The objective of this study was to examine college general chemistry students' conceptual understanding and language fluency in the context of the topic of acids and bases. 115 students worked in groups of 2-4 to complete an activity on conductometry, where they were given a scenario in which a titration of sodium hydroxide solution and dilute…

This study sought to uncover memorized algorithms and procedures that students relied on in responding to questions based on the particulate nature of matter (PNM). We describe various memorized algorithms or processes used by students. In the study, students were asked to balance three equations of chemical reaction and then draw particulate…

Many studies in the chemical education literature report students' alternative conceptions in chemistry and the difficulty they present for future learning. In this paper, we review existing diagnostic tools used to uncover students' alternative conceptions in chemistry and suggest that there are two fundamental issues with such instruments,…