An epistemological approach for teaching energy in Newtonian Mechanics in Introductory Physics courses
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.25267/Rev_Eureka_ensen_divulg_cienc.2025.v22.i1.1301Info
0
- Nicolás Gandolfo (AR) Universidad Nacional de Córdoba https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0067-5927
- José Gutiérrez-Berraondo (ES) Escuela de Ingeniería Dual, Campus IMH https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0820-9357
- Paulo Sarriugarte (ES) Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0225-9158
- Laura Buteler (AR) Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola, FAMAF - CONICET https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8597-045X
- Jenaro Guisasola (ES) Escuela de Ingeniería Dual, Campus IMH https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0817-3905
Abstract
Energy is a fundamental concept that allows the explanation and prediction of phenomena in all fields of physics. Its understanding is important for citizens to make informed decisions about socio-scientific problems. This may explain why understanding energy has become a priority learning objective in the science curricula of many countries, and why its teaching and learning have been the subject of extensive research. This article proposes an epistemic approach to teaching energy within the field of mechanics to students in introductory physics courses. This approach considers the knowledge in physics to be a result of an arduous process of problem solving and rigorous testing of initial hypotheses, and, is oriented to promote an updated understanding of the concept of energy. This article justifies the usefulness of the epistemological approach and illustrates its applicability when defining learning objectives in introductory physics courses in Newtonian mechanics that allow conceptual clarification within the complex network of concepts and levels of interpretation associated with the concept of energy.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Nicolás Gandolfo, José Gutiérrez-Berraondo, Paulo Sarriugarte, Laura Buteler, Jenaro Guisasola
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