Undergraduate Chemistry Students’ Conceptualization of Models in General Chemistry

Lazenby, Katherine; Rupp, Charlie A.; Brandriet, Alexandra; Mauger‐Sonnek, Kathryn; Becker, Nicole

doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00813

Cited by 22 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The full survey is included in the supplemental information. Findings from remaining questions of the MCS, which focus on students' ideas about characteristics of specific chemical models, are discussed in another manuscript (Lazenby, Rupp, Brandriet, Mauger‐Sonnek, & Becker, ; Lazenby, Stricker, Brandriet, Rupp, & Becker, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One potential limitation of the study is our assumption that students' responses to the open‐ended tasks fully represent their epistemic knowledge of the four focal model‐related constructs. Students' ability to articulate their ideas about models and modeling has been shown to be sensitive to context (Gobert et al, ; Krell et al, ; Moritz Krell et al, ; Lazenby, Rupp, et al, ; Lazenby, Stricker, et al, ). As such, students may have possessed knowledge that was not activated by the domain‐general prompts and the written format.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mapping undergraduate chemistry students' epistemic ideas about models and modeling

et al. 2019

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Developing and using scientific models is an important scientific practice for science students. Undergraduate chemistry curricula are often centered on established disciplinary models, and assessments typically provide students with opportunities to use these models to predict and explain chemical phenomena. However, traditional curricula generally provide few opportunities for students to consider the epistemic nature of models and the process of modeling. To gain a sense of how introductory chemistry students understand model changeability, model multiplicity, the evaluation of models, and the process of modeling, we use a construct‐mapping approach to characterize the sophistication of students' epistemic knowledge of models and modeling. We present a set of four related construct maps that we developed based on the work of other scholars and empirically validated in an undergraduate introductory chemistry setting. We use the construct maps to identify themes in students' responses to an open‐ended survey instrument, the models in chemistry survey, and discuss the implications for teaching.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping undergraduate chemistry students' epistemic ideas about models and modeling

et al. 2019

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“…Mathematical equations can be used to describe a causal relationship among objects within the phenomenon (Etkina et al, 2006;Hestenes, 2010;Lazenby, Rupp, Brandriet, Mauger-Sonnek, & Becker, 2019;Redish, 2017;Redish & Kuo, 2015;Schuchardt, 2016;Schuchardt & Schunn, 2016). The causal relationship that can be described by an equation is the scientific mechanism that explains how or why a scientific phenomenon occurs (Machamer, Darden, & Craver, 2000).…”

Section: Sci-mechanism Sensemakingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of the Sci-math Sensemaking Framework: categorizing sensemaking of mathematical equations in science

Zhao

Schuchardt

2021

IJ STEM Ed

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Scientific ideas are often expressed as mathematical equations. Understanding the ideas contained within these equations requires making sense of both the embedded mathematics knowledge and scientific knowledge. Students who can engage in this type of blended sensemaking are more successful at solving novel or more complex problems with these equations. However, students often tend to rely on algorithmic/procedural approaches and struggle to make sense of the underlying science. This deficit may partly be the fault of instruction that focuses on superficial connections with the science and mathematics knowledge such as defining variables in the equation and demonstrating step-by-step procedures for solving problems. Research into the types of sensemaking of mathematical equations in science contexts is hindered by the absence of a shared framework. Therefore, a review of the literature was completed to identify themes addressing sensemaking of mathematical equations in science. These themes were compiled into nine categories, four in the science sensemaking dimension and five in the mathematics sensemaking dimension. This framework will allow for comparison across studies on the teaching and learning of mathematical equations in science and thus help to advance our understanding of how students engage in sensemaking when solving quantitative problems as well as how instruction influences this sensemaking.

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“…As discussed by Becker et al (2), a contributing factor associated with students' challenges when using these mathematical models lies in a need to use metamodeling ideas more productively, such as understanding the nature and purpose of models and having an appreciation for the role of testing and evaluating models. However, attributing these metamodeling ideas to equations and graphs is unlikely if students do not view them as models (11).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on Students' Understanding of Michaelis-Menten Kinetics and Enzyme Inhibition: Implications for Instruction and Learning

Rodriguez

Towns

2020

The Biophysicist

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ABSTRACT We report a summary of the results from an education research project that investigated student reasoning related to Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition. We have previously discussed students' mathematical reasoning related to rate laws and reaction order, student conceptions of different types of enzyme inhibition (competitive, noncompetitive, and uncompetitive), and student understanding of representations used to describe enzyme kinetics (Michaelis-Menten graphs, Lineweaver-Burk plots, reaction schemes). In this paper, we bring together the different publications that resulted from this project to emphasize the implications for instruction gleaned from each study and discuss the additional insight provided by synthesizing the results across studies. For this work, the results from this project have been framed according to the refined consensus model of pedagogical content knowledge, a framework from science education that defines the knowledge and skills needed to transform content knowledge into teaching.

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Undergraduate Chemistry Students’ Conceptualization of Models in General Chemistry

Cited by 22 publications

References 38 publications

Mapping undergraduate chemistry students' epistemic ideas about models and modeling

Mapping undergraduate chemistry students' epistemic ideas about models and modeling

Development of the Sci-math Sensemaking Framework: categorizing sensemaking of mathematical equations in science

Research on Students' Understanding of Michaelis-Menten Kinetics and Enzyme Inhibition: Implications for Instruction and Learning

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