CHEMISTRY EDUCATION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2003, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 279-290	RESEARCH REPORT (EMPIRICAL STUDY) Concepts

Haluk ÖZMEN and Alipasa AYAS
Karadeniz Technical University, Fatih Faculty of Education, Department of Science Education

STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONSERVATION OF MATTER IN OPEN AND CLOSED-SYSTEM CHEMICAL REACTIONS

ABSTRACT: The law of conservation of matter is a cornerstone in the development and advancement of modern chemistry. With this idea in mind, a test of four items was designed and used to determine students’ understanding about the conservation of matter in open and closed-system chemical reactions. The test was administered to 150 lycee-2 (grade 10; age 15-16) students after they studied the unit on chemical reactions. The analysis of the collected data revealed that students had some misconceptions. One of the most common misconception encountered was that “the total mass increases in a precipitation reaction because the precipitate produced is solid and it is heavier than a liquid.” Another misconception in parallel to the previous one was that “when a chemical combustion happens in a closed system, the total mass decreases.” [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract.: 2003, 4, 279-290]

KEY WORDS: secondary education; misconceptions; conservation of matter; chemical reactions; open-system chemical reactions; closed-system chemical reactions

CORRESPONDENCE: Haluk ÖZMEN, Department of Science Education, Fatih Faculty of Education, Karadeniz Technical University, 61335, Sogutlu-Akcaabat-Trabzon-Turkey; fax: +90-462-2487344; e-mail: hozmen@ktu.edu.tr or hozmen61@hotmail.com

[About CERP] [Current Issue] [Past Issues] [Note on Safety]
[Reviewers of CERP] [New Call for Papers] [Guidelines for Submissions]
[Submission Form (PDF)][Help] [Home]