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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2000  > June  >
Research: Science and Education
Chemical Education Research
Using Particulate Drawings to Determine and Improve Students' Conceptions of Pure Substances and Mixtures
Michael J. Sanger
Department of Chemistry, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0423
Cover
June 2000
Vol. 77 No. 6
p. 762
Abstract
Students were interviewed to identify the ways in which they classify particulate drawings as pure substances or heterogeneous or homogeneous mixtures. Those who successfully classified the heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures used a "randomly mixed" definition. Unsuccessful students were more likely to use a "visual" or "sampling" definition. Some students' difficulties in classifying these drawings can be attributed to their applying macroscopic definitions (such as the visual or sampling definitions) to microscopic drawings. An instructional lesson was developed that incorporated the randomly mixed definition, computer-generated visuals at the microscopic level, and physical samples of these substances at the macroscopic level. It was administered to another set of students. Those who received this instruction were more likely to correctly identify particulate drawings of liquids, pure compounds, heterogeneous mixtures, homogeneous mixtures, elements, and compounds than students who received traditional instruction. As a result of the new lesson, students' interpretations of particulate drawings of pure compounds and heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures appeared to evolve from the assumption that all mixtures are heterogeneous and that pure compounds are homogeneous mixtures to the correct classifications.
More Information
*  Citation
 Sanger, Michael J. J. Chem. Educ. 2000 77 762.
*  Keywords
 CER Misconceptions; CER Particulate Nature of Matter; General Chemistry; Introductory / High School Chemistry; mixtures/pure substances*
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 April 25, 2000
April 15, 2005
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