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STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF ACID-BASE REACTIONS INVESTIGATED THROUGH THEIR CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES AND THE ACID-BASE REACTIONS CONCEPT INVENTORY

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2013, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Acid base reactions are an important part of the curriculum in many chemistry courses. Students’ knowledge about acid-base reactions is dependent on their ability to transfer knowledge from multiple topics such as solutions, reaction chemistry, and structure/property relationships, making it a ripe area for research. Student misconceptions about acid-base reactions were studied using a four-phase semi-structured interview protocol. Students in high school, general chemistry 1 & 2, organic chemistry 1 & 2 and a graduate level organic chemistry seminar were asked to identify acid-base reactions from a collection of reactions and to explain what takes place in each reaction. Students were also asked to predict the reactants of three acid-base reactions and to explain how acid-base reactions differ from other reaction mechanisms. The goal in developing the interview guide was to gain a deeper understanding of key features that students attend to in symbolic representations of reactions. As students discussed the critical attributes they used to classify reactions, several misconceptions about acid-base surfaced. Using qualitative data from student interviews, the Acid-Base Reactions Concept Inventory was developed using a bottom-up approach. The Acid-Base Reactions Concept Inventory is novel in that topics covered by the inventory and the distracters for each item came directly from student interviews. While some of the misconceptions that were seen in interviews concur with the literature, many of the distracters that were discovered during student interviews as well as the focus of the inventory added to the gaps in previous literature on student ideas about reactions. Students from high school, Advanced Placement high school chemistry, general chemistry 1, general chemistry 2, and organic chemistry 1 completed the Acid-Base Reactions Concept Inventory. The prevalence of misconceptions that were discovered during qualitative interview was shown through a full study that included high school, advanced placement high school, and general chemistry I students from institutions across the United States. Analysis of reliability and validity led to the conclusion that the Acid-Base Reactions Concept Inventory is an efficient way to assess student ideas about the particulate nature of reactions. Results of the study as well as implications for instructors are reported throughout the study. In addition to this study, work was done to develop a liquid crystal lab to provide organic chemistry students an opportunity to learn about materials research. The lab experiment is presented in Appendix A. Students in this lab synthesized a series of p-alkoxybenzoic acids through nucleophilic substitution. Most liquid crystal phases (mesophases) are due to covalent bonds, however the mesophases form because of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Students were able to view the clearing points with a standard melting point apparatus. They also used polarizing microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry to characterize the mesophases.
Stacey Lowery Bretz (Advisor)
Ellen Yezierski (Committee Chair)
Richard Taylor (Committee Member)
C. Scott Hartley (Committee Member)
Jennifer Blue (Committee Member)
209 p.

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Citations

  • Jensen, J. D. (2013). STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF ACID-BASE REACTIONS INVESTIGATED THROUGH THEIR CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES AND THE ACID-BASE REACTIONS CONCEPT INVENTORY [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1365611297

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Jensen, Jana. STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF ACID-BASE REACTIONS INVESTIGATED THROUGH THEIR CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES AND THE ACID-BASE REACTIONS CONCEPT INVENTORY . 2013. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1365611297.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Jensen, Jana. "STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF ACID-BASE REACTIONS INVESTIGATED THROUGH THEIR CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES AND THE ACID-BASE REACTIONS CONCEPT INVENTORY ." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1365611297

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)