The prime purpose of this investigation was to improve Pre-service Chemistry Teachers (PCTs) understanding of reaction related concepts of Aliphatic Hydrocarbons (AHCs). Participants were 12 PCTs selected from a pool of 87 second year PCTs taking Introductory Organic Chemistry course in Arbaminch college of Teachers Education, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS), Ethiopia. The study was carried out in 2017 G.C. The selection of partakers was made on random basis. Case study method was employed in this in-depth investigation. The study was conducted in 7 weeks duration covering all concepts of AHCs. Conventional Instructional Approach (CIA) was employed in the Comparison Group (CG) and Conceptual Change Instructional Approach (CCIA) through the use Conceptual Change Texts (CCTs) was used in the Intervention Group (IG). A semi-structured interview was used for evaluating understanding of PCTs in relation to reactions of AHCs. To analyze the interview data, a framework analysis approach was followed. Analyses showed that the PCTs in IG had improved gaining of reaction related concepts of AHCs than those in CG. Participants in the IG reflected reduced Alternative Conceptions (ACs) and more Correct Conceptions (CoCs) than those in the CG. Reduced ACs and more CoCs from analyses of detailed recordings of PCTs responses confirmed enhanced understanding of reactions of AHCs in the IG.

This study explores undergraduate chemistry education at Kotebe University of Education (KUE) in terms of the ontological orientations, patterns in and source domains of the educators’ and undergraduate students’ senses...

Atom possesses controversial ontological accounts even in a single discipline such as chemistry. Its essence as a reality and inclusion in science education has been subjected to numerous philosophical and scientific debates. The educational literature also shows that the ancient corpuscular notion is dominantly portrayed within the curriculum and instruction of many educational settings. The fundamental problem is that the chemists, educators, philosophers, and historians of chemistry themselves haven’t had a substantial agreement on any of the philosophical and scientific accounts due to their longstanding philosophical divide between the different positions of positivism and realism. Neither has the historical perspective of philosophy and science been reasonably acknowledged in science/chemistry education. We aimed in this interpretative case study to figure out how much Dalton’s pursuit of the chemical atomism is worth to 22 purposely selected and interviewed prospective teachers. The resulting transcripts were analyzed using HPS, the seven milestones of its case study. As a result, one major and two minor themes were found none of which match any of the themes of the milestones. Moreover, the entire narrative lacks some essential perspectives and contexts of HPS in general and Dalton’s experimentations in particular. Misjudgment of his indivisibility notion, for example, is a drawback associated with this limitation. Thus, more inquiries are needed to be conducted in the long run into the curriculum and classroom practice while departmental discussions on such issues are suggested in the short run.

The main objective of the study was to determine Pre-service Chemistry Teachers' (PCTs) understanding of isomerism related concepts of Aliphatic Hydrocarbons (AHs). To get in-depth picture of PCTs understanding on isomerism related concepts of AHs, case study was employed. The sample for this study consisted of twelve participants selected from 87 PCTs randomly, in two classes. These were second year PCTs registered in Introductory Organic Chemistry I course in Arbaminch College of Teachers Education, Southern, Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS), Ethiopia in the year 2017 G.C. A semi-structured interview was used for judging understanding of PCTs in relation to isomerism concepts. A framework analysis approach was applied to analyze interview data. The results of analysis revealed that the PCTs in the Intervention Group (IG) had better acquisition of isomerism concepts than those in the Comparison Group (CG). Based on the results and discussions, conclusions were made.

The goal of this study was to assess students’ level of conceptual understanding of chemical kinetics and equilibrium using topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK)-based instruction in chemistry grade 11 students. The research was a mixed approach that involved 159 grade 11 chemistry class students from Addis Ababa administrative city, Ethiopia, and employed a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Purposive sampling was used for the sample procedure and four intact classes were selected as three intervention groups and one control group: curricular saliency-based, representation-based, conceptual teaching strategy-based instruction, and comparison groups. The level of conceptual understanding was assessed using reasoned questions, specifically a two-tiered multiple-choice pretest, and posttest. The findings revealed that students’ conceptual understanding of chemical kinetics was higher than that of chemical equilibrium concepts. According to the findings of the students’ pretest and posttest, the level of conceptual understanding increased from 27.08% to 32.21% in chemical kinetics and from 15.91% to 23.68% in chemical equilibrium. Overall, representation-based instruction and conceptual teaching tactics boosted students’ conceptual knowledge and accomplishment in chemical kinetics and equilibrium concepts. This study proposes that the level of conceptual understanding of grade 11 students in chemical kinetics should take into account the horizontal relationship between mathematics and the chemical kinetics concepts, which should be taught using technology-assisted teaching strategies such as conceptual teaching strategies and three-fold mental representations.