The physics conceptual knowledge of students enrolled in the earlier segments of secondary education was assessed with an internationally validated instrument. The study involved 248 students attending the first three semesters of high school from Duque de Caxias campus of the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ). The test was administered at the beginning of the first semester of 2020. Among the main results is the conceptual knowledge profile of such students, which contributes to fill a perceived gap in the national literature regarding this specific population. This was achieved through direct comparison of students’ average scores to data available in national and international studies. Student performance was also analyzed with respect to gender and course level. The data gathered reveal that little or no effect is achieved through the teaching and learning process currently in use at this campus, which points to the need to reconsider this methodology. Although most frequently detected in studies involving university students, the “gender gap” is clearly present during high school, which indicates the need to consider the role of secondary education in establishing and reinforcing such performance gap. The results also contribute to better understanding the process through which girls get discouraged from studying and pursuing physics-related careers and whose consequences are routinely exposed by studies indicating the lack of women involved with the so-called “hard sciences”.
Keywords
FCI; Physics Education; High School; Gender
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