Dr. Keith S. Taber
Publication:
Taber, K. S. & Tan, K. C. D. (2007)
Exploring learners’ conceptual resources: Singapore A level students’ explanations
in the topic of ionisation
energy
International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
5, pp.375-392
(Published online: 7 September 2006)
Abstract:
This paper describes findings from a study to explore
Singapore A-level (Grades 11 and 12, 16–19 yr old) students' understanding
of ionisation energy, an abstract and complex topic that is featured in
school chemistry courses. Previous research had reported that students in
the United Kingdom commonly use alternative notions based on the perceived
stability of full shells and the ‘sharing out’ of nuclear force, but that
such ideas tend to be applied inconsistently. This paper describes results
from the administration of a two-tier multiple-choice instrument, the ionisation
energy diagnostic instrument, to find (1) whether A-level students in Singapore
have similar ways of thinking about the factors influencing ionisation energy
as reported from their A-level counterparts in the UK; and (2) how Singapore
A-level students explain the trend of ionisation energy across different
elements in Period 3. The results indicate that students in Singapore use
the same alternative ideas as those in the UK, and also a related alternative
notion. The study also demonstrates considerable inconsistency in the way
students responded to related items. The potential significance of the findings
to student understanding of complex topics across the sciences is considered.
Keywords conceptual resources - diagnostic assessment - ionisation
energy - knowledge-in-pieces - p-prims - two-tier multiple-choice test