High School Students’ Performances in Transitions between Different Representations of Linear Relationships in Mathematics and Physics

Abstract

This study involved 643 high school students to assess their performance in using different representations of linear functions—graphs, tables, and algebraic relationships—in mathematics and kinematics. The results show that students encounter greater difficulties when they have to interpret representations involving algebraic relations in mathematics. Furthermore, it is shown how the ability to switch from one type of representation to another is influenced by spatial reasoning skills, orientation toward physics, and self-confidence in the field of mathematics and physics. Implications for teaching kinematics and linear functions are briefly discussed.

Keywords

• transitions
• representations
• linear relationships
• self-confidence
• orientation toward physics
• spatial ability