Cross-Age Study Of The Understanding Of Some Concepts In Chemistry Subjects In Science Curriculum

Abstract

The alternative ideas and misconceptions of the students play an important role in the studies of chemistry education in science. Among these, the cross-age studies could easily point out the comprehension levels of students from different age groups. The basis of the chemistry education is constructed at schools through having the students understand and use the concepts of atom and molecule. The cross-age study was conducted with a total of 239 students (138 male, 101 female) aged 11, 12, 13 and 14 from 6th, 7th and 8th grades of Kuyubaşı Elementary School in Ankara within the 2001-2002 School Year. The questions related to pressure, the transformation of matter, density physical-chemical transformation and mixture topics were chosen from the science curriculum. The first test was the application test which assessed how to prepare the students for these subjects. The second test, named as the theoretical test, consisted of questions which seek the same answers related to the same topics. In this cross-age study, the changes in the mental development and knowledge of the students were investigated. The 12 and 13-year-old students provided the best results among the age groups of 11, 12, 13 and 14.