PENSAMENTO QUÍMICO E AS HABILIDADES COGNITIVAS DE ESTUDANTES EM UMA AULA EXPERIMENTAL

The inclusion of experimentation in Chemistry classes represents a pedagogical tool to improve the understanding of concepts, enabling students to establish connections between content and scientific practices. Through experimentation, it is possible to enrich the learning experience by stimulating the development of students' chemical thinking and cognitive skills. In this study, we analyzed the different levels of cognitive skills demonstrated by students in a Chemistry course when answering questions provided during an experimental activity. We also investigated whether these levels are related to the variables of progress in chemical thinking. Data were collected in a course taught for the final year of an undergraduate Chemistry course at a university in the southern region of Brazil. Data analysis was conducted according to the principles of content analysis. Data collection included several documents, such as the pre- and post-experiment questions present in the class outline, as well as the written answers of the undergraduates to these questions. The questions and the students' answers were categorized into different levels of cognitive skills. In addition, the students' answers were categorized according to the variables of progress in chemical thinking. We found that the activity allowed students to move through different variables and demonstrate levels of higher-order cognitive skills. We identified connections between the levels of cognitive skills in the students' responses and the levels of the questions. Finally, we propose a model that integrates different levels of chemical knowledge, distinct cognitive skills, and the variables of progress in chemical thinking, allowing teaching and learning in Chemistry to transcend the mere assimilation of information, encompassing an in-depth understanding of the nature of chemistry.