Investigação da compreensão de conceitos de cinemática por estudantes a partir da resolução de problemas

Abstract

The research is based on the theory of the conceptual fields of Vergnaud, which is based on the conceptualization and concept of operative invariants. It aims to investigate the strategies that students entering the undergraduate course in physics use in solving problems in physics that involves the concepts of kinematics, in order to understand how (or if) these strategies can Contribute to the understanding of physical concepts. In an attempt to achieve the objective of the research, three specific objectives were listed: to analyze how textbooks can influence students in the understanding and use of mathematics to "construct" a physical concept; Know the comprehension of students about the basic concepts of kinematics and categorize the patterns of answers; Identify and relate possible concepts in action and theorems in action used by students to solve kinematics problems. Due to the traits that characterize it, the research is classified as a qualitative approach and is divided into three studies. The first study corresponds to an analysis of the textbooks most used in the physics courses of some Brazilian universities to ascertain how the textbook can influence students in the construction of physical concepts. In Study 2, a set of questions addressing the concepts of velocity vector and acceleration vector in one-dimensional and two-dimensional motion situations was applied. Participated in this study 59 students who were in the 1st or 2nd period of the undergraduate course in physics/UEPB. Study 3 corresponds to problem solving sections by the five participating students, in which we used the verbal protocol technique for data collection. We perceive in study 1 that the didactic book can lead to difficulties in understanding the concepts. Study 2 allowed gathering information about how students assimilate the content they taught. This information made it possible to identify conceptual nuclei that helped in the creation of categories, allowing the focus group to be determined for the last study. The answers to the problems were analyzed in study three and, from this, possible operatory invariants were listed. In a general perspective, understanding the concepts of kinematics by students is satisfactory and present operative invariants very close to scientific concepts.