Simulations in Chemistry for Conceptual Understanding and Assessment of Student Knowledge

Simulations are dynamic resources that have been found useful for communicating abstract fundamental ideas such as stoichiometry and several other concepts. In this chapter the authors present their recent work on designing and implementing an interactive simulation called Combustion Lab based on reaction stoichiometry - a topic that has continually been a challenge for chemistry learners. Several researchers have reported persistent student misconceptions in stoichiometry. In order to address this challenge, a novel computer simulation was developed to assess student understandings of stoichiometry based on student problem solving performance, and also to promote student conceptual understanding. The Combustion lab was particularly focused on the stoichiometry of these reactions, problem solving, and the relevance of stoichiometry for its everyday applications. Results of this sequential exploratory study show that the simulation was effective in revealing student understanding and student treatment of stoichiometry problems based on analysis of various data collected.

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Making sense of sensemaking: using the sensemaking epistemic game to investigate student discourse during a collaborative gas law activity

Chemistry Education Research and Practice ◽

10.1039/d0rp00290a ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kevin H. Hunter ◽

Jon-Marc G. Rodriguez ◽

Nicole M. Becker

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Ideal Gas ◽

Interactive Simulation ◽

Structural Components ◽

Student Discourse ◽

Coding Scheme ◽

Making Sense ◽

Ideal Gas Law ◽

The Ideal

Beyond students’ ability to manipulate variables and solve problems, chemistry instructors are also interested in students developing a deeper conceptual understanding of chemistry, that is, engaging in the process of sensemaking. The concept of sensemaking transcends problem-solving and focuses on students recognizing a gap in knowledge and working to construct an explanation that resolves this gap, leading them to “make sense” of a concept. Here, we focus on adapting and applying sensemaking as a framework to analyze three groups of students working through a collaborative gas law activity. The activity was designed around the learning cycle to aid students in constructing the ideal gas law using an interactive simulation. For this analysis, we characterized student discourse using the structural components of the sensemaking epistemic game using a deductive coding scheme. Next, we further analyzed students’ epistemic form by assessing features of the activity and student discourse related to sensemaking: whether the question was framed in a real-world context, the extent of student engagement in robust explanation building, and analysis of written scientific explanations. Our work provides further insight regarding the application and use of the sensemaking framework for analyzing students’ problem solving by providing a framework for inferring the depth with which students engage in the process of sensemaking.

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Analyzing Student Problem-Solving With MAtCH

Frontiers in Education ◽

10.3389/feduc.2021.769042 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Author(s):

Barbara Chiu ◽

Christopher Randles ◽

Stefan Irby

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Analytical Framework ◽

First Year ◽

Physics Classes ◽

Match Model ◽

Car Travel ◽

Insight Into ◽

Student Problem

Problem-solving has been recognized as a critical skill that students lack in the current education system, due to the use of algorithmic questions in tests that can be simply memorized and solved without conceptual understanding. Research on student problem-solving is needed to gain deeper insight into how students are approaching problems and where they lack proficiency so that instruction can help students gain a conceptual understanding of chemistry. The MAtCH (methods, analogies, theory, context, how) model was recently developed from analyzing expert explanations of their research and could be a valuable model to identify key components of student problem-solving. Using phenomenography, this project will address the current gap in the literature of applying the MAtCH model to student responses. Twenty-two undergraduate students from first-year general chemistry and general physics classes were recorded using a think-aloud protocol as they worked through the following open-ended problems: 1) How many toilets do you need at a music festival? 2) How far does a car travel before one atom layer is worn off the tires? 3)What is the mass of the Earth’s atmosphere? The original definitions of MAtCH were adapted to better fit student problem-solving, and then the newly defined model was used as an analytical framework to code the student transcripts. Applying the MAtCH model within student problem-solving has revealed a reliance on the method component, namely, using formulas and performing simple plug-and-chug calculations, over deeper analysis of the question or evaluation of their work. More important than the order of the components, the biggest differences in promoted versus impeded problem-solving are how students incorporate multiple components of MAtCH and apply them as they work through the problems. The results of this study will further discuss in detail the revisions made to apply MAtCH definitions to student transcripts and give insight into the elements that promote and impede student problem-solving under the MAtCH model.

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Explicit teaching of problem categorization using concept mapping, and an exploratory study of its effect on student achievement and on conceptual understanding – the case of chemical equilibrium problems

Chemistry Teacher International ◽

10.1515/cti-2019-0021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Antonios Bakolis ◽

Dimitrios Stamovlasis ◽

Georgios Tsaparlis

Keyword(s):

Student Achievement ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Concept Mapping ◽

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Chemical Equilibrium ◽

Concept Maps ◽

Equilibrium Problems ◽

Solution Process ◽

Control Group ◽

Long Term Memory

Abstract A crucial step in problem solving is the retrieval of already learned schemata from long-term memory, a process which may be facilitated by categorization of the problem. The way knowledge is organized affects its availability, and, at the same time, it constitutes the important difference between experts and novices. The present study employed concept maps in a novel way, as a categorization tool for chemical equilibrium problems. The objective was to determine whether providing specific practice in problem categorization improves student achievement in problem solving and in conceptual understanding. Two groups of eleventh-grade students from two special private seminars in Corfu island, Greece, were used: the treatment group (N = 19) and the control group (N = 21). Results showed that the categorization helped students to improve their achievement, but the improvement was not always statistically significant. Students at lower (Piagetian) developmental level (in our sample, students at the transitional stage) had a larger improvement, which was statistically significant with a high effect size. Finally, Nakhleh’s categorization scheme, distinguishing algorithmic versus conceptual subproblems in the solution process, was studied. Dependency of problem solving on an organized knowledge base and the significance of concept mapping on student achievement were the conclusion.

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Student knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about acupuncture: an exploratory study

Acupuncture in Medicine ◽

10.1177/09645284211009904 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 096452842110099

Author(s):

Mark D Sodders ◽

Melissa P Osborn ◽

Monica S Vavilala

Keyword(s):

Exploratory Study ◽

Attitudes And Beliefs ◽

Student Knowledge

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The Effect of Problem Based Module for Sampling Technique Courses Toward College Student Problem Solving Behaviour; Case Study in Indonesia

Journal of Physics Conference Series ◽

10.1088/1742-6596/1742/1/012013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1742 ◽

pp. 012013

Author(s):

Y Harisman ◽

A Sovia ◽

Rahima

Keyword(s):

College Student ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Student Problem

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Untangling Geometric Ideas

Teaching Children Mathematics ◽

10.5951/teacchilmath.20.8.0508 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (8) ◽

pp. 508-515

Author(s):

Claudia R. Burgess

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Wassily Kandinsky ◽

Group Cooperation

This geometry lesson uses the work of abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky as a springboard and is intended to promote the conceptual understanding of mathematics through problem solving, group cooperation, mathematical negotiations, and dialogue.

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Integrated Learning: Explicit Strategies and Their Role in Problem-Solving Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities

Council review ◽

10.1177/001440299305900507 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 59 (5) ◽

pp. 444-455 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Maurice Hollingsworth ◽

John Woodward

Keyword(s):

Computer Simulation ◽

Learning Disabilities ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Secondary Students ◽

Comparison Group ◽

Strategy Group ◽

Integrated Learning ◽

Students With Learning Disabilities ◽

Simulation Games ◽

Experimental Group

This study investigated the effectiveness of an explicit strategy as a means of linking facts, concepts, and problem solving in an unfamiliar domain of learning. Participants were 37 secondary students with learning disabilities. All students were taught health facts and concepts, which they then applied to problem-solving exercises presented through computer-simulation games. Students in the experimental group were taught an explicit strategy for solving the problems; the comparison group was given supportive feedback and encouraged to induce their own strategies. The explicit strategy group performed significantly better on two transfer measures, including videotaped problem-solving exercises.

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