Impact of using free-body diagram in mechanics problems solving for improving engineering students’ performance in physics at a selected public university in Rwanda.

Mechanics is a discipline of physics that deals with the motion and forces that govern object movement. To apply fundamental principles successfully, engineering students must have a thorough understanding of mechanics. The free-body diagrams, which are visual representations of forces, assist students in identifying and analyzing forces. The current research looks into how Free-body Diagrams affect engineering students' performance in physics courses. However, many engineering students struggle to understand free-body diagrams, which might impede problem-solving. A sample of undergraduate engineering students from the University of Rwanda College of Science and Technology participated in the study. The students are separated into two groups: one for control and one for experimentation. The control group is given standard instruction, whereas the experimental group is given free-body diagram training. Before and after the intervention, both groups were evaluated on their ability to solve mechanics problems. A pre-test and a post-test are used to assess the student's performance. The results revealed that the experimental group improved much more than the control group in problem-solving performance. Furthermore, students in the experimental group expressed a more favorable attitude toward employing free-body diagrams in problem-solving activities. The research findings revealed that adding them into mechanics problem-solving education can be an effective strategy to improve engineering students' performance in physics problem-solving. The findings could also have a considerable impact on engineering education if they are implemented into the physics curriculum and teaching methods. They could potentially also be used to build instructional strategies and learning materials that foster free-body diagrams and improve students' mechanics problem-solving abilities.

力学为物理学之分支学科，专攻物体运动及其所受之力之规律。工程学学子欲成功运用基本原理，必先对力学有全面而深刻的认识。自由体图，作为一种力的视觉表征，有助于学子辨识与解析力之作用。当前研究致力于探究自由体图如何影响工程学子在物理课程中的表现。然而，众多工程学子在理解自由体图方面存在困难，此或将成为问题解决的障碍。本研究招募了卢旺达理工学院科学及技术学院的一批本科工程学子作为样本。学子们被分为两组：一组为对照组，另一组为实验组。对照组接受常规指导，而实验组则接受自由体图训练。在干预措施实施前后，两组学子均接受了力学问题解决能力的评估。通过前测和后测，对学子们的表现进行了评估。结果显示，实验组在问题解决能力上的提升远超对照组。此外，实验组学子对在问题解决活动中运用自由体图的态度亦更为积极。研究结果表明，将自由体图融入力学问题解决教育中，可作为一种有效的策略，以提升工程学子在物理问题解决方面的表现。若将此发现纳入物理课程与教学方法，将对工程教育产生显著影响。此外，这些发现亦有可能被用于构建促进自由体图使用、增强学子力学问题解决能力的教学策略与学习材料。