Conceptual understanding and representations in physics teachers in training

Abstract

In physics teacher training, mastery of concepts such as Newton's laws is fundamental for understanding more complex phenomena. Therefore, developing a solid foundation in these topics as future teachers is essential for interpreting, explaining, and solving contextual situations. For this reason, this study aimed to determine the scientific understanding and representations of Newton's laws among final-year students in the Physics and Physics-Mathematics Education program. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach and involved 40 students, selected as key informants. Data was collected using a questionnaire designed to explore students' conceptual preparation in three key categories: understanding concepts, representing physical phenomena, and analyzing and interpreting them from a mathematical perspective. The results showed that students perceptually report feeling confident in applying mathematical concepts to physics topics. While free-body diagrams are complex in some aspects, they are useful for representation and problem solving. They also expressed difficulties in understanding Newton's laws, although not as significant. Practically speaking, weaknesses were found in conceptual understanding, errors in representational or graphical representation, and difficulties in mathematical analysis. These findings highlight important challenges and commitments for improving the professional preparation of these future teachers.