Simulaciones como complemento a practicas de laboratorio para mejorar el modelo mental de giróscopo en estudiantes de ingeniería

Abstract

Teaching physical phenomena that challenge intuition, such as gyroscopic precession, remains one of the persistent challenges in engineering training. Traditional laboratory practice is not enough for students to reorganize their ideas and build coherent mental models. This study examined the effect of incorporating a simulation-based pre-practice on learning gain and conceptual evolution. The research was carried out with a quasi-experimental design in which 159 engineering students participated, distributed in two groups. The control group followed the traditional laboratory and the experimental group interacted with a freely accessible simulator, through a didactic guide prior to carrying out the practice. Both groups answered the same two-level questionnaire (answer and justification) before and after the intervention. The results indicated a statistically significant difference between the normalized learning gain of the experimental group (0.51) compared to that of the control group (0.04). In addition, a significant advance in conceptual coherence and a successful transition from superficial or erroneous models to robust models was noted. It is established that the incorporation of simulations with cognitive scaffolding before carrying out the experimentation is an effective pedagogical strategy to reinforce the understanding of complex physical phenomena. Keywords: Simulation-based learning, Mental models, Physics laboratory, Gyroscopic precession