Middle and high school students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter in Lebanon

النوع : Mémoire

This study was conducted to determine 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students’ conceptions about the particulate nature of matter via a test. A total of 189 students from a Lebanese private school participated in this study; 54 from the 8th grade, 62 from the 10th grade, 53 from the 11th grade, and 20 from the 12th grade. The test consisted of ten multiple-choice questions that aimed at testing students’ conceptions concerning the particulate nature of matter through four themes: the use of the particulate nature of matter to relate macroscopic phenomena to submicroscopic particles, the existence of empty spaces between the particles of matter, applying the law of conservation of mass to the particle model, and matter in the gaseous phase. The results showed that, for many of the students, making the association between submicroscopic models and macroscopic events was problematic. Students had little knowledge or misconceptions about the spaces between particles, conservation of mass during phase change, and the continuity of matter. Finally, although the findings of this study should not be generalized, since it is only representative of one private school in Beirut, Lebanon. On the other hand, since these students represent a sample of the students in Beirut, going through the same chemistry program, the findings of this study might have several implications for both teachers and curriculum designers.