Knowledge of Atomic Structure and Visualization: Research Results from Questionnaire with First-year Chemistry Students

Abstract

This research study was conducted in order to assess the students’ knowledge and ideas about basic concepts in both general chemistry and general physics courses. The research topic was the atomic structure knowledge and visual models of the atom that students already have. Research examined how students’ knowledge of scientific atomic theory has progressed during study year using a questionnaire as pretestand posttest. The study results showed that students’ knowledge about atoms atomic structure has predominantly descriptive and simplified character. Students have had their alternative visions of atomic structure based on their knowledge about Rutherford or Bohr model of the atom instead of the current scientific model of the atoms. That was a case even when they successfully completed the atomic structure questionnaire. Only 5% of the first-year chemistry students under this study showed an expected scientific literacy level related to the atomic theory topics after two semesters of study general chemistry and general physics. We propose different learning sequences to exceed this problem in order to help the freshmen to be prepared adequately for further more complex study. This approach is very important for the students’ development of abstract thinking that is necessary for the complete scientific literacy.