Abstract:

We present the project “FisicaMente al Liceo”, aimed at comparing high-school students’ ability to answer questions on specific topics in a purely mathematical context and in the context of physics. The ultimate goal of the project was to improve students’ mathematization skills and to strengthen their understanding of physics, in order to promote self-evaluation and to prevent drop-out at university.

The project consisted of three phases: pre-test administration, recovery/upgrading course, and post-test administration. It was carried out during two school years (2018-19 and 2019-20), and it involved 106 students from the fourth or fifth (last) year of a secondary school, Liceo Jacopo da Ponte in Bassano del Grappa (Italy).

We developed a multiple-choice test, that is a modified version of Test of Calculus and Vectors in Mathematics and Physics (TCV-MP) previously developed for first-year university students and tested in the courses of the School of Science and the School of Engineering of the University of Padua.

The test contained 34 items (17 in a purely mathematical context and 17 parallel items in the context of physics) involving different representations (graphs, words, numbers, and formal expressions) of the concepts covered by the test (derivative in terms of slope of the tangent line, integral as area under the curve and vectors). We then organized a learning path to improve students’ skills designed on the specific needs raised from the first administration of the test.

We calculated the overall gain obtained by students after attending the course in two different situations (with a group of selected students of different classes in 2018-19 and with three whole classes in 2019-20) and we analyzed specific students’ answers in parallel mathematics and physics items, to gain insights into the factors that affect students’ ability to use derivatives, integrals and vectors in the context of introductory physics. At this level, before university, this project represented an opportunity for the students to deepen their understanding of the involved concepts and to create a better self-awareness.

The test and the materials for recovery and upgrading were used again in 2021 with 174 students from 7 classes to verify the learning situation after almost two years of distance teaching and to support the students appropriately based on the results.

Keywords:

Transferring disciplines, Learning Experiences, Secondary school.