Chemistry is all around us
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Pupils’ difficulties in understanding the dissolution of salt in water
Anna Kouka, Stella Vosniadou, Georgios Tsaparlis
(Secondary Education-Lyceum of Marathon, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens-Department of Methodology, History and Theory of Science, University of Ioannina-Department of Chemistry)
Paper in National Conference proceedings
Greek
The paper examines the role of children’s intuitive knowledge about the natural world and its consequences on science (specifically chemistry) teaching. The researchers aimed at studying student knowledge at the macro and submicro level concerning the changes that occur in matter during the dissolution of salt in water. They worked with students of four age groups: 9, 11, 14 and 17 years of age. The research showed that students of all age groups have major misconceptions of what really happens. Despite the fact they are taught chemistry at school, the tend to hang on the intuitive knowledge built in from everyday life experience. Only a small percentage of 17 year old students (less that 10%) is fully aware of the particulate nature of matter and is able to provide scientifically acceptable answers.
Research in exploring students difficulties in understanding chemical phenomena is important because it can help the design of the chemistry curriculum. These difficulties should be known by the teachers and be taken seriously into account during the organization of the teaching method of each particular subject.
This document stresses on the role of student’s difficulties and intuitive in creating a barrier to chemistry knowledge and general chemical literacy. Science policy makers should be aware of these difficulties and of the conceptual changes that need to done in order to achieve correct knowledge.
Dr. Ntararas Evangelos
T.E.I of Ionian Islands
Researcher