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Testing Students' Use of the Particulate Theory

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Vickie Williamson , Jason Huffman and Larry Peck

Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77823-3255

J. Chem. Educ., 2004, 81 (6), p 891

DOI: 10.1021/ed081p891

Publication Date (Web): June 1, 2004

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the nature of questions that elicit responses in particulate terms. Four additional questions were developed with a gradation of scientific content between the everyday and scientific questions used by Haidar and Abraham in their Physical Changes Concepts Test (PCCT). The concepts tested were dissolution, insolubility, saturation, diffusion, states of matter, and effusion. Each of the approximately 1066 freshman chemistry students was administered a test form via the Internet, which progressed from everyday to scientific content and randomly covered all six concepts. No strong correlations were found between the students' logical reasoning ability and their use of particulate terminology. None of the concepts in this study showed a high percentage of completely correct responses using the particulate theory. However, the study did find that students are immediately cued by the words in the questions, whether in everyday or scientific terms. The findings indicate that instructors only have to ask about everyday phenomena using the terms "atoms" or "molecules" to procure significantly different responses in particulate terms and to get the highest percentage of scientifically correct responses; the question need not be as elaborate, scientific, or abstract as the scientific questions of the PCCT.

Keywords (Audience):

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords (Domain):

Chemical Education Research

Keywords (Feature):

Research: Science and Education

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Testing / Assessment

Keywords (Subject):

Kinetic-Molecular Theory

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This article has been cited by 2 ACS Journal articles (2 most recent appear below).

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