Uncovering Chemical Thinking in Students鈥?Decision Making: A Fuel-Choice Scenario

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• 作者：Gregory Banks ; Michael Clinchot ; Steven Cullipher ; Robert Huie ; Jennifer Lambertz ; Rebecca Lewis ; Courtney Ngai ; Hannah Sevian ; Gabriela Szteinberg ; Vicente Talanquer ; Melissa Weinrich
• 刊名：Journal of Chemical Education
• 出版年：2015
• 出版时间：October 13, 2015
• 年：2015
• 卷：92
• 期：10
• 页码：1610-1618
• 全文大小：300K
• ISSN：1938-1328

文摘

Making decisions about the production and use of chemical substances is of central importance in many fields. In this study, a research team comprising teachers and educational researchers collaborated in collecting and analyzing cognitive interviews with students from 8th grade through first-year university general chemistry in an effort to map progression in students鈥?ability to make decisions about the consequences of using and producing chemicals. Study participants were asked to explain their reasoning about which fuel would be best to power a small vehicle. Data were analyzed using a 鈥渃hemical thinking鈥?lens to characterize conceptual sophistication and complexity of reasoning. Results revealed that most reasoning was intuitive in conceptual sophistication and relational in argumentative nature, driven by the consequences of using the fuels based on their composition. Implications are discussed for the design of learning experiences and assessments that better support students鈥?development of decision-making using chemical knowledge.