Investigation of students’ competence in translating between different types of chemical representation. Highlighting their perceptions for basic chemical concepts.

Doctoral Dissertation uoadl:1308828 750 Read counter

Unit:
Library of the School of Science
Department of Chemistry
Deposit date:
2013-04-12
Year:
2013
Author:
Γκίτζια Βασιλική
Dissertation committee:
Τζουγκράκη Χρυσή Καθηγήτρια
Original Title:
Διερεύνηση της ικανότητας μαθητών και φοιτητών να μεταφράζουν χημικές αναπαραστάσεις διαφορετικού τύπου. Ανάδειξη των αντιλήψεών τους για βασικές χημικές έννοιες.
Languages:
Greek
Translated title:
Investigation of students’ competence in translating between different types of chemical representation. Highlighting their perceptions for basic chemical concepts.
Summary:
Meaningful understanding in chemistry includes the ability to think at
macroscopic, submicroscopic and symbolic level of chemistry, and the ability to
translate between chemical representations. In this study we investigated the
ability of 11th Grade students (group I) and 3rd year chemistry students (group
II) to make translations from one level of chemistry to another and we
highlighted their perceptions for the basic concepts: chemical element,
chemical compound, solid state of matter, aqueous solution and chemical
reaction. The method used was the sequential explanatory design, which is a
mixed method consisting of quantitative and qualitative phase. For the conduct
of the qualitative phase we constructed a questionnaire consisting of multiple
choice and open-ended questions (ΝΙ=466, ΝΙΙ=86). The qualitative phase of the
research had the form of personal semi structured interview (ΝΙ=15). Our
results show that students’ capacity to move across the three levels of
chemistry is low and varies depending on the underlying concept and the
combination of levels. Both high school and undergraduate students had lower
performance in translations concerning the concepts aqueous solution and
chemical reaction and in translating the submicroscopic representations into
the symbolic ones. Ιn many cases students memorize the symbolic and microscopic
representations, without being able to interpret them, to relate them to the
underlying concepts and to link them. Also, there is great difficulty in
visualizing the particle nature of matter and in constructing microscopic
representations.
Keywords:
Macro, submicro and symbolic chemical representations, Conceptual understanding, Misconceptions
Index:
Yes
Number of index pages:
14-18
Contains images:
Yes
Number of references:
114
Number of pages:
263
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