Gestión de talleres formativos para fortalecer competencias analíticas en la interpretación de datos en el laboratorio de Física Mecánica de la ESPOL

Abstract

In the Mechanical Physics Laboratory at ESPOL, gaps have been identified in the development of analytical competencies for interpreting experimental data, which are evidenced in practices focused on the mechanical application of processes and a weak articulation among theory, argumentation, and experimentation. This thesis proposes an educational intervention through formative workshops that combine modeling, graphing, and the treatment of data and uncertainties. These workshops were designed as a complement to laboratory practices with the aim of fostering active and reflective learning. The analysis employed a quantitative approach and a quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent groups. Results were compared using standardized evaluations and statistical studies that included effect size calculation, mean/median comparisons, and regression models to control for academic covariates and teaching-related factors. The findings show statistically significant progress in the experimental group, including improvements in performance and in the quality of the justification of conclusions, which are consistent with medium-to-large effect sizes. The discussion emphasizes that the scaffolding of the workshops—combining measurement procedures with criteria of validity, uncertainty, and precision—helps transfer the mathematical model into experimental decision-making, providing a reproducible path to reinforce critical capacity in laboratory contexts. It is recommended that the workshops be applied continuously and that their sustainability be evaluated in different laboratory settings. Keywords: Analytical competencies; Data interpretation; Formative workshops; Physics laboratory education