Utilizando o ciclo da experiência de Kelly para investigar a compreensão do comportamento dual da luz

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the dual behavior of the light as a result of implementation of a new approach based on the Personal Constructs Theory by George Kelly, specifically, in the Experience Cycle. The five stages of this cycle (anticipation, investment, encounter, validation and constructive revision) had been distributed in three classes during which the conceptions by the students had been followed from the beginning detected through a posttest and through a production of a new poster. There had been investigated the conceptions of wave, particle, frequency and wavelength, as well as the photoelectrons, cutoff potential and cutoff frequency, aiming to register the Photoelectric Effect phenomenon. During the poster production, the acceptable answers had aroused from 64% to 100% concerning the wave definition. Concerning the particle, the results had been even more relevant; no answer was considered true at first, but after the usage of the cycle, they had been all accepted. These results had indicated how clearly the students could then distinguish wave from particle, which had been complemented by the comprehension of essential conceptions to the Photoelectric Effect phenomenon. Therefore, the students had started to understand the corpuscular behavior of the light, in the cited phenomenon, and wavy, in other phenomenon (reflection, refraction, diffraction and interference), as it can be comproved by comparison of the pre-test and the post-test. Concerning the wavelength conceptions, cutoff frequency and photoelectrons, all the answers had became acceptable. Besides, the answers concerning quantum and photon conceptions had cached 91% of the desirable levels frequency had cached 81% and cutoff potential, 64%. Considering that 60% of the answers analyzed were acceptable, it is believed that the usage of Kelly’s Experience Cycle as a methodological tool is extremely effective.