Abstract
A Chemistry concept inventory has been developed for assessing students learning and identifying the alternative conceptions that students may have in general chemistry. The conceptions in question are assumed to be mainly learned in school and to a less degree in student’s daily life. The inventory therefore aims at functioning as a tool for adjusting teaching practices in chemistry. The concept inventory presented here is mainly aimed at assessing students learning during general chemistry courses. The inventory has been administered and evaluated using statistical tests, focusing on both item analysis and on the entire test. The results indicate that the concept inventory is a reliable and discriminating tool in the present context.
Highlights
During the last decades, studies aimed at describing the concepts held by students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have been performed
A concept inventory used for these purposes must be reliable and have necessary discriminatory power within the context where the inventory is administered
This inventory has been administered and evaluated using statistical tests, and results indicate that the concept inventory is a reliable and discriminating tool in the present context
Summary
Studies aimed at describing the concepts held by students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have been performed. Concepts are developed from early age when children form intuitive ideas of natural phenomena. During the process of learning more about the natural world, by observations or a theoretical approach, they develop new or revised concepts based on their own interpretation of new information within their own context with existing ideas and beliefs. Students in introductory courses in chemistry exhibit a number of alternative concepts concerning chemical behaviour. There has been published a number of reviews of common alternative conceptions in chemistry (Bowen & Bunce, 1997), (Stavy, Learning Science in the Schools, 1995) (Gabel & Bunce, 1994) (Wandersee, Mintzes, & Novak, 1994), as well as an extensive bibliography (Pfundt & Duit, 2000), dealing with these issues. This research has give valuable background knowledge for later development of assessment methods in chemistry education (Treagust & Chiu, 2011) (Cloonan & Hutchinson, 2010)
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