Abstract
The purpose of this study was to describe the evolution of conceptions about chemical equilibrium based on observations/interactions with selected chemistry students using an instructional design which included constructivist strategies such as POEs, analogies, small group discussions, and journal writing. Two intact classes with a total of 75 students enrolled in a general chemistry course participated in the study. The conceptual evolution of six students was followed through the use of pre-tests, transcripts of audiotaped and videotaped group discussions, written answers to activity sheets, learning journals, interviews, and post-tests. The students started with concepts of complete reactions and progressed to developing concepts of reversibility but had difficulty with the dynamic nature of reversible reactions. The use of an analogy using double-sided disks helped in the students’ visualization of the microscopic processes taking place and in the properties of systems as they approach and when they reach equilibrium. However, students’ conceptions of complete reactions still competed with their conceptions of reversible reactions.
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Locaylocay, J., van den Berg, E., Magno, M. (2005). Changes in College Students’ Conceptions of Chemical Equilibrium. In: Boersma, K., Goedhart, M., de Jong, O., Eijkelhof, H. (eds) Research and the Quality of Science Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3673-6_36
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