COMPUTATIONAL SIMULATIONS IN PHYSICS TEACHING: CHALLENGES AND POTENTIALITIES

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze the impact of computer simulations on science teaching, with emphasis on PhET simulations, evaluating their effectiveness in learning and student motivation. The research addressed the use of simulators as a pedagogical tool to assist in the understanding of abstract concepts, promoting active learning and encouraging student engagement. A bibliographic approach was adopted, based on the review of scientific articles, academic books and publications indexed in databases, such as Google Scholar. The methodology consisted of identifying the theme, selecting and critically analyzing the materials and organizing the references to support the discussion. The results showed that computer simulations facilitated the assimilation of scientific content, providing interactive experiences that made the concepts more accessible to students. In addition, it was found that the use of these tools in face-to-face and distance learning favored the autonomy of students and enabled the replacement or complementation of laboratory experiments. However, some challenges were identified, such as the need for teacher training for the proper use of simulations and the limitation of some modeling in the faithful representation of physical phenomena. It was concluded that computer simulations constitute an innovative resource for science education, requiring methodological adaptations to maximize their benefits. Thus, it was recommended to expand research on the integration of these technologies in different educational contexts.