Pre-Service Science Teachers' Images and Misconceptions About Chemical Equilibrium

Abstract

Determining pre-service teachers’ images and removing their misconceptions with scientifically true ones are very important so that these teachers could bring up students without misconceptions. In the current study, it was aimed to highlight pre-service science teachers’ images and misconceptions about chemical equilibrium together and in detail. For this purpose, qualitative research was employed. The research was conducted on 20 pre-service science teachers educating at a university in middle Anatolia region. Worksheets were utilized as data collecting tools. In worksheets there was a question about making pre-service teachers draw four different scenarios for a given chemical equilibrium reaction at different times; at the beginning of the reaction, before the chemical equilibrium, at the chemical equilibrium, after the chemical equilibrium, but at a common temperature and then making them explain their drawings. Data was analysed through content analysis. The results lightened that pre-service science teachers’ chemical equilibrium concept images were inadequate since their mental images about the concept were scientifically wrong. On the other hand, the pre-service science teachers had different misconceptions. The most common misconceptions of pre-service science teachers were as “Diatomic molecules form atoms and then these atoms form new chemicals (f:10).”, “There are only products or activated complexes in the tank during and/or afterwards of the chemical equilibrium (f:15).”, “Atoms could disappear and/or reappear (f:14).”, and “Products are formed at the chemical equilibrium (f:17).”