Analysis of the Connections in a Kinematics Problem Using the Hybrid Map

Abstract

This study aims to describe and justify, through a graphical representation based on the Hybrid Map (HM) and interpreted from an Onto-semiotic Approach (OSA) adaptation to school physics, the connections established while solving a kinematics problem. A qualitative case study was conducted: a teacher’s oral and written production was collected through a think-aloud protocol, an integrated transcript was produced, and the information was organized into practices and objects to construct the HM. The map analysis identified within-practice and across-practice connections, making explicit links among reference choice and sign conventions, motion equations, event conditions, and the interpretation of results. The study is limited to one participant and one task; nevertheless, it offers methodological implications for investigating connections in school physics and for supporting teacher reflection. It is concluded that the HM is an appropriate tool to make visible, in a systematic way, the connections that sustain the physical coherence of the solution, although its application requires explicit segmentation criteria and may be time-consuming for extensive productions.