Le conoscenze in Física all'inizio dei corsi universitari in Italia

Abstract

The article reports the results of an investigation on Italian university students concerning physics knowledge related to common sense schemes at the beginning of the university courses. The results of the diagnosis were communicated both to the students and to the teachers of the courses. The communication enabled the teachers, in the didactical practice, to pinpoint and discuss with the students the discrepancies between the scientific newtonian scheme and common sense scheme. A posttest, given at the end of the course, gives the indication that this practice is effective in inducing a clonge in the students ideas, notwithstanding the fact that no complete understanding of the scientific viewpoint is leached by the majority of students.