A comparative study of the effects of a concept mapping enhanced laboratory experience on Turkish high school students’ understanding of acid-base chemistry

Abstract

The research reported here consists of the introduction of an intervention based on a series of laboratory activities combined with concept mapping. The purpose of this intervention was to enhance student understanding of acid-base chemistry for tenth grade students_ from two classes in a Turkish high school. An additional aim was to enhance student attitude toward chemistry. In the research design, two cohorts of students were compared; those from the intervention group (N=31) and a second group (N=28) who were taught in a more traditional manner. Student understanding of acidbase chemistry was evaluated with a pretest/posttest research design using a purposedesigned instrument, the Concept Achievement Test (CAT) consisting of 25 items, 15 multiple choice and ten multiple choice with explanation. Alternative conceptions identified in the pretest were incorporated into the intervention, which thereby sought to move students toward views more in accord with scientific views for the concepts. Statistical tests indicate the instrument is reliable (with an alpha reliability of 0.81) and the analysis of the findings revealed statistically significant differences between the intervention and traditional groups with respect to conceptual understanding. Examination of student explanations and analyses of semi-structured interviews conducted with selected students suggest that the main influence was the laboratory activities. Analysis of the findings in the context of relevant literature that concept mapping in conjunction with laboratory activities is more enjoyable, helps student link concepts, and reduces their alternative conceptions.

A Comparison of Different Teaching Designs of ‘Acids and Bases’ Subject

“…The fact that REACT strategy and 5Es learning model had positive effects on conceptual understanding (see Table 5) is consistent with previous studies, for CORD (1999) and Özmen, Demircioğlu and Coll (2009). No significant difference between the post-test mean scores of REACT and 5Es groups may shed light on the PSTs' curiosity of varied teaching designs that differ from their familiar ones.…”

“…Çetingül & Geban, 2005;Özmen et al, 2009) may have derived from the idea that 'the more hydrogen and hydroxide in the molecules increase, the more their strengths do'. This means that the PSTs seem to have confused the number of H + or OH -ions in the solutions with those in the molecules.…”

“…The alternative conception 'concentrated acids are always stronger than dilute ones' (e.g. Özmen et al, 2009;Üce & Sarıçayır, 2002) may have resulted from confusion between the concepts of 'strength and concentration'. Similarly, this seems to resonate in the interview data where the majority of the interviewees (see Table 7) still thought that the acid-base strength depended on the concentration.…”

“…Also, several of these studies emphasized that some alternative conceptions were still robust to change even after the instruction (Kala et al, 2013;Özmen, Demircioğlu, & Coll, 2009). For chemistry attitude studies, some found positive attitudinal change towards chemistry (Botton, 1995;Feng & Tuan, 2005) but others elicited no attitudinal change towards chemistry (Üce & Sarıçayır, 2002).…”

Asitler Ve Bazlar Konusunun Anlaşılmasına Farklı Yöntemlerin Etkisi

“…Asit ve baz kavramları ile ilgili öğrencilerin kavramsal anlamaların yeterli düzeyde olmadığı görülmüştür. Uluslararası ve ulusal literatürde asitler ve bazlar ile ilgili olarak değişik türden ve farklı öğrenim seviyelerinde (ilköğretim, lise, üniversite) öğrenim gören öğrencilere yönelik olarak yapılan çalışmalar, hemen her öğrenim seviyesindeki öğrencilerin asit ve baz kavramlarını anlamada güçlük çektiklerini göstermektedir (Avcı Bölek, 2012;Bradley & Mosimege, 1998;Canpolat, Pınarbaşı, Bayrakçeken & Geban, 2004;Cooper & Peterson, 2012;Corcoran, Mosher, & Rogat, 2009;Çelikler & Harman, 2015;Çökelez, 2015;Çökelez, 2010;Çökelez, Dumon, & Taber, 2008;Demirci & Özmen, 2012;Demircioğlu, Özdemir, Özmen, Cındıl & Yıldız, 2012;Özmen, Demircioğlu & Coll, 2009;Pabuçcu & Geban, 2015;Smith & Metz, 1996;Tsaparlis, 1997). , 1997;Pekdağ & Le Maréchal, 2010;Raviolo, 2001;Talanquer, 2011).…”