Application of FCI at engineering students in Bogota: an interpretation of the answers through a random model of two levels

TL;DR

This study applied the FCI to Bogota engineering students, revealing a two-level random pattern in their answers and a lack of clear mental models about physics.

Contribution

It introduces a two-level random model to interpret FCI responses and highlights students' misconceptions early in physics education.

Findings

Answer distribution follows a two-level random pattern.

Students lack clear mental models of physical phenomena.

The model helps interpret students' misconceptions.

Abstract

We applied the FCI to 646 engineering students from Bogota when they began your first year physics, we found that the relative frequency of the number of correct answers has a random pattern of two levels, also we found that they don't have clear mental models about physical world.