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Investigating Students' Ability To Transfer Ideas Learned from Molecular Animations of the Dissolution Process

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Resa M. Kelly

Department of Chemistry, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192

Loretta L. Jones

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639

J. Chem. Educ., 2008, 85 (2), p 303

DOI: 10.1021/ed085p303

Publication Date (Web): February 1, 2008

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

Animations of the particulate level of matter are widely available for use in chemistry classes and are often the primary means of representing molecular behavior. These animations may also be viewed by individual students using textbook Web sites, although without reinforcement or feedback. It is not known to what extent the material in these animations becomes integrated into students' understanding of chemistry. This study examines what aspects of features of the particulate nature of matter learned from viewing two animations of sodium chloride dissolution at the particulate level students would transfer to their descriptions of an aqueous solution of sodium chloride viewed as a reactant solution in a video demonstration of a chemical reaction. The 18 college-level general chemistry students in the study had learned to incorporate some of the structural and functional features from particulate-level animations of sodium chloride dissolution into their explanations of the dissolution process. We investigated the difficulties these students had transferring that knowledge to descriptions of an aqueous solution of sodium chloride before it reacted with aqueous silver nitrate. Overall, the students incorporated some features seen in the animations into their explanations, yet had difficulty transferring their understanding to the new situation.

Keywords (Audience):

First-Year Undergraduate / General

Keywords (Domain):

Chemical Education Research

Keywords (Feature):

Chemical Education Research

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Computer-Based Learning

Keywords (Subject):

Aqueous Solution Chemistry

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

Teaching Chemistry with Visualizations: What's the Research Evidence?
Vickie M. Williamson
2011 (), 65-81
- Teaching Chemistry with Visualizations: What's the Research Evidence?
  Vickie M. Williamson
  2011 (), 65-81
  The use of visualization techniques to teach chemistry has been touted in the literature, with the idea that these techniques promote the formation of mental images in students, which depict particle behavior during chemical processes and help better ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
An Analysis of Undergraduate General Chemistry Students’ Misconceptions of the Submicroscopic Level of Precipitation Reactions
Resa M. Kelly, Juliet H. Barrera and Saheed C. Mohamed
Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (1), 113-118
- An Analysis of Undergraduate General Chemistry Students’ Misconceptions of the Submicroscopic Level of Precipitation Reactions
  Resa M. Kelly, Juliet H. Barrera and Saheed C. Mohamed
  Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (1), 113-118
  This study examined how 21 college-level general chemistry students, who had received instruction that emphasized the symbolic level of ionic equations, explained their submicroscopic-level understanding of precipitation reactions. Students’ explanations ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links