Didactic-pedagogical application in the teaching of kinematics and dynamics at the high school level

Abstract

Introduction: The teaching of physics in secondary education continues to present a structural pedagogical challenge, characterized by the abstract complexity of its concepts and the systematic difficulties students exhibit when attempting to transfer scientific principles to the resolution of practical problems. This problem is exacerbated by the predominance of traditional, rote-learning and directive methodologies. This research aimed to analyze the impact of a didactic-pedagogical intervention in the teaching of kinematics and dynamics to first-year high school students at the "Eloy Alfaro" Educational Unit during the 2025-2026 academic year in the Chone canton. Materials and methods: The study stemmed from the problem observed in the classroom assessment: the predominance of traditional methodologies and the limited incorporation of innovative strategies, factors that restrict conceptual understanding and practical application in physics. A mixed-methods approach with an exploratory-descriptive scope and a non-experimental design was employed, combining document review with the use of structured surveys and classroom observation guides applied to a purposive sample of 60 students and the course instructor. Results: The findings demonstrate that the implementation of active teaching strategies significantly improves conceptual understanding, the interpretation of phenomena, and the ability to solve contextualized physics problems. 88.3% of the students rated the instructor's strategies as developed or highly developed; 83.4% positively valued the methodological activities designed to facilitate the understanding of uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion (UARM); in solving kinematic problems, 53.4% achieved correct answers, while in dynamic problems, 56.6% were correct. Discussion: The findings also outline a clear path for improvement: innovative strategies and virtual simulators do not replace the need for continuous reinforcement of instrumental skills such as unit conversion and algebraic manipulation, which serve as an indispensable vehicle for translating conceptual understanding into highly developed problem-solving performance. Conclusions: It is concluded that the application of active and innovative didactic-pedagogical strategies has a positive impact on the teaching-learning process of kinematics and dynamics, fostering a more participatory and dynamic classroom environment aligned with the principles of constructivism and meaningful learning.