Meaningful learning in physics: a study involving historical thinking experiments

Abstract

This study is dedicated to discussing the potential of Thought Experiments (TEs) for learning in Physics from the Theory of Meaningful Learning (TML). As a research question, the following question was formulated: what evidence of significant learning is evidenced from the use of TEs as a didactic resource for the appropriation of concepts and physical phenomena? The objective is to identify evidence of this learning in the face of the didactic use of historical episodes involving TEs. To this end, the study carried out a didactic intervention with four students of a degree course in Physics to address two episodes of historical TEs. Such episodes were preceded by a questionnaire to identify the students' previous knowledge in accordance with the theoretical framework adopted in the study. From a methodological point of view, the research takes a qualitative approach as a reference, having as instruments for data production, the use of audio and video records referring to the discussions between the participants and between them and the researcher, as well as the written materials by academics during teaching episodes. The results showed that the TEs are a potentially meaningful task, making it possible to investigate evidence of meaningful learning, however, it still lacks more empirical studies that show the best way to use them in the classroom.