This study analyzed third-year undergraduate Chemistry major students' drawings and written expla... more This study analyzed third-year undergraduate Chemistry major students' drawings and written explanations of substitution reactions. Seventy (70) students were purposively selected for this study. The main data collection instrument was a diagnostic test and students' responses were analyzed using deductive coding. The study aimed to unearth students' conceptual understanding and difficulties on substitution reactions to provide significant insights into improving teaching strategies and learning outcomes. The findings revealed that: 1. Students were more familiar with S N 2 reaction mechanisms and could answer questions on S N 2 reaction mechanisms better than S N 1 reaction mechanisms; 2. Students' use of 'chemical vocabulary' did not translate into an understanding of electron movement and causal mechanistic explanation; 3. About 97 % of the students who gave a correct/partially correct description provided a description of what was happening in the reaction without any further explanation of why the reaction occurred; 4. Students had a slightly better understanding of drawing the correct mechanisms than providing accurate explanations. This study recommends that, in teaching organic reaction mechanisms, instructors should emphasize on electron-pushing formalisms and explain how and why reactions occur to encourage mechanistic thinking in students. Also, students should be given ample practice in organic reaction mechanisms to improve mastery.
International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, Jun 29, 2023
The laudable intent of science and industrialization for the ease, long life and comfort of human... more The laudable intent of science and industrialization for the ease, long life and comfort of humans has resulted in degradation of the ecosystem as pollutants from chemical production and their use end up in the ecosystem and exert detrimental effects on systems. This damaging effect has translated into climate change, food crisis, financial crisis, poverty, water scarcity, poor health, war, injustice, migration and urbanization, and other humanitarian challenges. A sustainable and humanitarian solution must be found to mitigate the existing and subsequent challenges. A possible solution could be through the development of sustainability-and humanitarianliterate citizens through chemical education. To explore this possibility, 31 preservice graduate teachers were engaged in a case study where they developed solutions to real life environmental challenges in a safe, fun-filled environment, with simple, cost-effective equipment from a system thinking stance. Data was gathered through questionnaire, inter-rated observation schedule, semi-structured interviews and lab reports. Findings indicated that it was feasible to embed sustainability and humanitarian principles through a system thinking approach to inculcate into preservice teachers the need to protect our ecosystem for posterity through chemical studies.
The time has come for the natural and social scientists to integrate their disciplines for the ac... more The time has come for the natural and social scientists to integrate their disciplines for the acquisition of skills to solve real life challenges. This study was premised on the belief that the principles of systems thinking, humanitarianism, sustainability, security, and love, which feature prominently in the social sciences could be integrated into the natural sciences. The underlying theory for a possible approach was considered to be the social constructivist theory, as it could transform learners' ideas about the intersection of natural and social sciences in an active, motivating, collaborative, and non-discriminatory manner. An instrument used to gather data on this idea was a semi-structured guided conversation. Data gathered was interpreted qualitatively. Findings showed that the process to transform the teaching of natural and social sciences was feasible to enable learners to acquire transferrable and concept skills for lifelong living. Participants became aware of the possibility of applying scientific knowledge to solve some humanitarian challenges. They observed that the integration would enable the development of attributes such as love for each other and the environment, tolerance, patience, critical thinking, reflective and analytical skills, if the proposition is considered for curricula implementation. The conversations corroborated findings from other studies that perceived that science integrated in the social sciences and vice versa was feasible. It was concluded that, exposing Ghanaian students to real life experiences in a safe environment through chemical and social principles could make them appreciate the chemistry concepts in the social sciences, and vice versa, for a better world. Nature of water Hydroge n bonding Water and human communit ies Contamina nts in water Water cycle Water distributio n Water cycle Pollution Water pollution Conservati on of water Purificati on of water Clean water Human health and water distributio n on surface Uses of water Policies on water productio n Policies on water production and use Right to water use Policies on water use Ocean circulatio n and ocean currents Life in the ocean native Economics and Conservation Biology to yield Conservation Economics; while Tourism and Hospitality and Natural Resource Management could amalgamate to give 'Sustainable tourism'.
The research assessed secondary school students' conceptions of acid-base strengths by using the ... more The research assessed secondary school students' conceptions of acid-base strengths by using the conceptual change instruction accompanied with concept maps and analogies. These teaching strategies were employed to help them make unfamiliar events familiar. Within a quasi-experimental design, the sample of the study consisted of 73 secondary school students. Pre-and post-tests were used to collect data. The results showed that the experimental group that took the conceptual change-oriented instruction performed better than the control group. In light of the results, it can be concluded that employing such visuals and interactive materials as concept maps and analogies for achieving conceptual change is effective in generating better understanding of chemistry concepts.
Researchers have shown interest in how beginning chemistry teacher trainees can improve on their ... more Researchers have shown interest in how beginning chemistry teacher trainees can improve on their technological pedagogical content knowledge so as to be able to engage their students in concept-based and reflective activities. This is a task that trainees have to build up on their own by first mastering their content knowledge. This article focuses on 29 first year teacher trainees' understanding of chemical phenomena and how their understanding could be improved through concept mapping. An intervention was designed to enhance their basic conceptions upon which other concepts could be built. We analysed concept maps on linkages of periodic properties and how they affect chemical bonding. Their submissions were analysed based on three categories of conceptual understanding. The results showed that their levels of conception improved after the concept mapping intervention.
Chemistry education researchers have shown growing interest in the strategies that teachers emplo... more Chemistry education researchers have shown growing interest in the strategies that teachers employ to diagnose students’ prior knowledge and attempt remediation, where necessary, as most concepts in chemistry look abstract. The ways in which Ghanaian teachers identify and address their students’ alternative conceptions, especially in the study of chemical equilibrium, was explored on a pilot basis through the use of face-to-face, telephone and email procedures. The outcome was compared with what other researchers in other countries had identified through various means. Trainees whose responses were not clear in their e-mail responses were interviewed through telephone and personal interactions. Eleven Ghanaian chemistry instructors from various parts of the country, who were on an eight-week summer sandwich education programme, participated in the study. Data gathered revealed that majority of the participating teachers were aware of their students’ prior conceptions and often had n...
International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 2017
This study was undertaken to investigate the potential of integrating Information and Communicati... more This study was undertaken to investigate the potential of integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the teaching and learning of chemical bonding. Chemical bonding is a topic which is abstract in nature and requires the introduction of tangible elements to enable students build mental models for conceptual understanding. Nowadays, students spend more time with technological tools and prefer to use them in performing tasks and so this was tapped upon. Thirty students of Keta Senior High School in Keta, Ghana, who were randomly selected and three chemistry teachers purposely chosen, participated in the study. It employed both qualitative and quantitative methods for collection of data through preand post-tests, and the administration of an opinion questionnaire to assess improvement in performance after a chemistry software was used to teach the concept of chemical bonds. The integration of ICT into the teaching and learning of chemical bonds had the potential to...
Teacher trainees with misconceptions about chemical phenomena tend to pass this on to their stude... more Teacher trainees with misconceptions about chemical phenomena tend to pass this on to their students, thereby creating a vicious cycle of misconceptions which are often difficult to break among learners. This article presents the use of micro chemistry activities and worksheet activities in remediating identified alternative conceptions about types of chemical reactions and their diverse representations among 74 chemistry teacher trainees. The design adopted for the study was a case study which followed the pretest, post-test, delayed test approach in order to assess trainees’ retention of desired basic concepts about types of chemical reactions. The study which lasted for four weeks exposed the trainees’ weaknesses about the nature of matter, types of chemical reactions and their representations. Remediation was offered to enable the trainees to distinguish between types of chemical reactions, with a success rate of 85%. The tools used in this study were found to have great potenti...
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