Experimentation in the teaching of chemical kinetics: looking for indications of significant learning

Abstract

Experimentation in the teaching of chemistry is, without a doubt, very important in the construction of scientific concepts, being a formative practice favorable to learning. This work aims to outline reflections on the importance of experimentation in the learning process, from a didactic intervention that involves the basic concepts of Chemical Kinetics, focusing on the influence of factors that change the speed of reactions. For this, several actions were planned, including experimental activities. The short course aimed at discussing with the students some concepts concerning the speed of chemical reactions, based on the performance of experiments. The proposal was applied to 23 students from the 2nd year of high school. The results point to the good receptivity of the proposal by the students and point out that, despite the signs of significant learning observed in the students' responses, elements that signal the occurrence of mechanical learning, based on memorization, were also verified.