ERIC Number: EJ1458782
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Mar
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
Applying the VisChem Approach in High School Classrooms: Chemical Learning Outcomes and Limitations
Journal of Chemical Education, v101 n3 p727-740 2024
Most chemistry instruction and assessment lie in the symbolic domain of Johnstone's representational levels, despite years of chemistry education researchers calling for increased emphasis to be placed on the molecular or particulate level of chemistry. Without a deep understanding of the particulate nature of matter and molecular-level interactions, meaningful chemistry understanding is nearly impossible. Understanding how molecules and other particles interact provides the necessary explanatory elements for predicting how chemical reactions will occur. To address this gap, the VisChem Approach was developed for university students in Australia in the late 1990s, but it was only recently formally brought to high schools in the United States. In this study, we examine the results of high school teacher implementation of the VisChem Approach in four classrooms following an intensive professional development program. Results indicate that the curricular inserts are successful in addressing many areas of misunderstanding by students regarding the molecular level. Implications for teaching using the VisChem Approach and for research on students' understanding of the molecular level are also discussed.
Descriptors: Secondary School Science, Chemistry, Science Education, Outcomes of Education, Scientific Concepts, Curriculum Implementation, Molecular Structure
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A