Undergraduate students' beliefs about matter

CHED 146

Jessica K Weller and Mary B. Nakhleh, mnakhleh@purdue.edu. Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2084
This study examined undergraduate students' beliefs about the nature of matter. Thirteen undergraduate students enrolled in general chemistry courses were interviewed. The interview was designed to gain understanding of students' beliefs about the composition and particulate structure of a variety of substances, the relationship between particulate structure and properties such as fluidity and malleability, and an understanding of processes such as phase transition and dissolving. Early results indicated that most students at the undergraduate level knew that matter was composed of atoms and molecules and that some could use this knowledge to explain some properties and some processes. We will compare these results to earlier studies of students K-8.
 

General Posters
7:30 PM-9:30 PM, Sunday, April 6, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008