From intuitive reasoning to scientific thinking

Learning processes on electromagnetic induction in engineering students

Abstract

This study analyzes learning processes related to the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction (EMI) in engineering students during a teaching sequence designed according to the IDAS model, which integrates four didactic phases: initiation, development, application, and synthesis. A qualitative–interpretative case study methodology was adopted with twelve Physics II students, examining individual and group productions corresponding to the four didactic phases. The analysis, organized around previously defined categories, made it possible to characterize different levels of understanding of the phenomenon. The results show a progressive conceptual evolution. In the initiation phase, intuitive, phenomenological, and monocausal explanations predominate, whereas in the development phase students begin to recognize the role of magnetic flux associated with the generation of EMI and, in some cases, its variation over time, although reasoning remains partially linear. During the application phase, all students are able to appropriately use Faraday’s law to design an induction charger, but difficulties persist in articulating a complete qualitative explanation. In the synthesis phase, most students achieve causal and systemic explanations supported by qualitative and mathematical models, evidencing a process of conceptual reconstruction. The findings highlight the value of progressive didactic sequences that integrate exploration, modeling, problem solving, and metacognitive reflection to promote deep learning in physics. The study provides evidence of how students construct and transform their ways of knowing and offers transferable guidelines for other contexts of science education.