ERIC Number: EJ888327
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1756-1108
EISSN: N/A
Making Sense of the Arrow-Pushing Formalism among Chemistry Majors Enrolled in Organic Chemistry
Ferguson, Robert; Bodner, George M.
Chemistry Education Research and Practice, v9 n2 p102-113 2008
This paper reports results of a qualitative study of sixteen students enrolled in a second year organic chemistry course for chemistry and chemical engineering majors. The focus of the study was student use of the arrow-pushing formalism that plays a central role in both the teaching and practice of organic chemistry. The goal of the study was to probe how students made sense of the arrow-pushing formalism by examining their responses to seven organic chemistry problems that required the use of this formalism. This paper discusses common barriers to students' understanding of the arrow-pushing formalism, the concepts and ideas students apply when they use this formalism to solve mechanism problems, and implications of the observation that they used this formalism in a meaningless, mechanical manner. (Contains 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Majors (Students), Organic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Qualitative Research, Teaching Methods, Role, Student Attitudes, Scientific Concepts, Problem Solving, Science Instruction, Constructivism (Learning)
Royal Society of Chemistry. Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WF, UK. Tel: +44-1223 420066; Fax: +44-1223 423623; e-mail: cerp@rsc.org; Web site: http://www.rsc.org/cerp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A