoeficácia em um Jogo Educativo Formalizado sobre Mudanças Climáticas

Resumo

This study explores the effects of the educational escape room game ‘EscaPolvo‘ on the self perception of learning among Chemical Engineering students, focusing on the theme of climate change through the perspective of Cognitive Load Theory. Anchored in the framework of Ludic Didacticization, the research used a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine how students perceived the initial cognitive challenge, the instructional design of the game, the role of collaboration as a learning support, and the experience as a source of self efficacy. The results show that ‘EscaPolvo‘ helped regulate cognitive demands by reducing unnecessary cognitive load and making more efficient use of working memory. Collaborative group work served as a strategy for distributing mental effort and reinforcing collective confidence. In addition, most students, even those with no previous exposure to this type of activity, expressed strong engagement, positive perceptions of learning, and enthusiasm for future experiences of a similar nature. The thoughtful integration of conceptual complexity with an immersive narrative in the game design proved to be an effective way to create meaningful educational experiences that are cognitively sustainable, especially when dealing with intricate scientific issues such as climate change.