Multiple Representations in Chemical Education

Description

Chemistry seeks to provide qualitative and quantitative explanations for the observed behaviour of elements and their compounds. Doing so involves making use of three types of representation: the macro (the empirical properties of substances); the sub-micro (the natures of the entities giving rise to those properties); and the symbolic (the number of entities involved in any changes that take place). Although understanding this triplet relationship is a key aspect of chemical education, there is considerable evidence that students find great difficulty in achieving mastery of the ideas involved. In bringing together the work of leading chemistry educators who are researching the triplet relationship at the secondary and university levels, the book discusses the learning involved, the problems that students encounter, and successful approaches to teaching. Based on the reported research, the editors argue for a coherent model for understanding the triplet relationship in chemical education. Front Matter....Pages i-x Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction: Macro, Submicro and Symbolic Representations and the Relationship Between Them: Key Models in Chemical Education....Pages 1-8 Front Matter....Pages 9-10 Learning at the Sub-micro Level: Structural Representations....Pages 11-29 Micro–Macro Thinking in Chemical Education: Why and How to Escape....Pages 31-54 Towards a Better Utilization of Diagrams in Research into the Use of Representative Levels in Chemical Education....Pages 55-73 Learning at the Symbolic Level....Pages 75-105 Front Matter....Pages 107-108 Learning at the Macro Level: The Role of Practical Work....Pages 109-136 Linking the Macroscopic, Sub-microscopic and Symbolic Levels: The Case of Inorganic Qualitative Analysis....Pages 137-150 The Efficacy of an Alternative Instructional Programme Designed to Enhance Secondary Students’ Competence in the Triplet Relationship....Pages 151-168 Linking the Macroscopic and Sub-microscopic Levels: Diagrams....Pages 169-191 Front Matter....Pages 193-194 Structure–Property Relations Between Macro and Micro Representations: Relevant Meso-levels in Authentic Tasks....Pages 195-213 Historical Material in Macro–Micro Thinking: Conceptual Change in Chemistry Education and the History of Chemistry....Pages 215-250 The Roles of Multimedia in the Teaching and Learning of the Triplet Relationship in Chemistry....Pages 251-283 The Application of a ‘Model of Modelling’ to Illustrate the Importance of Metavisualisation in Respect of the Three Types of Representation....Pages 285-307 Action Research to Promote the Formation of Linkages by Chemistry Students Between the Macro, Submicro, and Symbolic Representational Levels....Pages 309-331 Towards a Coherent Model for Macro, Submicro and Symbolic Representations in Chemical Education....Pages 333-350 Back Matter....Pages 351-367