From Heuristics to Humble Theories in Physics Education: The Case of Modelling Personal Appropriation of Thermodynamics in Naturalistic Settings

The paper concerns the analysis of a successful classroom experience where secondary school students made evident progress in appropriating thermodynamics according to personal approaches. The main result of the analysis is the construction of a definition of appropriation which is operational in two senses: (i) it includes the indication of what observable features must be searched in students’ discourses for recognizing appropriation; (ii) it is effective for recognizing appropriation also in cases where it is not evident. The study is the first step of an iterative process aimed at developing a “humble theory” for explaining when, how and why appropriation is triggered and supported in real classrooms.