Prospective Chemistry Teachers’
Conceptions of Chemical
Thermodynamics and Kinetics

Mustafa Sözbilir; Tacettin Pınarbaşı; Nurtaç Canpolat

doi:10.12973/ejmste/75232

Prospective Chemistry Teachers’ Conceptions of Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics

Full Text (PDF)

Mustafa Sözbilir ¹ ^* , Tacettin Pınarbaşı ¹, Nurtaç Canpolat ¹

More Detail

¹ Atatürk Üniversitesi, Erzurum, TURKEY^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying specifically prospective chemistry teachers’ difficulties in determining the differences between the concepts of chemical thermodynamics and kinetics. Data were collected from 67 prospective chemistry teachers at Kâzım Karabekir Education Faculty of Atatürk University in Turkey during 2005-2006 academic year. Data collection performed through two different instruments. In order to determine prospective teachers’ difficulties in determining the differences between the concepts of chemical thermodynamics and kinetics, a diagnostic test composed of five open-ended questions was specifically developed for this study. Thirteen participants (out of 67) were also interviewed in order to gather more information about the written responses. The analysis of results showed six major misconceptions about the difference between the concepts of chemical thermodynamics and kinetics indicating that the prospective chemistry teachers attempted to interpret the kinetics of several phenomena by using thermodynamics data. The findings reported here may contribute to understanding of undergraduates’ difficulties and can be utilized in research that develops teaching strategies to overcome such difficulties.

Keywords

chemical kinetics
chemical thermodynamics
prospective chemistry teachers
misconceptions
teacher training

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2010, Volume 6, Issue 2, 111-120

https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75232

Publication date: 21 Jun 2010

Article Views: 2048

Article Downloads: 1341

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Atkins, P.W. (1996). The elements of physical chemistry (2nd Ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Azizoğlu, N., Alkan, M. & Geban, Ö. (2006). Undergraduate pre–service teachers’ understandings and misconceptions of phase equilibrium. Journal of Chemical Education, 83(6), 947-953.
Banerjee, A. C. (1991). Misconceptions of students and teachers in chemical equilibrium. International Journal of Science Education, 13(4), 487–494.
Banerjee, A.C. (1995). Teaching chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics in undergraduate general chemistry classes. Journal of Chemical Education, 72(10), 879-881.
Beal, H. (1994). Probing student misconception in thermodynamics with in-class writing. Journal of Chemical Education, 71(12), 1056-1057.
Brook, A., Briggs, H., Bell, B. & Driver, R. (1984). Aspects of secondary students’ understanding of heat: Full report, Children’s learning in science project. Leeds: Centre for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, University of Leeds, UK.
Cachapuz, A. F. C., & Maskill, R. (1987). Detecting changes with learning in the organization of knowledge: use of word association tests to follow the learning of collision theory. International Journal of Science Education, 9(4), 491– 504.
Cakmakci, G., Leach, J. & Donnelly, J. (2006). Students’ ideas about reaction rate and its relationship with concentration or pressure. International Journal of Science Education, 28(15), 1795-1815.
Canpolat, N., Pinarbasi, T., Bayrakceken, S. & Geban, O. (2006). The conceptual change approach to teaching chemical equilibrium. Research in Science and Technological Education, 24(2), 217-235.
Carson, E.M. & Watson, J.R. (1999). Undergraduate students’ understanding of enthalpy change. University Chemistry Education, 3(2), 46-51.
Carson, E.M. & Watson, J.R. (2002). Undergraduate students’ understanding of entropy and Gibbs free energy. University Chemistry Education, 6(1), 4-12.
Copper, C. L., & Koubek, E. (1999). An experiment to demonstrate how a catalyst affects the rate of a reaction. Journal of Chemical Education, 76(12), 1714–1715.
De Vos, W., & Verdonk, A. H. (1986). A new road to reaction: Part 3. Teaching the heat effect of reactions. Journal of Chemical Education, 63(11), 972–974.
Duit, R. (1987). Should energy be illustrated as something quasi-material?. International Journal of Science Education, 9(2), 139-145.
Duit, R. and Kesidou, S. (1988). Students’ understanding of basic ideas of the second law of thermodynamics. Research in Science Education, 18(1), 186-195.
Erickson, G.L. (1979). Children’s conceptions of heat and temperature. Science Education, 63(2), 221-230.
Erickson, G.L. (1980). Children’s viewpoints of heat: a second look. Science Education, 64(3), 323-336.
Erickson, G. (1985). An overview of pupils’ ideas. In R. Driver, E. Guesne, & E.Tiberghien (Eds), Children’s ideas in science (pp.55-66). Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
Fuchs, H.U. (1987). Thermodynamics: a “misconceived” theory. In Novak, J.D. (Ed) Proceedings of the Second International Seminar Misconceptions and Educational Strategies in Science and Mathematics - Volume III (pp.160-167). 26-29 July, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Goedhart, M.J. and Kaper, W. (2002). From chemical energetics to chemical thermodynamics. In J.K. Gilbert,. O. De Jong, R. Justi, D.F. Treagust, & J.Van Driel (Eds), Chemical education: Towards research-based practice (pp.339-362). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Granville, M.F. (1985). Student misconceptions in thermodynamics. Journal of Chemical Education, 62(10), 847-848.
Grayson, D.J., Harrison, A.G. & Treagust, D.F. (1995). A multidimensional study of changes that occurred during a short course on heat and temperature. In A. Hendricks (Ed), Proceedings of Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics and Science Education 3rd Annual Meeting-Vol.1 (pp.273-283). Cape Town, South Africa.
Harrison, A.G., Grayson, D.J. & Treagust, D.F. (1999). Investigating a grade 11 student’s evolving conceptions of heat and temperature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36(1), 55-87.
Johnstone, A.H., MacDonald, J.J. & Webb, G. (1977). Misconceptions in school thermodynamics. Physics Education, May, 248-251.
Justi, R. (2002). The teaching and learning chemical kinetics. In J.K. Gilbert,. O. De Jong, R. Justi, D.F. Treagust, & J.Van Driel (Eds), Chemical education: Towards researchbased practice (pp.293-316). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Justi, R., & Gilbert, J. (1999). A cause of a historical science teaching: Use of hybrid models. Science Education, 83(2), 163–178.
Kesidou, S. & Duit, R. (1993). Students’ conceptions of the second law of thermodynamics - an interpretive study. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30(1), 85-106.
Lambert, F.L. (1998). Chemical kinetics: As important as the second law of thermodynamics. The Chemical Educator, 3(2), 1-6.
Lewis, E.L. & Linn, M.C. (1994). Heat, energy and temperature concepts of adolescents, adults and experts: implications for curricular improvements. Journal Research in Science Teaching, 31(6), 657-677.
Linn, M.C. & Songer, N.B. (1991). Teaching thermodynamics to middle school students: what are appropriate cognitive demands?. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 28(10), 885-918.
Logan, S.R. (1984). Introductory reaction kinetics-an unacknowledged difficulty. Education in Chemistry, 21, 20–22.
Logan, S.R. (1996). Fundamentals of Chemical Kinetics. Longman: Essex.
Lynch, M. D. (1997). The effect of cognitive style, method of instruction, and visual ability on learning chemical kinetics. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Iowa State University, USA.
MacDonald, J.J. (1990). Equilibrium, free energy, and entropy. Journal of Chemical Education, 67(5), 380-382.
Ochs, R.S. (1996). Thermodynamics and spontaneity. Journal of Chemical Education, 73(10), 952-954.
Osborne, R. & Cosgrove, M. (1983). Children’s conceptions of the changes of state of water. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20, 825-838.
Pinarbasi, T., Canpolat, N., Bayrakçeken, S. & Geban, O. (2006). An investigation of effectiveness of conceptual change text-oriented instruction on students understanding of solution concepts. Research in Science Education, 36(4), 313-335.
Quilez, J., & Solaz, J. J. (1995). Students’ and teachers’ misapplication of Le Chatelier’s principle: Implications for the teaching of chemical equilibrium. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(9), 939–957.
Selepe, C. & Bradley, J. (1997 January). Student-teacher’s conceptual difficulties in chemical thermodynamics. In M. Sander (Ed). Proceedings of Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics and Science Education 5th Annual Meeting (pp.316-321). University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Sozbilir, M. (2001). A study on undergraduates’ understandings of key chemical ideas in thermodynamics, Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of York, UK.
Sozbilir, M. (2002). Turkish chemistry undergraduate students’ misunderstandings of Gibbs free energy. University Chemistry Education, 6(2), 73-83.
Sozbilir, M. (2003a). What students’ understand from entropy?: A review of selected literature. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 2(1), 21-27.
Sozbilir, M. (2003b) A review of selected literature on students’ misconceptions of heat and temperature. Boğaziçi University Journal of Education, 20(1), 25-41.
Sozbilir, M. (2004). What makes physical chemistry difficult? Perceptions of Turkish chemistry undergraduates and lecturers. Journal of Chemical Education, 81(4), 573-578.
Sozbilir, M. & Bennett, J.M. (2006). Turkish prospective chemistry teachers’ misunderstandings of enthalpy and spontaneity. Chemical Educator, 11(5), 355-363.
Sozbilir, M. & Bennett, J.M. (2007). A study of Turkish chemistry undergraduates’ understanding of entropy. Journal of Chemical Education, 84(7), 1204-1208.
Thomas, P.L. (1997). Student conceptions of equilibrium and fundamental thermodynamic concepts in college physical chemistry. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, USA.
Van Driel, J. H. (2002). Students’ corpuscular conceptions in the context of chemical equilibrium and chemical kinetics. Chemistry Education: Research and Practice in Europe, 3(2), 201–213.
Van Driel, J.H. & Gräber, W. (2002). The teaching and learning of chemical equilibrium. In J.K. Gilbert,. O. De Jong, R. Justi, D.F. Treagust, & J.Van Driel (Eds), Chemical education: Towards research-based practice ( pp.271- 292). Dordrecht Kluwer.
Warn, J.R.W. (1988). Concise chemical thermodynamics. Cornwall: T.J. Press.
Wheeler, A. E. & Kass, H. (1978). Student misconceptions in chemical equilibrium, Science Education, 62(2), 223–232.

How to cite this article

APA

Sözbilir, M., Pınarbaşı, T., & Canpolat, N. (2010). Prospective Chemistry Teachers’ Conceptions of Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 6(2), 111-120. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75232

Vancouver

Sözbilir M, Pınarbaşı T, Canpolat N. Prospective Chemistry Teachers’ Conceptions of Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2010;6(2):111-20. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75232

AMA

Sözbilir M, Pınarbaşı T, Canpolat N. Prospective Chemistry Teachers’ Conceptions of Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2010;6(2), 111-120. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75232

Chicago

Sözbilir, Mustafa, Tacettin Pınarbaşı, and Nurtaç Canpolat. "Prospective Chemistry Teachers’ Conceptions of Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2010 6 no. 2 (2010): 111-120. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75232

Harvard

Sözbilir, M., Pınarbaşı, T., and Canpolat, N. (2010). Prospective Chemistry Teachers’ Conceptions of Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 6(2), pp. 111-120. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75232

MLA

Sözbilir, Mustafa et al. "Prospective Chemistry Teachers’ Conceptions of Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 6, no. 2, 2010, pp. 111-120. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75232