Uso de modelos 3D de células eucarióticas no ensino inclusivo de biologia celular para deficientes visuais

Abstract

It is estimated that 6.5 million Brazilians have some form of visual impairment, and a significant portion of them drop out of school due to difficulties in educational inclusion. The use of 3D printers to create didactic models of eukaryotic cells represents a technological innovation with great educational and inclusive potential. This technology aims to address the lack of adapted didactic resources for visually impaired individuals, contributing to the democratization of access to scientific knowledge. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the learning efficiency of students with visual impairment and sighted students in the first year of high school, through the manipulation of tactile three-dimensional models of eukaryotic cells (animal and vegetal). The study was conducted with two target groups: 19 visually impaired students from the Institute for the Blind of Uberaba and 20 first-year high school students from the IFTM Campus Uberaba. Both groups answered a questionnaire to assess their prior knowledge about cells and were then divided into two groups Group 1 - used the 3D models first and then received a lecture to consolidate the content. Group 2 - Had the lecture first and then used the 3D models. After each pedagogical intervention, the groups answered questionnaires to evaluate knowledge development using the models and/or the lecture. The results indicated that prior knowledge of cell biology was low in both groups of both studied public, especially among the visually impaired students. The questionnaires showed knowledge improvement after the pedagogical practices in both groups, regardless of the teaching sequence applied. However, Group 1 of the visually impaired study performed better in the questionnaires when using the 3D models before the lecture. In contrast, among the sighted high school students, applying the models after the traditional lecture proved to be more effective. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of using 3D models for a better understanding of cell biology among both visually impaired and sighted students, though in different ways. For the visually impaired students, the use of 3D models was a crucial tool for spatially understanding the cell, enabling them to better assimilate the subsequent lecture content. These findings highlight the importance of adopting alternative teaching strategies beyond traditional methods to enhance the learning process in cell biology, promote discussions on the significance of educational inclusion, and consequently reduce school dropout rates.