Organic Chemistry and the Challenge of Representations: Student Difficulties with Different Representation Forms When Switching from Paper–Pencil to Digital Format
-
-
[1] University of Duisburg-Essen
University of Duisburg-Essen
Kreisfreie Stadt Essen, Alemania
-
- Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 101, Nº 11, 2024, págs. 4566-4579
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
-
Resumen
The ability to draw molecules based on a given IUPAC name is a fundamental skill in organic chemistry. University students need to acquire appropriate and automated cognitive schemata to master drawing molecules before they can be considered to meaningfully be introduced to face up to reaction equations, cascades, or mechanisms. Similar to experts in organic chemistry, organic chemistry books and digital drawing tools predominantly use skeletal formulas to communicate about organic chemistry. Students must acquire the ability to use this specific representation type as part of their professional development. The present study investigates (1) which representation form beginners in organic chemistry use to draw molecules when they can choose, (2) whether errors between a paper–pencil format (free choice of representation form) and digital format (skeletal formula requested) differ, and (3) to which extent answer correctness and occurrence of error types change when a student’s preferred representation form is not available. For this investigation, a within subject design is used. The results show that the skeletal formula is used when it is automatically suggested (in the digital format) but that alternative formulas are drawn when a representation form is freely chosen (in the paper–pencil format). Violations of the octet rule appear less frequently for digital molecule-drawing tasks, but missing answers are more prominent.
