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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2000  > March  >
Research: Science and Education
Chemical Education Research
Measuring Conceptual Change in Organic Chemistry
Jane Gradwohl Nash
Department of Psychology, Stonehill College, Easton, MA 02357

Louis J. Liotta
Department of Chemistry, Stonehill College, Easton, MA 02357

Ralph J. Bravaco
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Stonehill College, Easton, MA 02357

Cover
March 2000
Vol. 77 No. 3
p. 333
Abstract
Researchers in science education have become increasingly interested in conceptual change and techniques used to assess this change in the context of a course. Employing a methodology used by M. Naveh-Benjamin et al. (1986), structural knowledge (knowledge of how concepts within a domain of information are related) was measured at the beginning and end of the semester for 65 students enrolled in Organic Chemistry. Data were analyzed using the modified ordered-tree technique, which yields a hierarchical representation of an individual's knowledge structure. Results showed that students' knowledge structure changed significantly by semester's end: their knowledge trees showed more depth and shared more common chunks (sets of related concepts) with the trees of their respective professors. Additionally, both knowledge measures were significantly correlated with final grade. These findings suggest that the modified ordered-tree technique is a useful procedure for revealing conceptual change that takes place in a chemistry course. Further assessment and pedagogical implications are discussed.
More Information
*  Citation
 Nash, Jane Gradwohl; Liotta, Louis J.; Bravaco, Ralph J. J. Chem. Educ. 2000 77 333.
*  Keywords
 Organic Chemistry; Chemical Education Research; Teaching / Learning Aids; Teaching/Learning Theory/Practice
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 February 14, 2000
April 15, 2005
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