M.Gabriela T.C.Ribeiro, D.J.V.C. Pereira, R. Maskill, Reaction and spontaneity: the influence of meaning from everyday language on fourth year undergraduates' interpretations of some simple chemical phenomena, Int. Journal of Science Education, 4, 391-401, 1990.
1990-07-01

Autores:
M.G.T.C.Ribeiro
Duarte J. V. Costa Pereira
Roger Maskill*

Instituições:
University of Porto, Portugal
*University of East Anglia, UK


Resumo:
Fourteen fourth-year undergraduate chemistry students were interviewed in the context of some simple chemical phenomena to find out their concepts of 'reaction' and 'spontaneous'. The students were asked to discuss and to decide in four situations whether or not a chemical reaction had taken place and then, if one had, to decide whether or not the reaction was spontaneous. The differences between the chemical and everyday meanings of the words reaction and spontaneous are discussed and the differences are used to interpret the students' ideas. The students tended to take decisions about 'reaction' using criteria which were based on superficial, mostly visual criteria. If they could not 'see' a new substance being formed they tended not to refer to the change as a reaction. The role of the solvent in a reaction in solution was not considered. The interpretation of 'spontaneous' was very close to the everyday meaning of the word, relying on the idea of external interference rather than thermodynamic criteria. These findings are analysed and it is argued that they show the continued existence of pre-science notions well beyond the school stage of science education. Some possible implications and precautions for university level teaching are discussed.

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