A formação do conceito gravitação universal com experimentos de modelagem antigravitacional

Abstract

Concept formation is an intellectual skill present within the cognitive process, with its theoretical foundations in Vygotsky (2009) which refers to the relationship between thought and language linked to the process of constructing meaning, language being a means of facilitating and developing learning. 1 In this context, the formation of the concept of Universal Gravitation, as a physical phenomenon studied in the 9th grade of elementary school, stands out as a significant challenge necessary to understand how the Solar System is structured and the conditions of life on planet Earth. The relevance of experiments as a pedagogical tool to facilitate meaningful learning and the internalization of scientific concepts by students is highlighted. In the contemporary educational scenario, science teachers face various challenges, including the scarcity of didactic resources, the precariousness of school infrastructure, and the absence of specific training to deal with experimental approaches. 2 In this sense, the research proposes a study of experimental practices, in particular of experiments called "anti-gravity" as a model that influences the formation of scientific concepts in 9th-grade elementary school students. This study is also based on cognitive learning theories presented by Vygotsky (2009) which emphasizes the importance of social interaction in the teaching-learning process. 3 In addition, the limitations of the traditional model of science teaching and the relevance of experimentation in the teaching-learning process are discussed. The research is qualitative in nature in the implementation of tools for data collection and analysis of results, starting from a bibliographic study of scientific articles, dissertations, and other sources to contextualize the research problem: the didactic and methodological conception of "anti-gravity" experiments in the teaching and learning process in science offers cognitive independence of students in the last year of elementary school to explain the physical phenomenon of Universal Gravitation? The general objective of the research is to establish the theoretical and methodological elements that allow structuring the learning and formation of scientific concepts from experimentation with 9th-grade elementary school students. Participant observation was the approach of the qualitative research together with the application of pre-test and post-test, interview, surveys, and data analysis to infer the results from the experimental activities carried out with the students. The elaboration of a didactic sequence, according to Zabala (1998) has as its didactic foundation to guide the methodological work to form the concepts related to universal gravitation and consists of a set of logical steps such as didactic activities of the teacher and their students in interaction with the didactic resource. The results from the categorization and its indicators, according to Bardin (2013) show that students carry out a more theoretically grounded and practical interpretation of the concepts addressed in this research topic.