Abstract

ALVES, Adriana Gomes  and  HOSTINS, Regina Célia Linhares. Development of Imagination and Creativity Through the Game Design by Children in Inclusive School. Rev. bras. educ. espec. [online]. 2019, vol.25, n.1, pp.17-36.  Epub Jan 02, 2019. ISSN 1980-5470.  https://doi.org/10.1590/s1413-65382519000100002.

This paper examines the development of imagination and creativity in children with and without disabilities through game design. The study is based on Vygotsky’s theories related to conceptual elaboration, imagination and creativity in childhood, and in advanced studies in game design with children. The Design-Based Research (DBR) was adopted as a methodological approach, configuring qualitative and collaborative research for game creation. Encounters were held weekly at a public school in the city of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil, for six months, involving a group of four nine-year-old children, including two with intellectual disabilities, and researchers and undergraduate students in the areas of computing, design, and education. The aim was to demonstrate the potential of the collective, creative and shared approach of game creation for the intellectual development of children in contexts of school inclusion. As a result, the framework “I’ve made my game” was defined for the development of games in school contexts. The analysis of the research results reveals the empowerment of the children involved in face of the proposed challenges, the intellectual operation at complex levels, the protagonism in the construction of solutions and the valorization of individual differences, favored by the collective and collaborative activities experienced in the process of creating digital games.

Keywords : Special Education; Games; Intellectual disability; Technology creation; Cooperative learning.

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