A study was conducted to identify concepts about the particulate nature of matter among secondary-and high-school students (N = 187) and to address some misconceptions regarding this topic, especially the misunderstandings related to the vague ideas of the relationship between the macro and micro world. Data were collected using both quantitative (six-item multiple-choice instrument in a pre-test-post-test design) and qualitative (semi-structured focus group interviews) methods. Paired-samples t-test analysis showed that students experienced significantly higher results in the post-test when compared to the pre-test, thus confirming the efficiency of the intervention program in facilitating the understanding of some basic elements of the theory and practice concerning the particulate nature of matter (widely known as particle theory concepts, a term which will be used in this paper as well) among students of different levels of study. The findings revealed seven misconceptions prevalent by more than 20% of students and some additional ones emerged from the in-depth focus group discussions. The analysis of the content of textbooks indicated that some erroneous chemical concepts might have been formed as a result of the teaching of chemistry and that of physics, as well. The use of animations and molecular models had a positive effect on students and pointed to the need of introducing, in the chemistry teaching, the new material more visually.

As is well-known, the chemical knowledge is acquired at three levels: the macroscopic and tangible (what can be seen, touched and/or smelt); the sub-microscopic (atoms, molecules, ions and structures) and the representational (symbols, formulae, equations, mathematical manipulation, graphs etc.).In order to acquire real knowledge, all factors involved in the educational process (authors of textbooks, teachers, electronic sources of information and students) should do everything possible to avoid formation of school-made erroneous notions (misconceptions).Reported here are the findings of a study on the presence of students' misconcep tions regarding the three levels of representation in the chemistry teaching in the Republic of Macedonia. As our study showed, many school-made misconceptions are due to the fact that students do not distinguish between the three levels of thinking/representation.

The purpose of game-based learning is to design learning activities that introduce or explain concepts in more attractive way than in the traditional classroom. Using educational games in the classroom enables innovative and interactive lesson in which the material is seen from a different perspective or point of view. Play is connected to creativity, higher-order thinking, inquiring and problem-solving skills, decision making, collaboration, communication and the development of positive attitudes toward chemistry. The aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of game-based learning approach in the classroom. Several good practice examples of games and puzzles for chemistry teaching are given to illustrate their applicability in the classroom and to serve as an idea for teachers, thus motivating them to be more creative in finding ways to implement this method and create their own puzzles according to their needs and classroom settings. Motivated by the International Year of the Periodic Table, puzzles are related to the Periodic Table concepts. The presented games can be used to create an escape room classroom, but they can be used independently. We believe that the use of games for educational purposes will be of great benefit to students.

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Abstract:In this study a game-based learning approach was introduced among students and teachers. Several chemistry games and a survey method were used as a tool to obtain insight into students' knowledge about ionic bonding, to learn about the students' and teachers' perceptions related to this teaching method and to get insights into the misunderstanding and misconceptions that students might have. Students were tested on the ionic bonding test and both students and teachers anonymously filled in a questionnaire to express their perceptions about the game-based learning approach. Students achievements on the test were satisfactory; the mean score was 11.31 out of 15 (or 75.33 %). Most comments regarding the lesson itself were positive, stating that the lesson was well planned, interesting and very helpful. The usage of games in chemistry classroom was proven to be an excellent way to motivate students, to provide active engagement and discussion among students and to develop skills to solve problems.