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From Common Sense Concepts to Scientifically Conditioned Concepts of Chemical Bonding: An Historical and Textbook Approach Designed to Address Learning and Teaching Issues at the Secondary School Level

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Abstract

This paper selects six key alternative conceptions identified in the literature on student understandings of chemical bonding and illustrates how a historical analysis and a textbook analysis can inform these conceptions and lead to recommendations for improving the teaching and learning of chemical bonding at the secondary school level. The historical analysis and the textbook analysis focus on the concepts of charge, octet, electron pair, ionic, covalent and metallic bonding. Finally, a table of recommendations is made for teacher and student in the light of four fundamental questions and the six alternative conceptions to enhance the quality of the curriculum resources available and the level of student engagement.

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Notes

  1. A major portion of this section was first presented at the 11th meeting of the IHPST group in 2011 at Thessalonica in Greece by one of the authors.

  2. Coll and Taylor 2001; Coll and Treagust 2001, 2003a, b; Peterson et al. 1989; Taber 1994, 2003; Tan and Treagust 1999.

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  1. Lilydale Adventist Academy, Lilydale, VIC, Australia

    Michael Croft

  2. Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, NSW, Australia

    Kevin de Berg

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Croft, M., de Berg, K. From Common Sense Concepts to Scientifically Conditioned Concepts of Chemical Bonding: An Historical and Textbook Approach Designed to Address Learning and Teaching Issues at the Secondary School Level. Sci & Educ 23, 1733–1761 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-014-9683-0

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