Comment on 'What resources do high school students activate to link energetic and structural changes in chemical reactions? – A qualitative study'
One of my publications is:
Taber, K. S. (2024). Understanding the octet framework: Comment on 'What resources do high school students activate to link energetic and structural changes in chemical reactions? – A qualitative study' [10.1039/D3RP00232B]. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3RP00232B
Abstract:
A recent study in Chemistry Education Research and Practice highlights the common pattern of student thinking known as 'the octet framework', and notes how it seems to relate to, but be inconsistent with, the octet rule: an idea commonly taught in introductory chemistry classes.The study noted the common feature of learners extending the octet rule into 'a driving force' for chemical change, but analysis also noted two other features of the alternative conceptual framework. It is argued here that these research findings reflect a key problem in chemistry education: one that the research community should prioritise for further investigation.
Contents:
- Introduction
- Octets and student thinking
- Alternative conceptions and frameworks
- Students make an assumption that reactants are always atomic
- Anthropomorphic language
- The stability of the octet
- The significance of the octet framework
- The source of the octet framework
- The role of teaching in reinforcing 'octet thinking'
- Informing curriculum development
- In conclusion
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