Chemistry Teacher Trainees’ use of Molecular Models in Learning Spiro and Bicyclic Compounds

Abstract

The study diagnosed chemistry teacher trainees’ difficulties in naming and writing structures of spiro and bicyclic compounds. The case study design was conducted in a constructivist environment to enhance chemistry teacher trainees’ ability to construct, represent, and interpret the structural formulae of spiro and bicyclic compounds. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select 126 1st-year chemistry teacher trainees from University of Education, Winneba for the study. The results revealed that chemistry teacher trainees had difficulties in naming and writing structural formulae of spiro and bicyclic compounds. However, through the effective use of molecular model kits in teaching naming and writing structures of spiro and bicyclic compounds, these chemistry teacher trainees became conscious of IUPAC rules for naming and writing spiro and other cyclic compounds. A t-test conducted indicated that a statistical significance difference existed between students’ performance before the implementation of the intervention and after the intervention. It is recommended that chemistry teachers should adopt the use of molecular model kits in teaching concepts of organic nomenclature.