As condições necessárias para a emergência complexa em jogos: um estudo sobre oportunidades de aprendizagem nessas práticas sociais

Abstract

In this paper, we look into (i) the reasons that lead students of two public schools to use games, (ii) the presence of the conditions required for complex emergence of knowledge in game elements, and (iii) the role these conditions play in their learning, especially learning English. The ensuing discussions will be based on complexity principles, which address the conditions for the emergence of learning and on the literature about learning through games. The analysis of the questionnaire-generated corpus indicates that research participants prefer games that favor decision-making and enable them to define not only what but also how to learn. These games present dynamics commonly found in the conditions for complex emergence that create opportunities to learn various skills, including English learning strategies. Our findings indicate that students also learn from educational games although these games do not present all the necessary emergence complex conditions nor do they appeal to most students.