Conceptual Difficulties Experienced by Prospective Teachers in Electrochemistry: Half-Cell Potential, Cell Potential, and Chemical and Electrochemical Equilibrium in Galvanic Cells

• Ali Riza Özkaya ^[1]
  1. [1] Marmara University

     Marmara University

     Turquía

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 79, Nº 6, 2002, pág. 735
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • A previous study of prospective teachers found that students from different countries and different levels of electrochemistry hold common misconceptions, indicating that concepts were presented to them poorly. It also identified new misconceptions by considering electrochemical concepts such as chemical equilibrium, electrochemical equilibrium, and the instrumental requirements for the measurement of cell potential, which had been ignored in the literature. This paper reports how the prospective teachers' scientifically incorrect ideas were used to form assertion-reason-type questions and how these questions were used to identify previously unreported conceptual difficulties related to these ignored concepts. The origins of the learning difficulties were attributed to lack of electrochemical conceptual knowledge and to insufficient explanation of the concepts in the textbooks. The results of this study were consistent with the constructivist model of learning, which suggests that students construct new knowledge through their existing experiences and knowledge, and that some misconceptions may appear to be quite logical to students.