The Role of Epistemology and Epistemic Games in Mediating the Use of Mathematics in Chemistry: Implications for Mathematics Instruction and Research on Undergraduate Mathematics Education

Michaelis–Menten Graphs, Lineweaver–Burk Plots, and Reaction Schemes: Investigating Introductory Biochemistry Students’ Conceptions of Representations in Enzyme Kinetics

“…Although Carrie’s definition of velocity and the associated units were correct in the context of physics , it limited her understanding of relevant concepts in chemistry. This is closely related to Redish and colleagues’ discussion of “interdisciplinary reconciliation”, the idea that students have to make sense of and resolve concepts presented in different disciplines (e.g., energy is typically framed using a macroscopic perspective in physics, whereas biology and chemistry focus on a microscopic view of energy), with similar arguments made regarding how students have to reconcile the differences between the way mathematics is used in mathematics courses versus the way it is used in the physical sciences. ,,, However, Carrie’s confusion was distinct from “interdisciplinary reconciliation” in the sense that the velocity of a chemical reaction is not meant to be reconciled with the velocity of a projectile (not in the same way that the macroscopic and microscopic perspectives of energy are intended to be resolved). Future work is needed to investigate the extent to which conflation of terms across disciplines is common among a larger data set, in which more representation of this type of reasoning would suggest instructors need to communicate with faculty from across disciplines and be informed regarding how concepts and vocabulary are used in order to identify when students struggle to reconcile seemingly disparate ideas.…”

“…Building on our chemical kinetics research trajectory, − we focus on students’ reasoning about enzyme kinetics. As discussed by Bain and Towns, more research on the teaching and learning of advanced topics such as enzyme kinetics is needed, and more generally, work carried out in upper-division courses is needed. − Although there is currently a lack of chemistry education research (CER) related to enzyme kinetics, a review of the literature reveals the availability of instructional resources for biochemistry faculty teaching enzyme kinetics, such as suggestions for framing content, − modeling software, − and performing laboratory experiments. − With respect to the context of interest, literature on student understanding of enzyme and protein structure suggests there are some areas in particular that can be challenging for students.…”

Alleviating Students’ Naive Theory on Newton’s Laws of Motion through Problem Optimization and Scaffolding Discussion

“…There is a downward gravitational force, an upward frictional force, and an upward Archimedes force. Students use pictorial analysis to solve strategies [65,75]. From the simulation of the numbers entered, it turns out that the accelerations do not double each other.…”

Analyzing Students’ Construction of Graphical Models: How Does Reaction Rate Change Over Time?

“…Previous studies that analyzed students' reasoning using the graphical forms framework have involved interpretation of a provided graph, illustrating that reasoning tended to be anchored in mathematicsgraphical forms were used to make initial inferencesand chemistry ideas were subsequently assigned to the regions on the basis of the mathematical conclusions drawn. 39,46,50,51 This process can be framed as mapping mathematics to meaning 58,59 or, alternatively, mathematics to chemistry blending. 60,61 For the focal study, the opposite trend was observed in which students were mapping meaning to mathematics (i.e., engaging in chemistry to mathematics blending).…”