LUDIC METHODOLOGIES IN CHEMISTRY EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF COMICS

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the contributions of the use of Comic Books (CBs) in Chemistry education, emphasizing their playful nature as a strategy that facilitates the teaching-learning process. The research is based on a bibliographic review of studies addressing active methodologies and alternative instructional resources aimed at Basic Education, particularly at the High School level, where Chemistry is often perceived by students as abstract and difficult to understand.

Comic books constitute a hybrid language that articulates verbal and non-verbal elements, combining text, images, colors, symbols, and dynamic narrative sequences. This characteristic enhances pedagogical mediation by making scientific content more accessible, contextualized, and closer to the youth universe. The playful aspect present in comic books stimulates imagination, creativity, and fantasy, while also encouraging reading and the development of textual interpretation skills—essential competencies for understanding chemical concepts.

The studies analyzed indicate that the use of comic books in the classroom contributes to increasing students’ interest, promoting greater participation in proposed activities, and fostering the construction of meaningful and enjoyable learning. Furthermore, as they are part of students’ daily lives, comic books enable stronger identification with the content addressed, strengthening the relationship between scientific knowledge and social reality. Their interdisciplinary applicability broadens methodological possibilities, allowing integration with areas such as Language Arts, Arts Education, and the Humanities.

For teachers, the incorporation of comic books represents an innovative pedagogical alternative to address challenges related to student demotivation and learning difficulties in Chemistry. It is concluded that the use of comic books, from a playful, social, and cognitive perspective, constitutes an effective instructional resource in promoting more critical, creative, and meaningful learning, contributing to students’ holistic development and to the re-signification of Chemistry teaching in the contemporary school context.