Una herramienta para el análisis del nivel de comprensión del modelo de materia de los alumnos de 4º de ESO

Abstract

In this study, an analytical tool has been developed to characterise 15-16 year old students’ conceptions about matter. It has been considered that at this instructional level the school scientific model of matter that is used should be an advanced model that differs from a basic model of matter in the distinction of particles as atoms, molecules and ions. This advanced model could allow students to provide well founded interpretations of most important physical and chemical changes of matter. The analytical tool here reported includes four dimensions (Conformation, Dynamics, Interactions and Diversity). These dimensions encompass a set of categories that allow characterising students’ conceptions of matter. In order to build the analytical tool here reported, we defined a set of dimensions and categories which are drawn upon the ones established by Talanquer (2009) but also emerged from the analysis of students’ answers when representing matter at a submicroscopic level.