Teaching the discontinuity of the subject through the Problem-Based Learning strategy

The purpose of this study was to help improve the understanding of the matter discontinuity phenomenon in seventh grade students of an I.E. from the municipality of Trujillo, Valle del Cauca, through the teaching of Problem Based Learning (PBL). Taking as a reference the problem, the objectives and the theoretical framework underlying this research, it was decided to make use of a mixed perspective methodological design per case study, where qualitative elements played a key role. The empirical base was collected through the following documentary sources: pre and post-test, participant observation, semi-structured interview and student work. The information of a quantitative nature was analyzed using the learning gain statistic, while the qualitative one was interpreted through the grounded theory, which allowed to induce three naturalistic generalizations whose theoretical development was triangulated with the quantitative analysis. Finally, the PBL teaching orientation not only helped to mediate the students' understanding of the discontinuity phenomenon, but also allowed the practicing teacher to potentiate their pedagogical reasoning and actions that will possibly inform future teaching lessons.