How Multiple Representations Using Cyber–Physical System to Teach Rectilinear Motion Improves Learning and Creativity

Abstract

Learning physics can be seen by many as a problem, as the standard method of learning tends to focus on remembering and using concepts that fail to construct meaning. To overcome this problem in teaching rectilinear motion, we implemented multiple representations using a cyber–physical system that enables interaction between a physical model and the real world. We did so by using a microcomputer system housed inside a ball, including motion and force sensors. This system communicated with the teacher’s laptop in order to display the corresponding data via a projector. The study was conducted with 49 tenth-grade students across five sessions on rectilinear motion. Using a pre- and post-test, we observed that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group, both in terms of learning as well as in the development of creativity (fluency and flexibility). With guidance from the teacher, the multiple representations allowed the students to improve their learning and creativity by connecting various forms of representation. In other words, the students were able to connect both abstract and concrete views through a real-world, physical experience. Our study reveals the potential of cyber–physical systems within the teaching–learning process for physics, specifically rectilinear motion, and how such a system supports multiple representations.