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Investigating Students’ Understandings about the Electronic Structure of the Atom with Regards to Energy Quantization and Probability

Allred, Zahilyn D. Roche
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2971-4878
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami155532358971407

Abstract Details

2019, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Chemistry and Biochemistry.
This dissertation investigates chemistry students’ ideas about the electronic structure of the atom. Previous studies have discussed students’ difficulties with shifting from a concrete model of the atom such as the Bohr model to a more complex and abstract model like the Quantum model. Given students’ difficulties with gaining a conceptual understanding of the quantum model, the concepts of probability and quantization have been suggested to play a key role in students’ development of an adequate atomic structure. Students’ ideas about the electronic structure of the atom were investigated using a mixed-method sequential design. First-semester general chemistry (N= 26) and second-semester physical chemistry students (N= 8) were interviewed after they had been instructed and assessed on the quantum model of the atom. A four-phase, semi-structured interview with multiple particulate and symbolic representations was used to elicit students’ ideas about the atom. The theory of meaningful learning was used to guide the design and analysis of the first phase of the interviews as students’ prior knowledge was elicited by asking them to describe the atom and whether the ideas of probability and quantization were related to their understanding of the atom. Johnstone’s Multiple Levels of Representations were used to frame the subsequent phases of the interview where students were asked to interpret (i) an energy level diagram for the hydrogen atom, (ii) multiple models of the helium atom, and (iii) sets of atomic orbitals for a carbon atom. Students’ thinking about the connections (or lack of) between the energy level diagram and particulate representations of electron probability were investigated. Students’ interpretations of the multiple representations and their understandings of how probability and quantization are related to the atom were analyzed to identify alternative conceptions about the electronic structure of the atom. In addition, research in mathematics education and cognitive psychology was used to analyze the students’ ideas about probability. The data analysis was used to develop the Quantization and Probability Representations Inventory (QuPRI), an assessment tool to measure students’ misconceptions about the electronic structure of the atom. The QuPRI was administered to both first-year chemistry students and physical chemistry students at multiple institutions across the United States. The administration of the inventory shed light into a diverse number of misinterpretations about multiple models of the atom and the energy level diagram.
Stacey Lowery Bretz (Advisor)
Elle Yezierski (Committee Chair)
Richard Page (Committee Member)
Carole Dabney-Smith (Committee Member)
Jennifer Blue (Committee Member)
441 p.
Chemistry; Education
Introductory Chemistry, Undergraduate, Chemical Education Research, Physical Chemistry, Misconceptions, Discrepant Events, Atomic Properties, Mathematics, Quantum Chemistry

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Allred, Z. D. R. (2019). Investigating Students’ Understandings about the Electronic Structure of the Atom with Regards to Energy Quantization and Probability [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami155532358971407

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Allred, Zahilyn D.. Investigating Students’ Understandings about the Electronic Structure of the Atom with Regards to Energy Quantization and Probability . 2019. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami155532358971407.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Allred, Zahilyn D.. "Investigating Students’ Understandings about the Electronic Structure of the Atom with Regards to Energy Quantization and Probability ." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami155532358971407

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami155532358971407
162
© 2019, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Investigating Students’ Understandings about the Electronic Structure of the Atom with Regards to Energy Quantization and Probability by Zahilyn D. Roche Allred is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.