Analysis of the arguments created by students in introductory courses of university Physics when tackling problematic situations

Abstract

In this article, we analyse the quality of the arguments used by the college students who follow a traditional teaching in first engineering course when, faced with a problematic situation of physics, must choose by the strategy or most appropriate resolution path. We value the appropriateness of their conclusions, the pertinence of the laws and principles that have been considered to reach a conclusion (conceptual pertinence), the quality of the evidence managed and if its conclusions are validated by the consistency of reasoning (sufficiency of the reasoning). The most noteworthy shortcomings have arisen relating to the lack of evidence supporting the explanation and the fact that, when considering this evidence, often, it is not properly reasoned the relationship between the evidence and the conclusions.