Cross-sectional approach for diagnosing student’s learning progression in relation to pre-requisite knowledge of buffer solution

Abstract

Buffer Solution is one of the complex concepts in chemistry since it involves many prerequisite concepts such as acid and base, chemical equilibrium, and stoichiometry. These concepts also need sequent students’ understanding of the chemical equation, chemical nomenclature, and atomic symbol. Their difficulty in comprehending prerequisite knowledge will affect the learning progression. This research aims to diagnose learning progression and the causes of the learning progression block of senior high school students on the buffer solution. Learning progression of 82 X grade, 80 XI grade, and 80 XII grade students were identified by a structured diagnostic test of chemistry using a cross-sectional approach. This research figure out that the learning progression of the student was not as expected since they cannot mastering buffer solution well particularly in buffer solution component, pH of buffer solution, and pH maintaining mechanism because of their difficulty in understanding chemical equilibrium and ionization reaction.