A importância da contextualização e experimentação em produtos comerciais para alunos do primeiro ano do curso técnico integrado ao médio em mineração do IFPI-Campus Paulistana

Abstract

Considering the relevance of vinegar as a condiment and its impact on daily life, this study aims to analyze the acidity of commercial vinegars and assess students' knowledge about the topic. This objective is justified by the need to implement contextualized experiments in chemistry education, which is often perceived as complex. The inconsistency between the acetic acid content declared on product labels and the values found in laboratory analyses has been the subject of recent research. In this context, the study sought to investigate the accuracy of vinegar labels and the impact of the experimental activity on the knowledge of first-year students from the Mining Integrated High School at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Piauí - Paulistana Campus. A quali-quantitative methodological approach was adopted, involving the titration of the acidity of vinegars available in supermarkets on Avenida Marechal Deodoro in Paulistana-PI and the application of questionnaires before and after the experimental activity with the students. The results reveal that all vinegar samples had an acidity lower than the value declared on the labels, with significant variations from regulatory standards. Furthermore, the experimental activity showed a considerable increase in students' understanding of vinegar composition, the importance of reading labels, and interpreting commercial parameters. Therefore, it is concluded that practical experimentation and the contextualization of theoretical concepts are effective in enhancing students' understanding and should be encouraged as an integral part of chemistry education