ERIC Number: EJ1300113
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Apr
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1756-1108
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Students' Understanding of Molar Concentration
Chemistry Education Research and Practice, v22 n2 p486-497 Apr 2021
This article presents and discusses the results of a study that investigates university students' comprehension of the concept of molar concentration, following teaching and evaluation of the subject. The specific problems underlying learning of this concept have not yet been focused on in sufficient detail or depth. A "Reasoning with molarity" questionnaire, which explores the logical-mathematical relationships between the variables "n," "V" and "M," was administered to 303 Argentine first-year university students. Results obtained from think-aloud interviews related to this questionnaire, which were performed with 18 students, are also analysed. These results reveal that approximately half the first-year university students have no clear conceptual understanding of molarity. The main difficulty arises in inverse proportionality tasks where the number of moles (extensive) and "M" (intensive) should be related qualitatively to determine which solution occupies the smallest volume. It was also established that much conceptual confusion, such as the lack of differentiation between "n" and "M," lies behind the algorithmic, numerical solution strategy carried out exclusively by many students.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Scientific Concepts, Concept Formation, College Freshmen, Chemistry, Misconceptions, Foreign Countries, Molecular Structure, Knowledge Level
Royal Society of Chemistry. Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WF, UK. Tel: +44-1223 420066; Fax: +44-1223 423623; e-mail: cerp@rsc.org; Web site: http://www.rsc.org/cerp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Argentina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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