Banca de DEFESA: ANDRESSA KROEFF PIRES

COMPUTATIONAL THINKING AS A BASIS FOR DIGITAL LITERACY AND COGNITIVE TRAINING OF THE ELDERLY

Elderly; cognitive training; Computational Thinking; Digital Literacy; digital game.

Brazil has  a growing trend of elderly population growth due to the better health conditions that advances in this area provide, resulting in a better quality of life. In this sense, population aging raises the search for ways to enable elderly citizens to remain socially and economically independent and integrated into society. It is also noteworthy that during the aging process a possible reduction in the cognitive performance of the elderly can happen, causing difficulties in carrying out common day-to-day tasks. Traditionally, cognitive interventions are carried out with sessions conducted by psychology specialists. Computational Thinking (CT) can also be used for the cognitive development of elderly people, as it works with problem solving and memorization based on adapted activities. Focusing on this demographic and realizing how digital technology can contribute to the development of activities to keep them active, this study relies on the CT to stimulate both cognition and the development of technological skills in the elderly, with the aim of developing cognitive training with Digital Literacy contents in a digital game. The research is of an applied nature, with a qualitative approach, and its methodology is Design Science Research (DSR), which aims to solve a practical problem through the development of an artifact and the formation of new knowledge. Thus, by carrying out a Systematic Mapping of Literature, it was possible to verify the greater interest and use of digital technologies by the elderly, with emphasis on mobile devices and that games are widely used to carry out activities with this public. Soon, as a result, a digital educational game was created, entitled "Pense Mais", with the proposed cognitive training with three challenges and 12 activities. The game was validated by the Digital Educational Materials (DEMs) instrument for mobile devices, aimed at the elderly, and its assessment was that "Pense Mais" is in accordance with the needs of the elderly. The main contribution of the research stands out as the innovative proposal of using a digital cognitive training based on the PC with Digital Literacy contents for the elderly, enabling them to have a critical thinking in this digital world.