Nonverbal code: ontology and initial association processing in the case of a Process-type concept

Abstract

This study was centered on two aspects related to the learning of the concept of accelerated motion. In the first place, the freshmen- student´s initial ontological conceptions shown through nonverbal representations (in the form of drawings) about acceleration were studied. In the second place, the associative processing that these students manage to achieve between two non-verbal codes such as drawings and graphs was analyzed. In both cases a Case Study methodology was used: freshmen students that are about to take the first physics course were the participants. Results show that the ontology that students show through the drawings about an accelerated motion have the characteristics of a misconceived Process type of concept, in accordance with other researches on verbal representations. Most of the novice students do not carry out an associative processing between drawings and graphs.